Counselling & Psychological Services

Body Image

What is body image?

Body image does not mean what you look like! It means how you think and feel about your body. Body image, also referred to as body esteem, is very closely related to self esteem. 

What are some early warning signs of poor body image?

• Talking about diets, calories, health or particular foods
• Checking nutritional content of foods
• Feeling irritable or anxious at mealtimes
• Avoiding mealtimes
• Complaining about the way they look
• Making negative comments about themselves
• Frequent body checking such as weighing themselves or excessively looking at their reflection
• Change in clothing style such as wearing oversized or baggy clothing

How can people improve their body image?

When someone is experiencing poor body image, they are often tempted to solve this problem by changing their bodies (e.g. trying to lose weight, changing their hair, building muscles, etc.). However, this only serves to drive further body dissatisfaction. The way to improve body image is to change the way you think and feel about yourself and your body. 

Top Tips to encourage positive body image in kids:

1. Avoid talking about or engaging in diets.
2. Model a healthy relationship with your body, focus on function (what your body can do) rather than form (what your body looks like).
3. Take a Health at Every Size approach; bodies can be healthy at any weight, shape or size.
4. Talk to your child about social media, the digital manipulation of images and temptation to compare themselves with the images they see. Assist them to do a social media audit and unfollow any accounts that make them feel bad about themselves.
5. Challenge yourself! Can you go a day without making an appearance-based comment (including compliments such as “You look nice and strong!” or “I like your outfit today”)?

How does Kinross Wolaroi encourage positive body image?

Senior School students learn about body image as part of their PDHPE curriculum. Junior School students similarly cover age-appropriate topics such as managing changes in their bodies, embracing their unique qualities and respecting themselves and others. 

Staff in the Wellbeing Team and Heads of Houses in Boarding have recently completed some refresher training in the prevention of eating disorders, which includes encouraging students to avoid dieting and over-exercise, while encouraging positive body image. 

In addition, we have planned a Body Image workshop for all Year 9 students, which will involve practical activities to identify unhelpful body ideals, become more media savvy and focus on their internal qualities rather than their appearance. The workshops will also include ways they can help a friend if they are worried about them. We are hoping these can be conducted next term when COVID-19 restrictions ease. 

Are you interested in learning more?

Join the Butterfly Foundation’s free Body Kind Families initiative: www.butterfly.org.au/bodykindfamilies

The Butterfly Foundation are hosting free webinars for parents on Body Image:

Let's Talk Body Confident Children and Teens

• Provides practical tips to help parents/carers of primary and secondary age children understand and promote positive body image in the home.
• Power of positive role modelling | Reducing toxic body talk | Developing resilience to social media pressures | What to do if concerned
• Date: Wednesday, 1st September 2021
• Time: 7pm - 8pm (AEST), plus 15mins for questions
• Format: Live, via Zoom (no recording)
• Event Details (butterfly.org.au)

Let's Talk Body Image in Boys

• This webinar explores the particular challenges facing pre-teen and adolescent boys and strategies for supporting body image in males.
• Common concerns | Higher risk males | What's driving appearance pressures | When training, exercise or eating is problematic
• Date: Thursday, 9th September 2021
• Time: 7pm - 8pm (AEST), plus 15mins for questions
• Format: Live, via Zoom (no recording)
• Event Details (butterfly.org.au)