(Stuart Miles/Shutterstock)
American culture, as depicted in movies, magazines and
advertising, places great emphasis on how women look, with the ideal
often being unrealistic and unachievable for most women. Virginia
Ramseyer Winter, a University of Missouri assistant professor and
researcher, studies body image in relation to women’s physical, mental,
and sexual health. According to her research, poor body image can be
damaging to more than just a woman’s health. She has found that when
women have a negative or poor body image, they tend to engage in riskier
health behaviors, such as unsafe sex or substance abuse. Ramseyer
Winter believes parents and social media can help young women overcome
these issues.
“For many women, their views of their body are influenced by
mainstream popular culture, however unrealistic those images may be,”
said Ramseyer Winter. “This leads a majority of women, regardless of
their size, to be dissatisfied with their body, even when they know they
are comparing their bodies to unrealistic ideals. This is significant
as women who have negative views of their bodies are at greater risk to
engage in risky behaviors, such as unsafe sex or tobacco use.”
Parents need to teach their daughters to apply critical thinking to what they see.
However, Ramseyer Winter takes a strengths approach to this area of
scholarship, seeking to understand how positive body image can serve as a
factor for improving women’s health. Her research points to the
critical importance of positive body image and how parents and the media
can play active roles in promoting body appreciation. Ramseyer Winter
credits social media for being a new platform that can counter negative
media images and promote body positivity and acceptance. Celebrities
such as Kate Winslet, Beyonce, Zendaya, Jennifer Lawrence and Meghan
Trainor have used Facebook and Instagram to share untouched photos and
call out magazines for using photoshopped or digitally altered photos.
She also points to the efforts being made to diversify toys and products
targeted to young girls as a way to promote body positivity at an early
age.
A parent of a young daughter and son herself, Ramseyer Winter
understands the importance of teaching body acceptance at a young age.
While representations in the media are important, she says parents need
to teach their daughters to apply critical thinking to what they see, so
they understand the difference between their bodies and what they see
on television and online. It is fine for young girls to love Disney
princesses, as long as they understand that what is depicted on
television and in reality are not the same thing, Ramseyer Winter said.
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