Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

American Teen Girls Feel Pressure To Be Thin

Almost nine in 10 American teenage girls say they feel pressured by the fashion and media industries to be skinny and that an unrealistic, unattainable image of beauty has been created, a poll showed on Monday.

The online survey of 1,000 girls aged between 13 and 17 for the Girl Scouts of the USA found that three quarters said they would be more likely to buy clothes that they see on real-size models than on women who are skinny.

But three out of four girls said that fashion is "really important" to them.

"The fashion industry remains a powerful influence on girls and the way they view themselves and their bodies," said Kimberlee Salmond, senior researchers at the Girl Scout Research Institute.

"Teenage girls take cues about how they should look from models they see in fashion magazines and on TV and it is something that they struggle to reconcile with when they look at themselves in the mirror," she said.

More than 80 percent of teen girls said they would rather see natural photos of models rather than pictures that had been digitally altered or enhanced.

One in three girls said they have starved themselves or refused to eat in an effort to lose weight, while almost half said they knew someone their age who has forced themselves to throw up after eating. More than a third said they know someone who has been diagnosed with an eating disorder.

Source: Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE6104Q420100201

No big surprises here, just more of what we already know -- that our culture promotes certain images of what beautiful or even "normal" is -- and when it comes to female body image -- thin fashion models are the images young teenage girls see most often.  Parents can help offset the impact of cultural norms by placing an emphasis on helping their daughters develop a healthy self-image based upon more important character and spiritual aspects and by offering a lot of affirmation, warmth and encouragement (A.W.E.) 

For more information on teen self-image and parenting with AWE, click on the titles below to view these online articles:

Kids and Self-Esteem

Parenting with A.W.E.

19 Out of 20 Young Women 'Would Change Bodies'

Girls as young as seven would like to change something about their appearance and half of 16 to 21-year-olds would consider surgery to achieve their perfect body, a study has revealed.

The research, carried out by Girlguiding UK, shows that 95 per cent of 16 to 21-year-olds would change their bodies, with 33 per cent saying they wanted to be thinner and around a quarter of 16 to 21-year-olds said they would consider resorting to cosmetic surgery.

“We all compare ourselves to our peers, whoever they may be and for girls and young women, their peers are usually other young women,” said Dr Kerry O’Brien, a Psychologist at the University of Manchester.

“For them, as with others it is about finding their place in the world and wanting to compare favourably. Unfortunately, considering the approach of the media, that is often not the case.

“Many girls try to measure up to an image which is not a true reflection and can feel that they are coming up short,” he added.

Source: The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/19-out-of-20-young-women-would-change-bodies-1813551.html

Chatting Online Boosts Lonely Teens' Confidence

Hours spent chatting online by the glow of the computer screen doesn't make lonely teens more isolated and unhappy, new research suggests - in fact, it may boost their confidence and self-esteem.

The study flies in the face of previous research and popular notions that a lot of Internet time breeds emotional and social problems, and the results surprised even the researchers.

Maarten Selfhout-van Zalk, a researcher with the youth and society research group at Orebro University in Sweden, says that for teens with few friends and weak friendships, more time spent online is a good thing.

"We found if they chat more, with strangers specifically, they increase in their well-being over time," he says. "They gain positive feelings from that; they actually experience better self-esteem."

He said they expected Internet usage to have detrimental effects on lonely teens who were investing more time in online friendships than real ones. Instead, their research suggests the Internet acts as a social training ground, where such teens can meet people, create support networks and build their confidence and social skills for real-world interactions.

The study is published in the Journal of Adolescence.

Source: Canada.com
http://www.canada.com/health/Chatting+online+boosts+lonely+teens+confidence+study/1968364/story.html

Are Teens Mature Enough To Elect Cosmetic Surgery?

As more teenagers express interest in undergoing cosmetic surgery, researchers are asking critical questions about their motives, issues and whether young people are even equipped to make informed decisions regarding what are often permanent changes to their appearance.

Researchers who recently conducted a review of the literature on teens and cosmetic surgery (with a focus on breast augmentation and liposuction) found that teens are mental and physical works in progress. Dr. Anisha Abraham, M.D., coauthor of an study which appeared last Fall in Journal of Adolescent Health, says that teenagers' body images are continually developing. "Women can increase their breast size; they can gain weight. One recommendation is to certainly wait until a young woman is perhaps at least 21 before considering either liposuction or breast augmentation, simply because she is still going through pubertal changes."

Source: Modern Medicine
http://www.modernmedicine.com/modernmedicine/Modern+Medicine+Now/Are-teens-mature-enough-to-elect-cosmetic-surgery/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/583952?

Seeking Self-Esteem Through Surgery

To the rigors of teenage grooming — waxing, plucking, body training and skin care regimens that were once the province of adults — add cosmetic surgery, which is fast becoming a mainstream option among teenagers. But with this popularity, some experts are concerned that the underlying motivation for many of the young people seeking surgery — namely, self-esteem — is being disregarded in the drive to look “normal.”

The latest figures from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery show that the number of cosmetic surgical procedures performed on youths 18 or younger more than tripled over a 10-year period, to 205,119 in 2007 from 59,890 in 1997. This includes even more controversial procedures: liposuctions rose to 9,295 from 2,504, and breast augmentations increased nearly sixfold, to 7,882 from 1,326.

A recent survey of more than 1,000 girls in the United States ages 8 to 17 sponsored by the Dove Self-Esteem Fund — which has a partnership with the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. and is linked to Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, a program aimed at changing narrow cultural definitions of beauty — showed that 7 in 10 girls surveyed believed that when it came to issues including beauty and body image they did not “measure up.” Only 10 percent found themselves to be “pretty enough.”

“It’s clear there is an epidemic of low self-esteem among girls,” said Ann Kearney-Cooke, director of the Cincinnati Psychotherapy Institute, adviser to Dove’s study and author of the book “Change Your Mind, Change Your Body.”

“I work with a lot of teens on body image,” Dr. Kearney-Cooke said. “I have girls who say they want lipo when really what they need is to learn how to exercise and diet. If a girl thinks no waist, big breasts and chiseled features is the only definition of beautiful, I try and teach them to recognize the narrow view of what’s considered acceptable appearance in our culture, and how to challenge that view.”

Source: New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/fashion/15skin.html?_r=4&pagewanted=1

Low Self-Esteem at Crisis Levels for Girls

A new study indicates an alarming number of girls and teens have low self-esteem, which in turn results in destructive behaviors. According to the study's findings, the key to reversing the trend has to do with parents and other adult role-models providing consistent communication, support and encouragement to the girls in their lives.

Self-esteem has become a national crisis in this country. The majority of girls (seven in ten) feel they do not measure up in some way including their looks, performance in school and relationships. Most disturbing is that girls with low self-esteem are engaging in harmful and destructive behavior that can leave a lasting imprint on their lives. These new findings come from Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem, conducted with girls between eight and 17 and commissioned by the Dove Self-Esteem Fund.

Destructive Behaviors

An alarming number of girls are turning to destructive action when feeling insecure, and girls with low self-esteem are three times more likely to participate in dangerous behaviors during these times.

--  75 percent of girls with low self-esteem reported engaging in negative and potentially harmful activities, such as disordered eating, cutting, bullying, smoking or drinking, when feeling badly about themselves -- compared with 25 percent of girls with high self-esteem.

--  61 percent of teen girls with low self-esteem admit to talking badly about themselves. (Compared to 15 percent of girls with high self-esteem.)

--  25 percent of teen girls with low self-esteem resort to injuring themselves on purpose or cutting when feeling badly about themselves. (Compared to 4 percent of girls with high self-esteem.)

--  25 percent of teen girls with low self-esteem practice disordered eating, such as starving themselves, refusing to eat, or over-eating and throwing up, when feeling badly about themselves.(Compared to 7 percent of girls with high self-esteem.)

"Low self-esteem among girls and young women has reached a crisis level," said Dr. Ann Kearney-Cooke, Ph.D., a psychologist and self-esteem expert who collaborated on Real Girls, Real Pressure. "The new report from Dove confirms the importance of healthy self-esteem and the dangerous consequences that can arise when hang-ups about looks, academics and popularity erode a girl's sense of self-worth and self-acceptance."

Girls are also craving better communication with adult figures as they struggle with challenges in their lives. The top wish among girls is for their parents to communicate better with them, including more frequent and more open conversations, as well as discussions about what is happening in her life. However, as girls enter their teenage years there is a significant loss of trust and communication with adults, particularly when they are feeling badly about themselves.

"We cannot underestimate just how vital the words and actions of parents are in fostering positive self-esteem in girls. However, it can be challenging because adolescence is not typically a time when girls are reaching out to their parents and speaking candidly," said self-esteem expert Jess Weiner, a best-selling author and the Global Ambassador for the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. "The good news is that if parents and other role models are willing to create a steady conversation of encouragement, honesty and openness it can definitely help girls gain confidence and reach their full potential."

Source: PRNewswire
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-07-2008/0004899068&EDATE=

There's A Gender Gap At The Dinner Table

For adolescent girls, the positive impact of sharing regular family meals appears to last throughout their teenage years. Those who ate with their families at least five times a week during middle school were much less likely to drink, smoke or use marijuana five years later, researchers at the University of Minnesota found in a study published recently.

But the same was not true for boys. For reasons that the researchers could not explain, regular family meals had no influence on their later substance abuse.

The research is the latest in a series of studies that may be helping to revive the family dinner hour in the United States. Researchers at the university and elsewhere have proven the power of regular family meals to protect kids from unhealthy behavior -- everything from eating disorders to addiction and suicidal thinking. Some previous studies also have shown that the impact is much greater on girls than boys.

Source: Minneapolis - St. Paul Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/25741649.html?location_refer=Homepage:highlightModules:3

Teen Breast Augmentation Surgery Increasing

Last week, Stephanie Kuleba, 18, of South Florida died while undergoing breast augmentation surgery (apparently due to a reaction to general anesthesia.) At minimum, this gives rise to the reminder that even cosmetic surgery is still surgery and brings with it the accompanying risks. While parents should certainly pay attention to the status of their teen's self-image, in my opinion, they should help their kids focus more on building a healthy self-image based on character traits, spirituality, talents and skills, rather than looks. The following report from Newsday examines the increase in the number of teen girls undergoing breast augmentation...

Last week's death of Stephanie Kuleba, 18, of South Florida, during breast augmentation surgery has drawn attention to what some describe as a growing trend. Kuleba, whose parents say she sought the surgery to correct an inverted nipple and asymmetrical breasts, died Saturday of what may have been a rare genetic reaction to general anesthesia.

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the number of women 18 and younger who have had breast enlargements has risen nearly 500 percent over the past decade -- a sharper climb than the 300 percent increase in breast augmentations among all age groups.

Dr. Stephen Greenberg, a plastic surgeon in Woodbury, estimated he has seen a 20 percent to 30 percent rise in cosmetic procedures among young people. Often, he said, a girl will come in with her parents, who are buying her a breast augmentation as a birthday or high school graduation gift.

"There are girls and women who are devastated by the fact that they don't have breasts and their friends do," Greenberg said. "They don't play gymnastics and they don't go on dates or they can't wear certain clothing, and I hear these things every day."

Source: Newsday
http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-lisurg0327,0,2939806.story

Teen Girls' Popularity Predicts Weight Change

Adolescent girls who placed themselves low on the ladder of popularity were more likely to gain weight later in their teen years than girls who saw themselves as having higher social standing, Boston-area researchers say.

“We know that poor diet and exercise contribute to excess weight gain, but how girls feel about themselves, especially in relation to their peers, should be part of all prevention strategies,” Adina R. Lemeshow, of the Harvard School of Public Health, and author of the study, said in an interview.

Source: Boston.com
http://www.boston.com/news/health/blog/2008/01/adolescent_girl.html

I can't really consider this groundbreaking news, since in my years of youth ministry, I've seen this personally. It's not uncommon for girls with low self-image to resort to poor coping strategies, such as overeating. How adolescent girls feel about themselves is an issue that parents should keep a watch on. As an overarching strategy, parenting with AWE (affirmation, warmth and encouragement) goes a long way to helping kids develop a healthy self-image.

For more information on teen self-image and parenting with AWE, click on the titles below to view various articles:

Kids and Self-Esteem

Parenting with A.W.E.