Welcome!

Welcome to Love the Real You. Body image is exactly that, an image. It's the picture you have in your head of what you look like. Your body image is created from a bunch of different thing, including the feelings connected to the picture you have of yourself in your head. Your body image is based on things like what you know from school about health, how your grandma looks, how your friends and family talk about bodies and all of the images you see in the media.
Women all over the world now believe that beauty has become limiting and unattainable - as if only thin, young and blond are beautiful. This definition of beauty is having a profound effect on our self-esteem! Only 2% of women around the world describe themselves as beautiful. We must stand together and learn how we can not let today's negative influences affect how we feel any more!

29.10.08

Say What?!?

Did You Know...
  • That if shop mannequins were real women, they'd be too thin to menstruate
  • There are 3 billion women who don't look like super-models and only 8 who do
  • Marilyn Monroe wore a size 14
  • Models 20 years ago weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today they weigh 23% less than the average woman.
  • 7% of 12th grade males have used steroids in order to become more muscular
  • If Barbie was a real woman, she'd have to walk on all fours due to her proportions

  • Male action figures have greatly increased in muscular size since 1973; If GI Joe were human, he would have larger biceps than any bodybuilder in history
  • The average woman weighs 144lbs and wears between a size 12-14
  • One out of four college aged women has an eating disorder
  • In a U.S. National survey, women feared being fat more than dying
  • Americans spend more than 40 billion dollars a year on dieting and diet-related products. That's roughly equivalent to the amount the U.S. Federal Government spends on education each year
  • 46% of 9-11 year old are sometimes or very often on diets
  • 50% of 10th grade and 12th grade boys want a more muscular upper body
  • It is estimated that 40-50% of American women are trying to lose weight at any point in time
  • Underweight males have body images just as negative as overweight women's body images
Learning to ignore a cultural preference for thinness is a long, slow, perhaps lifelong process. To begin the process of change, you must make a choice- Live a life of frustration and disappointment because your body or some body part doesn't fit the ideal set out by media; or learn to accept your body as it is and move on! You Choose!

To see how your body image affects you click here .

8 comments:

Katie said...

These are very interesting facts. It amazes me how we still try to be like these unrealistic images. When will we ever learn?

Speakers Bureau said...

I think that "unrealistic" really is the best word here. It's hard to believe that our society is consumed with an almost unattainable image. I think it's so interesting that we often think of body image as just a female problem, but your statistics show that men are also affected.

Katy said...

statistics are shocking! I want to say that it's hard to believe that our society has become so focused on body "perfection," but honestly when I look around (even here at BYU) thats all I see.

Sarah and Sean said...

It's amazing how society's perception of beauty has changed!

Natalie said...

I think it's so sad that we are trying to become something that is almost impossible. We are striving for an image that is unrealistic. It is so important that we teach young girls and boys to appreciate the way they are, and stop trying to change ourselves to be the image the media says it "beautiful".

Anastasia Bertola said...

That is amazing how many young girls and boys are affected by this, they really need to know how unrealistic this all is, and that magazines no matter who the model is are all airbrushed!

Amy Smart said...

Way to go with those facts! Thats nuts that women are more afraid to be fat than dying! I guess it just has to do with ignorance maybe. We all know what happens (negatively anyway) when we get fat.

Kellie Ann said...

I just think this is so sad, but it is so real! We are all affected by this and it is terrible that we spend so much time and energy on it! Even my little niece has made comments and she should not be thinking about dieting or exercising. What can we do so every girl is not so obsessed with her body?