Current Perspectives on Weight Status and Body Image Perception in Adolescents

Abstract

Weight status exists along a spectrum between being obese (ie, where one's body weight is in the 95th percentile for age and gender) to being underweight. The main influences on body image include the media, which may target adolescents, and peers who help shape beliefs about the perceived body ideal. Internalization and pressure to conform to these socially prescribed physical ideals help to explain the relationship between weight status and body image. Concepts of fat talk and weight-related bullying during adolescence place an excessive emphasis on body weight and appearance as well as the development of negative body perceptions and dissatisfaction around specific body parts. Internalization and pressure to conform to these socially prescribed physical ideals help to explain the relationship between weight status and body image. Concepts of fat talk and weight-related bullying during adolescence place an excessive emphasis on body weight and appearance as well as the development of negative body perceptions and dissatisfaction around specific body parts. This article provides an overview of the importance of adolescent development in shaping body image, the relationship between body image and adolescent weight status, and the consequences of having a negative body image during adolescence (ie, disordered eating, Eating disorders and dysfunctional exercise). The practical implications of promoting healthy weight status and positive body image among adolescents will be discussed.