Self-image and body image can be forever changed after a disabling accident or injury. These views of yourself can also be skewed if you have been disabled your entire life.
The Effects of Media
The modern media is partially to blame for much of the self-image problems in society today. To prove this theory, Harvard Medical School did a study of teenage girls in Fiji before and after the introduction of Western television shows such as Friends and Melrose Place. At the onset of the study, only 3% of Fijian girls reported an eating disorder. Three years later, in Harvard’s follow-up survey, the rate of eating disorders on the tiny island nation had risen to 15% and 74% of girls reported feeling “too big or fat” (Harvard Medical School, May 1999).
It’s not only girls that are affected by this onslaught of unhealthy body images. Boys and men also feel the pressure of “looking perfect.” There is another group that is affected by this imagery, as well – a group that is often overlooked by the mainstream media in their marketing campaigns, television shows and magazines.