Ask the Experts: Melissa Mueller, DO
Q: My teenager spends an incessant amount of time getting dressed - she complains that everything makes her look fat, but she really is a normal weight. Is this typical teen behavior?
A. While your daughter's body may be healthy, what's not healthy is her body image - the way she sees herself - and how it affects her sense of worth. Many teens start to struggle with their body image as they begin puberty. As girls develop fuller hips and breasts, they may feel self-conscious and fat. As boys become gangly from a height-first growth spurt, they may try steroids or hormones to help their muscles catch up.
Teens with poor body images are more likely to try risky supplements and fad diets, develop eating disorders and exercise compulsively. Or, they may turn to alcohol and drugs to soothe their unhappiness.
The messages kids get from magazines, movies and television are part of the problem. Your teenager's ideal may be an impossible-to-achieve illusion of computer tricks and chemical enhancements. Here are some strategies:
- Be media savvy. Explain how most media are created to sell, persuade or manipulate. Teach how to view and think about media critically. Talk about whether that waif model is really healthy.
- Focus on health. Help your teen set goals of being strong, fit and vital. Plan healthy, nutritious family meals and encourage more physical activity. Explain how diets don't work because food deprivation causes the body to burn fuel more slowly. Discuss the hype and dangers surrounding many supplements.
- Think about what you say. If you lament your own image in the mirror each morning or gush about how slim a friend looks, it reinforces the idea that a person's worth is defined by his or her body.
- Talk to your teen's doctor. Seek help if your teen becomes obsessed with fixing his or her problem part or low self-esteem causes avoidance of social situations.
The Family Center, a 501(c) 3, non-profit organization, serves as the community's centralized hub for information, resources and referral for families and professionals.
To view more Ask The Experts articles, please visit our website www.familycenterweb.org.
Please email your questions to info@familycenterweb.org
To volunteer or contribute, visit familycenterweb.org or call 313.432.3832.
20090 Morningside Drive, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236
