PSCG 430:

Psych of
Eating
Week 4 –
Meaning of SIZE
Today’s
content 👀
•Media representations

Body size & image

Body size & shape
o After WW II
o Actresses - Models
o Media & SNS
o Comics/Magazines/Newspapers
o Gender
 subjective image people have of their
own body, which is distinct from how
their body actually appears.

What Is Body
complex construct as a mixture of
Image? beliefs, thoughts, perceptions,
feelings, and behaviors.

have an impact on our physical &

mental health, and our relationships.

A healthy body image =

objective perception of one’s appearance and
seperating it from own values about body
appereance.
Do you agree or not ???
Negative body image
• dissatisfaction with appearance

• engaging in behaviors such as dieting,

checking, and/or avoidance to compensate

their dissatisfaction.

• often emerges during childhood.

• Approximately 50% of preadolescent girls and

30% of boys dislike their bodies.

• Around 60% of adult women & 40% of adult

men have negative body image.

Negative body image:
• where there is shame or distortion in the way that you perceive your body.

Body neutrality:
• where you accept your body as it is
• shift the importance from how your body looks to what your body can do
• your appearance does not define your worth
Positive body image:
• the ability to see a true perception of your body with no distortion

Body positivity:
• feeling happy with your appearance and confident in your own skin
A study showed how the internet is
changing our brain function,
particularly with the ‘digital
manipulation of images to inflate
physical attractiveness’.

The time spent on social media

correlate with mental health problems,
including depression and suicidal
feelings,
in teenagers,
particularly girls.

STUDY REF:
Firth, J., Torous, J., Stubbs, B., Firth, J. A., Steiner, G. Z., Smith, L., Alvarez-Jimenez, M., Gleeson, J., Vancampfort, D., Armitage, C. J., & Sarris, J. (2019). The "online brain": how
the Internet may be changing our cognition. World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 18(2), 119–129. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20617
 Self-compassion
• 1.
Self-kindness
rather than critical self-
judgement.
• 2.Seeing one’s experiences
as part of wider common
humanity
rather than separate and
isolating.
• 3.Holding painful thoughts
and feelings in balance with
the wider picture of our
lives
rather than over-identifying
 Self-Compassion in Action:
Tips for Improving Body Image
–Grow an awareness of thinking patterns, self-
talk, feelings, beliefs, expectations and values
about your body and bodies in general.

–Keeping a journal to track thinking patterns can

be helpful to develop this skill. Ask yourself;
– Is this pattern helping or hindering my relationship
with my body?

– Where did this thought/feeling/belief/expectation/

value come from?

– What is the other point of view about this

thought/feeling/belief expectation or value?
You can try…
You
can
watch…