Your Teen’s Distorted Perception of Self
By the time your teen is an adult, they should be happy with how they look. There are significant influences on whether this happens are not. One is how comfortable their parents are with how they look, and two is how much your teen compares themselves to people outside the home.
Teens are going flip through magazines and read about their favorite stars and wonder how they will look when they are an adult. Often times, they may compare how they look now to the adult in the magazine and this can weigh heavily on how they feel about themselves. However, long before they see the pictures in the 
magazine they will hear you as you prepare for work in the morning, go out on a date or just get ready for every day activity. Comments like “This makes me look fat,” “I look awful in this” or “I want body liposuction” can make an impact on the toddler following you around who sees their gorgeous Mommy or Daddy not the negative image you portray. Over time, they too will look in the mirror and mimic what they have seen. This is way before they will see any cover of a magazine.
A parent who is critical of their own appearance, may be equally critical of their teen’s appearance and this can start at an early age with comments like “Stop eating all the time. You look like a stuffed pig going to market” or “Do you have to eat that? Didn’t we just eat?” are subtle (or not so subtle) statements to your teen that they are not good enough the way they are.
These comments in the home complicated by comments at school, or simply comparing themselves to how their peers are experiencing puberty can severely affect your teen’s body image. Your teen can end up thinking, Something must be wrong with me if I am not as developed, too developed, not as tall, more hippy, etc. These personal attacks together with magazine covers, parent and peer comments can culminate in poor self esteem.
The journey to self acceptance is sometimes challenging, but in the end well worth it. The journey is much easier if you start with you and go from there.
No related posts.
