Mirror, mirror on the wall Distorted body-image in adolescent boys and girls

Birth of Venus, Boticelli. 1480

Las tres gracias, Rubens. SXVII

La maja desnuda, Goya, SXVIII.

Scarlett O´Hara, 1862 “las señoritas que comen mucho delante de gente no encuentran marido”

1930

1950

Jane Mansfield THE 50’s

Grace Kelly THE 50’s

Marilyn Monroe THE 50’s

TWIGGY THE 70’s

Twiggy In 32 years models’ body weight decreased 18 kg.

THE 80’s

TODAY

Did you know? FREAK FACTS The #1 wish of the majority of teenage girls is to lose weight. Two thirds of teen girls have abnormal eating behaviors One million teenage boys have eating disorders The average western women wears a size 12 or larger. Marilyn Monroe was a size 14!

Did you know? FREAK FACTS Twenty years ago, the average model weighed 8% less than the average woman; today, models weigh 23% less If manikins used in clothing stores were real women they would be too thin to menstruate Worldwide, there are 3 billion women that don’t look like super models and only 8 that do!

Did you know? FREAK FACTS All models in magazines are air brushed, they are NOT PERFECT (we compare ourselves to the “ideal”, not the real)not the real Psychological research done in 1995 found that after looking at a fashion magazine for 3 minutes, 70% of women felt more depressed, guilty and ashamed.

Did you know? FREAK FACTS If Barbie were a real person she would have to walk on all 4 legs due to her proportions, her waist is the same diameter as the circumference of her head.  Her neck is twice as long as an average human’s neck.  Her legs are 50% longer than her arms (the norm for women is 20%)

This is how you would look with Barbie’s measurements.

Playing with beauty

90% of women older than 15 have been on a diet at one point in their lives. Approximately 30% of women are dieting at any given time 5-10% of young women have some form of eating disorder up to 40% of women have Occasional bulimic symptoms in college EPIDEMIOLOGY

CAUSES OF EATING DISORDERS Biological factors : genetic predisposition Psychological factors : Individual and/or family Social factors : the role of society and culture

PREVENTION : GET TALKING Discouraging the emphasis on physical appearance as a parameter of self evaluation. Stressing the importance of a healthy lifestyle : sleeping, eating, exercising. Educating young people to have a critical sense when confronted with the media Introducing and clarifying the concepts of the inner and outer critic, perfection = boring, the difference between fashion and style. Emphasizing who we are vs what we are.

Daniela Nassau MA, D.E.S.S, High School Counselor and Psychologist at The Nido de Aguilas International School Linda Strauss Director of Library/ Media Center at The Nido de Aguilas International School. The International School Nido de Aguilas Av. El Rodeo 14200, Lo Barnechea. Santiago-Chile Mailing Address: Casilla Correo La Dehesa Lo Barnechea. Santiago-Chile Fax: (562)