- What does it mean for a teenager to have a negative self-image and low self-esteem? How might it affect them?
- Why do we focus on social media and not on other media and formats like movies and advertisements? Didn't the same thing happen before social media existed?
- Do you think that if we reduced our social media use we would have better mental health?
- How can we help a teenager realize that they shouldn't compare themselves to people who aren't real? What can we tell them?
- What can I say to my son to help him accept his body?
- Can't wanting to eat well, exercise, and look good also be a positive thing?
- Can we detect at home when an obsession with image and a cult of beauty starts to become a problem?
- My daughter has anorexia and it seems that she's finding profiles on social media that encourage and exacerbate this disorder. Should I forbid her from going online? How can I monitor her?
- How can we boost our children's self-esteem, beyond social media?
- Filters that remove wrinkles or reduce body mass allow us to change our appearance and create a persona we're not. Could this lead us to increasingly avoid personal contact in order to conceal our true selves?
- Why do we always talk about teenagers? Doesn't it affect adults?
- Do you know of any initiatives with good results for addressing this issue in schools?
- Can social pressure to always be happy lead to depression?
- Can celebrities talking about their mental health disorders create a trend or trivialize them?
- If I notice that my daughter is discriminating against someone because of their appearance, what can I do or say to her?
- What can I do if I see that a girl from my school is being bullied through social media?
- It seems that we parents are always blamed for our children's use of social media or for whether or not they have good self-esteem.
- My daughter loves wearing makeup and posting her makeup routines on social media. Could this be harmful, or should I think it's normal?
What can I say to my son to help him accept his body?
Several studies indicate that the relationship we, as adults, establish with our bodies has a significant influence on the relationship they build with theirs.
The best way to help them accept their bodies is to examine our own relationship with them . Do we have a healthy relationship with food, or do we start a restrictive diet every spring because "I look terrible for the beach"? Do we exercise to enjoy the movement, or to allow ourselves to eat whatever we want on the weekend? Do we value beauty in all its diversity, or do we applaud thinness when we see an actress in a movie?
I raise these questions because we are all immersed in a diet culture with a clear fatphobic and moralistic component regarding food choices. And we are not even aware of it. Becoming aware of how these beliefs about the body, beauty ideals, or the relationship between thinness and health influence our daily lives will allow us to avoid narratives that negatively condition the relationship our teenagers build with their bodies.
In addition, talking about body-related concerns, supporting them in their feelings without judgment, and giving them access to less conventional and diverse beauty models can facilitate body acceptance.
Body dissatisfaction and uncontrolled dieting are increasing among adolescents