The introductory text reads, Probably not, if you are a teenager. At every age, accepting who you are—not
just ethnicity and gender, but also body shape, size, and strength—correlates with emotional health.
During the adolescent years, when everyone’s body changes dramatically, body dissatisfaction rises. As you
see, this is particularly true for girls—but if the measure were satisfaction with muscles, more boys would be
noted as unhappy.
A horizontal bar chart is titled Body dissatisfaction correlates with. Factors contributing
to body dissatisfaction and corresponding values are as follows: Unfavorable media comparisons, 0.26; Weight
criticisms from parents, 0.30; Unfavorable peer comparisons, 0.55; Low self-esteem, 0.52
A subheading
reads, Gender differences in Body Dissatisfaction. An introductory text reads, Females of all ages tend to be
dissatisfied with their bodies, but the biggest leap in dissatisfaction occurs when girls transition from early to
mid-adolescence (Makinen et al., 2012).
Two graphs compare the levels of dissatisfaction felt by boys and
girls in terms of their body parts.
Both graphs plot different body parts such as weight, hips, thighs, and
waist on the vertical axis against the age groups, 13 year olds, 15 year olds, and 18 year olds, on the horizontal
axis. The graph labeled Girls shows the following data,
Weight: 13 year olds, 16 percent; 15 year olds, 30
percent; 18 year olds, 22 percent.
Hips: 13 year olds, 9 percent; 15 year olds, 25 percent; 18 year olds, 27
percent.
Thighs: 13 year olds, 18 percent; 15 year olds, 42 percent; 18 year olds, 39 percent.
Waist: 13 year olds, 7 percent; 15 year olds, 17 percent; 18 year olds, 25 percent.
A clip art of
a smartphone screen shows a header and text that read, Social media and body dissatisfaction. The more time teenage
girls spend on social media, the higher their body dissatisfaction. 86 percent of teens say that social network
sites hurt their body confidence.
Another subheading reads, Nutrition and Exercise. An introductory text
reads, High school students are told, at home and at school, to eat their vegetables and not care about their looks.
But they listen more to their peers and follow social norms. Fortunately, some eventually learn that, no matter what
their body type, good nutrition and adequate exercise make a person feel more attractive, energetic, and
happy.
A graph compares nutrition and exercise patterns followed by girls and boys in the 9th and 12th grades.
The data is as follows,
Overweight (by scale): 9th grade girl, 17 percent; 12th grade girl, 15 percent; 9th
grade boy, 14 percent; and 12th grade boy, 13 percent.
Trying to lose weight: 9th grade girl, 57 percent; 12th
grade girl, 62 percent; 9th grade boy, 35 percent; and 12th grade boy, 33 percent.
Active 5 days, an hour or
more: 9th grade girl, 45 percent; 12th grade girl, 32 percent; 9th grade boy, 63 percent; and 12th grade boy, 51
percent.
Muscle strengthening 3 times a week: 9th grade girl, 49 percent; 12th grade girl, 36 percent; 9th
grade boy, 66 percent; and 12th grade boy, 57 percent.
Ate 3 plus servings vegetables daily (asterisk): 9th
grade girl, 12 percent; 12th grade girl, 13 percent; 9th grade boy, 15 percent; 12th grade boy, 16 percent.
(Asterisk) corresponds to text that reads, Vegetables includes salad greens, and excludes French fries.
Ate or
drank 3 + serving fruit daily (asterisk asterisk): 9th grade girl, 17 percent; 12th grade girl, 15 percent; 9th
grade boy, 21 percent; 12th grade boy, 21 percent. (Asterisk asterisk) corresponds to text that reads, Fruits
include a glass of 100 percent fruit juice.
Drank 2 + glasses milk daily: 9th grade girl, 13 percent; 12th
grade girl, 8 percent; 9th grade boy, 27 percent; 12th grade boy, 22 percent.