Teen Treatment Center Investigates Teen Body Image

Argyle, TX – Roots Renewal Ranch is a local treatment center that specializes in mental health and substance use in girls ages 13-17. Their recent blog post investigates teen body image and the concerns behind negative self-worth.

“‘Body image’ is a term that gets thrown around a lot without a real explanation of what it means. Body image consists of your thoughts and feelings about your own body, and is unrelated to how it actually looks. Body image is subjective.

"Some people have a body image that is wildly different than what others believe of their bodies, such as individuals with anorexia. These people always view themselves as “fat,” even when drastically underweight. This is an extreme example of negative body image. Usually, negative body image isn’t as severe and instead manifests in smaller qualms about your body.

"Positive body image is satisfaction with your body. People with positive body image also might not dwell on how they look at all, focusing more on their plans for the day than their reflection in the mirror. Having a positive body image rarely includes fixating on your appearance, and usually involves focusing on other qualities that you love,” the blog reads.

There are many different outside forces that play in teen body image. One is social media, as most teens are highly active online and are bombarded with a constant stream of expectations. They compare themselves to friends and celebrities, leading to a warped sense of reality. Their self-worth can often be influenced by the amount of likes they get on their posts. Another force behind negative body image is from cliques and pressures of school. Every teen is concerned about their peers liking them in some way, and appearance plays a large role. High schoolers are equal parts judgmental and sensitive – they can be mean but also be hurt easily.

Any teen or person can develop a negative body image, but some factors affect body image for the worse, including experiencing appearance-related bullying, having friends and family who fixate on and put down their bodies, frequent exposure to unrealistic beauty standards, such as models in magazines and on TV, more time on social media like Instagram, involvement in activities that encourage a certain body type or appearance, such as ballet, modeling, or weight-lifting, and insecurity or perfectionism in other areas of life. These do not guarantee a negative body image, but they can increase the likelihood of developing one.

“The worst result of negative body image, and likely a parent’s largest concern, is the development of an eating disorder. This is an understandable concern when it comes to negative body image that grows out of control. The most severe eating disorder is anorexia nervosa, which involves the person with the disorder starving themselves, no matter their weight. Bulimia nervosa is another eating disorder, though this one alternates between eating large amounts of food (bingeing) and vomiting or using laxatives (purging). People with bulimia nervosa are not necessarily underweight and can appear perfectly healthy on the outside. Binge-eating alone involves eating an excessive amount of food as a coping mechanism and feeling ashamed afterward. Those who binge eat are often overweight,” the article continues.

Discussing teen body image can be difficult, but the tough conversations have to happen. Share personal experience and show empathy. Teen girls face a lot of stress, they don’t need it to come from home on top of school. Even if negative body image continues into adulthood, talking about it can help relieve some of these stresses.

Roots Renewal Ranch is a local teen treatment facility specializing in teen girls' mental health and substance use disorders. Their program incorporates animal therapy as well as trauma healing. The farm is fully functional and the girls are active participants in daily care.

To learn more about Roots Renewal Ranch, call 888-399-0489 or visit their website.