Research shows that adolescents of parents who opt for a more controlling parenting style are at higher risk of having a negative body image. Parents who adopt a more positive parenting style tend to have teenagers who are more content and more positive with their body image. Healthy relationships between parents and adolescents promote positive body image and general perception of themselves.
Adolescence is a period of growth where individuals adapt gradually to the emerging changes in their body and mind to become the new adult version of themselves. Teenagers have to adapt to their surprising body changes, which are not always liked or welcomed by them.
Girls are more prone to dislike their bodies than boys and tend to be more worried about fashion trends. As a parent, you may start to worry as you see your teen struggling with body image and peer pressure. Parents are aware of the impact social media has. We all know how society influences how adolescent bodies should be in order to be liked by others in their network, as well as how many beauty products and trendy clothes they need to buy to feel good about themselves and their bodies.
Developing a positive body image starts with accepting one’s body as it is. Parents play a crucial role in modeling that acceptance. For most adolescents, the perception of their bodies gradually becomes more positive as they mature psychologically and enter adulthood, understanding that acceptance of how one is constitutes the base to build a secure, well-rounded, mature adult with healthy self-esteem.
As children move into secondary school, they engage with new and diverse groups of friends. Teenage brains go through a process of pruning during adolescence. This results in a more specialized brain and a more diverse thinking among peers. It is then that adolescents feel the fear of new social cues that were previously unknown. Some may not want to grow, while others may strive for appreciation and acceptance in the peer group, willing to sacrifice who they are becoming for inclusiveness and a sense of belonging.
For most adolescents, the perception of their bodies gradually becomes more positive as they mature psychologically and enter adulthood, understanding that acceptance of how one is constitutes the base to build a secure, well-rounded, mature adult with healthy self-esteem
Dr Emma Allende
Some teens prefer to fake and force themselves to agree with the commonly agreed-upon body image of the group instead of standing their ground and deviating from the group’s body and fashion style. They betray themselves and who they really are inside in order to fit in. As fitting in is very important, they feel empowered even when they contradict themselves.
We live in a society obsessed with weight, and some adolescents, under the influence of social media and peers, may develop unhealthy eating habits that can occasionally develop into eating disorders through food restriction, self-induced vomiting, or binging.
How Can Parents Help Prevent This?
- Apply Positive Parenting: Engage positively with your teen so they feel listened to, and provide a non-judgmental safe environment where adolescents feel understood and respected.
- Be Available: Make yourself available for your teen to turn to you, so they will approach you in their dark moments of need when struggling with their body image.
- Normalize Struggles: Let them understand that it is part of being human to go through struggles in life and that a problem shared is a problem half solved.
- Open Communication: Talk openly about emotions and how they feel. Do not limit conversations only to diets and food.
- Validate Feelings: Allow them to express themselves without judging them. Validate their feelings.
- Avoid Negative Comments: Avoid making comments about how they look and offer unconditional respect.
- Avoid Comparisons: Do not compare them with siblings or other adolescents.
- Encourage Self-Acceptance: We are all different and have different bodies. People come in all shapes and sizes.
- Address Bullying: If they are bullied, talk to school professionals for further help.
- Be a Role Model: Remember you are their role model. Look at yourself and the relationship you have with food. Is it possible that this may be affecting your teen?
Research Insights
Research shows that adolescents of parents who opt for a more controlling parenting style are at higher risk of having a negative body image. Parents who adopt a more positive parenting style tend to have teenagers who are more content and more positive with their body image. Healthy relationships between parents and adolescents promote positive body image and general perception of themselves.
