- Do you think teenage boys or girls have a worse body image? …
- What causes people to be insecure about themselves and have a negative body image? …
- What is something that causes people to not like themselves the way they are? …
- What was normal body image when you were a kid?
Are you fed up of feeling upset when scrolling your Instagram feed because of constant exposure to perfect body shapes or perfect lifestyles? Well, it turns out that this is experienced by many of us. Fortunately, there are movements which can help us address issues brought about by social comparison.
One of these is the Body Positive Movement, which encourages people to adopt more positive attitudes towards their bodies, with the goal of enhancing overall health and well-being. Whether people are nurturing their bodies and maintaining their weight, or finding a place in life where they are comfortable through working out, or improving their lifestyles to find a better attitude, the body positive movement targets building self-esteem through improving one’s self-. The body positive movement focuses on all body shapes and sizes.
I recently had the chance to interview Marciel Hopkins, a body-positive activist, Miss South Africa 2016 finalist and plus-size model for London-based MOT Models ‘Curves’ division.
The motivational speaker and Instagram star, with a following of 51,300, campaigns for positive body , especially among young women, as this is a cause very close to her heart.
After losing 14 kg in four months to become a top 12 Miss South Africa finalist in 2015, I experienced how it truly felt to be in a daily battle with food and my body. I wish for nobody to go through the same mental and physical strain I put myself through and I decided to start spreading a positive message of self-love and body acceptance. I wanted to be a light in the dark for girls struggling with body issues and eating disorders, that is why I call myself a body positive activist. It’s so important for role models to step up and take a stance against the unrealistic expectations that society and the fashion industry has of men and women to look and act a certain way.
As a plus-size model and a campaigner for body positivity, what would your top tips be to young people struggling with body and low self-esteem?
With an Instagram following of over 50,000, what impact has social media had on your life?
Wow! It had been a massive inspiration for me during difficult times in my life. I follow role models that inspire and motivate me to be the healthiest version of myself. I am truly grateful for women like Ashley Graham and Isrka Lawrence who speaks up for more curvy women in the fashion industry.
To my own followers of 50,000+: It’s an honour to share my body positive journey with you. I appreciate every message that I receive on a daily basis to thank me for the inspiration and upliftment you draw from my feed. You are wonderful and worthy; no matter your shape or size.
You are in the process of developing a course for school children to teach body acceptance, holistic health and mental wellness. Can you tell us more about this and what you hope to achieve in the future?
It will be branded: ‘Everything they don’t teach you in school.’ We are so focused on sport and academics in school, but we forget about the development of the individual. It’s so important to teach young girls and boys about self-love and holistic health.
I will focus on social media ethics, how Instagram can be used to manipulate us and I will share my journey to self-love and body acceptance after losing 14 kg to become a Miss South Africa finalist.
I hope to inform and positively influence young adults, at a crucial developmental stage, about the truth around self and body . You are worthy no matter your shape or size.
A recent report focused on the increase of eating disorders among men and boys. Have you any thoughts on this subject?
I think we mainly focus on women and young girls when it comes to eating disorders, but we forget about the pressure society puts on men and boys to look a certain way. Women are expected to be small and petite, but men should be big, strong and muscular to be seen as ‘real men’. It’s a distorted picture that is being fed to us by the media. There is no wrong way to be a man or to have a certain body type.
Men might not be restricting themselves from eating, but they might be obsessed about training in the gym and growing bigger. We might not see anorexic men walking around, but the truth is, so many eating disorders can’t be seen with bare eyes and are simply looked over.
I think there is a big need for men to have platforms where they can voice their feelings and opinions about the pressure society puts on them to look and act a certain way. I think it’s so important for women to hear this as well, as it will help us to have more compassion for one another.
Marciel Hopkins, who is currently spending time on various modelling assignments in Germany and the UK, is also in the process of developing a course for school children to teach body acceptance, holistic health and mental wellness. The course will be launched in South Africa and will be the first programme of its kind led by a professional model. If the course is successful it will be rolled out internationally, starting in London.
Dennis Relojo is the founder of Psychreg and is also the Editor-in-Chief of Psychreg Journal of Psychology. Aside from PJP, he sits on the editorial boards of peer-reviewed journals, and is a Commissioning Editor for the International Society of Critical Health Psychology. A Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society, Dennis holds a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Hertfordshire. His research interest lies in the intersection of psychology and blogging. You can connect with him through Twitter @DennisRelojo and his website.
Psychreg is mainly for information purposes only; materials on this website are not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. Don’t disregard professional advice or delay in seeking treatment because of what you have read on this website. Read our full disclaimer.
Shocking Interview Questions about Body Image // Co302 A4
I practiced some of the more open-ended questions on friends to see how successful they might be. The questions include things like:
When asking questions around body and low self-esteem I think it’s also interesting to look into how it stems from family and peer pressure so I think our group may organise some questions surrounding that as well. I feel this topic is very relevant today as we are surrounded by s of perfectionism is and are made to believe we should all look a certain way to be considered perfect. It’s an especially current issue in our generation because of social media and the internet which increases more ideals of how people should look.
During asking these questions to friends and family I got the responses that I expected and they had the intended effect – being that most people are made to feel self-conscious by standards held in the media. I think we as a group need to just refine the questions and figure out what issues within body we want to target and make sure our questions remain simple so that they don’t confuse any participants taking the survey. I feel that our topic and final questions will be really good and result in an interesting study. It’s a topic I’m really passionate about so I’m looking forward to the real thing and seeing the responses from other people in our course.
For our research task my group has decided to focus on body and how low self-esteem comes about in both men and women. We’ve decided to particularly look into how low self-esteem comes about through media (magazines, television, advertising).
As we’re focusing on this we’ve compiled questions that will analyse how the people partaking in the survey can rank how media may affect them. We can get an average idea of how men and women differ when it comes to how consuming media negatively affects them. Then we have broader questions to elicit a more detailed response from individuals. The closed questions allow us to gather some definite answers whereas the open-ended questions mean we can discover more in depth angles of the issue. The closed questions are set out in the style of ‘multiple choice’ that any participants will be easily able to answer.
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may need to talk to a self-esteem or enhancement coach.
Remember, we must find strength and courage within ourselves to embrace the reality of who we really are (mind, body and spirit). If we are insecure with our bodies, we are more likely to purchase beauty products, new clothes, and diet aids that we really do not need at all! We can easily become ensnared in the cycle of spending unnecessary money to feel better about ourselves. Research indicates that exposure to media driven beauty is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem and unhealthy self-concept. So, ladies, I want to encourage you to Be-You! Because you truly are Be-You-Tiful just the way you are!
s of the female body are used to market everything! Toothpaste, shampoo, cola and sports cars! Beautiful women—and every body part—sell almost anything from potato chips to sport cars. Female celebrities and entertainers are becoming thinner, taller and younger. Fashion magazines are saturated with articles suggesting that if a woman can simply lose weight or enhance their physical they can have it —a fairytale marriage, a gorgeous husband, loving children, fantastic sex, and a satisfying career. These principles are aggressively forced on women in order to profit advertisers, marketers and popular brands.
NOTE: You can freely redistribute this resource, electronically or in print, provided you leave the authors contact information below intact.
Psychreg is mainly for information purposes only; materials on this website are not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. Don’t disregard professional advice or delay in seeking treatment because of what you have read on this website. Read our full disclaimer.
To my own followers of 50,000+: It’s an honour to share my body positive journey with you. I appreciate every message that I receive on a daily basis to thank me for the inspiration and upliftment you draw from my feed. You are wonderful and worthy; no matter your shape or size.
One of these is the Body Positive Movement, which encourages people to adopt more positive attitudes towards their bodies, with the goal of enhancing overall health and well-being. Whether people are nurturing their bodies and maintaining their weight, or finding a place in life where they are comfortable through working out, or improving their lifestyles to find a better attitude, the body positive movement targets building self-esteem through improving one’s self-. The body positive movement focuses on all body shapes and sizes.
I think there is a big need for men to have platforms where they can voice their feelings and opinions about the pressure society puts on them to look and act a certain way. I think it’s so important for women to hear this as well, as it will help us to have more compassion for one another.
Wow! It had been a massive inspiration for me during difficult times in my life. I follow role models that inspire and motivate me to be the healthiest version of myself. I am truly grateful for women like Ashley Graham and Isrka Lawrence who speaks up for more curvy women in the fashion industry.
1. When I looked in the mirror, what’s the first thought I had? For some of us, it’s like we have negative thoughts on speed dial. Without blinking an eye, when we look in the mirror, we start looking for faults. Maybe you grab at the skin on your stomach or thighs, and say “Ugh.” Maybe you sigh in disappointment overall.
5. What made me laugh or smile? Humor heals. In fact, according to Therese Borchard of Beyond Blue, it heals in these nine ways. Therese writes, “…human beings can heal (at least partially!) from a host of different illnesses if they learn how to laugh.” I think humor can heal body , too, because, like reading something joyful, it puts life into perspective. And it gets those feel-good hormones running through your body. And you start to realize how great it is to laugh.
So, below, you’ll find my version of a self-reflection session that relates to body . You can work through the questions today, if you prefer, or this weekend. The point is to think about how you’ve treated yourself — and others — this week and what improvements you’ll try to make the next week.
P.S. Be sure to check out Confessions of a Recovering Compulsive Eater today: Eating disorder advocate and author Jenni Schaefer guests posts, and love2eatinpa is giving away one copy of Goodbye ED, Hello Me. Like I said in the comments, years ago, my younger self was starving for such words of wisdom.
6. What did I struggle with? This can be relate to your body or how things are going in general. Stress can greatly impact how you view your body, how you eat and how well you take care of yourself. It’s all a cycle. Consider the tough parts of the week, and try to process them, using healthy ways to cope.
FAQ
What questions should I ask about body image?
- What does my body allow me to do; what is my body’s function? …
- Who benefits from negative feelings about my body size? …
- Who’s telling me my body isn’t okay as it is, and why? …
- What is something I love about my body?
What is the body image questionnaire?
How is body image a social issue?
