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Pint-sized Body Image

Shaping the Way Our Children See Themselves

By Lisa B. Samalonis

Dr. Virginia Shiller, a licensed clinical psychologist and author of the book Rewards for Kids! Ready-to-Use Charts & Activities for Positive Parenting (Magination Press, 2003), acknowledges that it is very hard for children to grow up in a society in which models, actors and actresses are extraordinarily slim, while the more general culture promotes obesity.

"Ironically, the public is bombarded both with commercials that feature extremely sleek and fit women and men, but also with advertisements for food products which are extremely high calorie," Dr. Shiller says.

To combat these powerful media images and help keep their children from feeling dissatisfied with their bodies, Dr. Shiller recommends that parents start by reducing the amount of time children spend watching TV or looking at popular magazines featuring idealized images. "Then they can discuss with children the discrepancy between the shapes of models and that of their friends and neighbors," she says. "Parents can wonder with their children how models struggle to maintain their slim physiques, and whether they are truly as happy as they appear in ads."

Finally, parents can try their best to communicate acceptance for children's bodies, no matter what their weight. "Parents are influenced by the larger culture, just as their children are, and they are likely to wish for their children to be slim," Dr. Shiller says. "But, while parents have limited ability to control messages from the larger culture, they can control what they communicate to their children."