Counsellors' Corner

Dear Parents

With a constant stream of images in society forcing our girls to compare their bodies against a ‘bikini clad ideal’, social media streams sending subliminal and often more overt messages of how their body ‘should look’, an ever-changing fast fashion industry causing our girls to tread water in an attempt to keep up with the next ‘trend’, and a western culture placing a disproportionate focus on looks rather than smarts, it is no wonder that our girls are struggling to stay afloat and content in this image driven world.

In my own counselling room here at Mount Alvernia I am finding myself more and more having conversations with students from Years 7 to 12 about their own body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviours, and how they are struggling with negative thoughts around their image. Mission Australia Youth Survey (2016) found body image as one of the top three stresses that young people are struggling to cope with today, alongside schoolwork-related stress.

In Year 11 this term the girls have focused their Personal Development classes around the documentary Embrace, which takes a look at the growing body image problem in society and the role big marketing companies can play. The girls put together some creative media campaigns to ‘bite back’ at the marketing and fashion industry following the notion of ‘riot not diet’, as we empowered the girls to critically analyse marketing images and understand the impact these images can have on their own self esteem.

We need to continue empowering our girls to talk kindly about themselves as sadly body dissatisfaction in women (and increasingly in men) has become the norm. I have included some tips below that you may be able to try out to help your daughter develop a healthier image:

Praise and comment on your daughter’s achievements, hobbies, interests, and passions but avoid commenting on her body size and/or shape (she is already doing this herself)
As a family talk about being healthy, with the consumption of nutritious food and physical activity but avoid ‘weight goals’, ‘diet talk’ or ‘fat chat’
Talk about food and exercise in the context of fueling the body and/or mind rather than using it to shift image and/or weight
Model your own healthy body talk and lifestyle and avoid pointing out your own body dissatisfaction in front of your daughter
Encourage your daughter to talk kindly about her friends, family, and people in the media and discourage conversations that revolve around body judgment and shaming others
Encourage your daughter to critically analyse media images, the fast fashion industry and gender role expectations, especially in regards to their bodies
Set limits around technology use as social media is a forum for social comparison. Encourage your daughters to take a break, be outside and in nature.

If you have any further concerns about how your own daughter is coping with her own body image or if you have concerns regarding any disordered eating behaviours, please do not hesitate to contact Liz Marlay or myself on counsellors@mta.qld.edu.au or 3357 6000.

Let’s join together to help our girls feel good about themselves!

Tania Henry