Mirror Image

Women do not have to buy the lie that their bodies must be perfect to be acceptable.   "Body image is a person's perception of his or her physical appearance.   A person with a poor body image will perceive his or her own body as being unattractive or even repulsive to others" (Wikipedia, p.1).
A woman's body image encompasses her physical appearance, size, and shape.   Our body image is formed out of every experience we have ever had- parents, role models, and peers who give us an idea of what it is like to love and value a body.   Images are formed from the positive and negative feedback from people whose opinions matter to us.   It is also the way we ourselves have perceived our body to fit or not fit the cultural image.
One of the reasons for this body dissatisfaction is modern media influence.   Deceitful messages about women's bodies that come from advertisements, movies, music videos, television, video games, and magazines all have a strong pressure for women to feel like they have to look like cover girls.   These messages can cause women to develop a distorted perception of their physical appearance or to become obsessed with their "imperfections".   They may look in the mirror and see a larger body than the one that they have.   Large thighs, large buttocks, and a rounded abdomen may lead to distress for some women.
When a woman is in distress over her appearance, it can lead her into an eating disorder.   "The fact remains that 2 million Americans—most of them women and girls—do suffer from eating disorders.   In the most extreme cases, they literally starve themselves to death.   Those who survive are at greater risk of developing brittle bones, life-threatening infections, kidney damage and heart problems" ("Gorman, Christine" p.1).   The two most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Anorexia nervosa is the relentless pursuit of thinness.   A woman with anorexia refuses to maintain normal body weight for age and height and... [continues]

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