Also, the older children displayed a stronger bias than the younger ones, which again indicates that it was learned, not innate. The children tended to choose the bigger figures to represent the negative characteristics.Ĭrucially, this bias was influenced by others: for example, their own mothers' attitudes and beliefs about body shapes affected the outcome. They were for example asked which children would be mean or kind, who would be teased by others and whom they would invite to the birthday. In one study, children aged three to five were asked to choose a figure from a range of thin to large sizes, to represent a child with positive or negative characteristics. But today, despite a growing body positivity movement that celebrates all shapes and sizes, the idea that a thin body is an ideal one remains dominant on social media, on traditional media, on television, on the big screen and in advertising.Īwareness of body ideals starts early, and reflects children's experience of the world around them. Physical ideals hugely differ across time and different cultures – a quick look at any painting by Peter Paul Rubens, or indeed the 29,500-year-old figurine known as the " Venus of Willendorf", shows just how exuberantly humans have embraced curvy features. Given how early this awareness of body ideals begin, what can parents and caregivers do to help children feel confident about themselves – and more supportive of others? In addition, the broader stigmatisation of overweight children has increased – affecting their self-esteem and of course, body image. The consequences can be tremendously damaging, as research shows, with family attitudes and derogatory comments about weight linked to mental health problems and eating disorders.
Whether it comes in the form of compliments or criticism, that kind of attention to body shapes can lay down beliefs and insecurities that are hard to shake off. But when she grew older and was considered less pretty, that adoration stopped – it was, she says, as if the world had turned away from her.
The writer Glennon Doyle still recalls how her looks as a child earned her praise from the adults around her: "I could see it on their faces… They would light up, and so I learned, this is a currency," she says on her podcast. And yet, their cumulative effect can be surprisingly potent. None of them may seem hugely impactful in themselves. If we cast our minds back to our childhood, however, we may remember a collection of off-hand comments or observations. When we think about our relationship with our bodies, it's often hard to pinpoint precisely where our satisfaction or dissatisfaction comes from. But research suggests that in reality, her perception of bodies and their social acceptance will have been shaped long before then, in those very early years. Sometimes, she notices her own parents fretting about their weight or looks.īy the time she is a teen, her parents may worry how social media influencers are affecting her body image. Later she looks at her favourite books, and sees slim people and slender animals going on exciting adventures, while their heavier counterparts are portrayed as slow or clumsy. The adults around her echo her delight, and tell her how pretty she is. Double belly fat.Picture the scene: a little girl tries on a sparkly dress, does a twirl and with great satisfaction, smooths it down.