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The Human Body and Development

Discover the wonders of the human body, from anatomy and development to sexual identity.

General Quiz

What is Body Image

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This simply refers to the perception and feelings about your body and your physical appearance. Your physical appearance is determined by heredity (i.e. genetic traits passed down by your biological parentsšŸ‘“šŸ§“ ā€“ thatā€™s why you look like them!), your environment which includes weather conditions, the type of meals available and your health habits.

The human body comes in many shapes, colours and sizes and the beautiful part is that every human body is special and unique, and you should feel good about your body.

Most times, you see different body images on the internetšŸ“±, billboards, media etc. and they often project unrealistic and idolised body images, however, your physical appearance does not determine your worth as a human being and understanding your body image can help you to feel better about your own body.

Why should you know about body image?

Having a positive body image gives you a sense of comfort with your own body and this is an important part of self-esteem. It also helps you to understand and appreciate the differences in individual body images without feeling inferior or superior to others.

What are the factors that affect body image?

There are certain things that can contribute to your perception of your body and physical appearance either positively or negatively. Some of them are:

  1. Social norms: these are the common beliefs about what is normal. They affect the way we think about things including our bodies and appearances. Social norms vary by culture and they change from time to time. Social norms can present pressure for both males and females especially the females on meeting certain standards in order to be considered an acceptable human being thereby leading to body image problems.
  2. Myths about beauty in the media: Movies, televisionšŸ“ŗ, magazines, billboards, social media etc. portray unrealistic body images that do not reflect who we are as human beings that are unique and special. Such imagery can lead people to feel inadequate about their bodies if they do not match these images. Maybe now you understand why there are filters on social media and that the picturesšŸ“ø you see are most times not the real ones. They have been filtered and filtered!
  3. Adolescence: This is the phase of life between childhood and adulthood when several physical, social and emotional changes occur. During adolescence, the bodies of young people develop quickly and can make them feel more self-conscious about how they look. These changes can be managed when they embrace healthy ideas and remember what is important.
  4. Rejection of people because of disability: Young people with disabilities often experience some level of rejection which makes it more difficult for them to develop confidence and comfort with their bodies. However, they also have feelings, needs and desires as people without disabilityšŸ‘Øā€šŸ¦Æā€ and with the right support, they can learn to accept their disabilities and build up confidence in themselves to enable them achieve their dreams. For those who have a guide or carer, they need to still ensure they can be independent and can act without their carer.

How can you develop a Positive Body Image?

  1. Know, loveā¤ļø and understand your body;
  2. Remember that you own it and canā€™t change so much about your body;
  3. Remember media images are make-belief;
  4. Stick with people who appreciate and value you;
  5. Eat well, exercise and sleep wellšŸ˜“;
  6. Get involved in productive activities.

Consequences of a Negative Body Image

Any person with a negative body image may ā€”

  1. Seek approval from others all the time;
  2. Lack of confidence;
  3. Always wish they were someone else;
  4. Lead such persons into unhealthy habits or behaviours e.g. getting involved in sexual relationships while seeking assurance or unhealthy eating habits.
  5. Seeking for surgical options to enhance body parts; and this can be dangerous as it often leads to life threatening health complications.

Peopleā€™s perceptions about physical appearance differs and they can change over time and vary between cultures. Sometimes people worry about some aspect of their physical appearance that others do not notice or find appealing.

Your feelings about your body can affect your health, self- image and behaviour. As a result of the cultural and gendered stereotypes against body image, people especially females suffer from various disorders such as anorexia (an eating disorder that causes people to obsess over weight and what they eat characterised by an abnormally low body weight), bulimia (also an eating disorder characterised by overeating followed by induced vomiting or misuse of laxatives) or even depression connected to their body image.

Some people engage in other practices such as use of diet pills, steroids, drugsšŸ’Š and bleaching cream to change their physical appearance, these things are only temporary and may pose negative consequences to the overall health of such people. Do not let your self-esteem be influenced by other people, donā€™t let anyone take away your self respect, accept yourself the way you are and seek help if you think you have a negative body image.

Self Esteem

This simply refers to how you feel about yourself. It affects your behaviour and the decisions you make. Self esteem can be high, i.e. you value yourself highly or low i.e. you consistently doubt yourself.

People with high self-esteem acknowledge their successes and achievements, respond confidently to challenges, and practise positive thinking. They are generally satisfied with who they are and what they are doing with their lives while people with low self-esteem feel inadequate, helpless, inferior and unable to improve their life situations.

How can you develop your self-esteem?

In order to feel good about yourself, you can enhance your self-esteem by doing the following

  1. Know yourself ā€” Recognise your strengths and positive qualities as well as your weaknesses including those you can or cannot change.
  2. Act like yourself ā€” Explore your interests and develop your positive qualities, set achievable goals for yourself and take actions based on the values you have set for yourself.
  3. Connect with others ā€” Develop positive relationships that help you remember that you are valued and needed. Seek positive role models whom you trust and respect and always seek help when needed.
  4. Be patient and optimistic ā€” Donā€™t compare yourself to someone else, you are you and no one else can be you. Give yourself time to grow into the person you want to be. Remember to set goals for the growth you desire.

Glossary words and their meaning

  1. Perception: conscious understanding of something; the way you view things.
  2. Steroids: any synthetic substance used for body growth.
  3. Laxatives: a substance that makes bowel movement easier.
  4. Optimistic: having a hopeful and positive outlook on the future or a particular situation.
  5. Ā 
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Adolescent and Young People deserve a good life. Providing them with knowledge and skills about their health guaranteesĀ this.

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