Throughout various studies, it has been determined that body image is mainly affected by a person's self-esteem. Body image is described as a person's perception of their own physical appearance. Also, self-esteem is how much people value themselves. For many teenagers, self-esteem and body image are closely related; but if someone has a body image problem, is it reasonable to force a victim of a negative body image issue to have themselves exposed in a bathing suit? This kind of predicament is exactly what occurs at AHS annually in the mandatory physical education course for freshmen and sophomores.
In California's high school requirements, it states that students must partake in the swimming unit. Is it really necessary for adolescents to be revealed in this type of situation? Many adolescents are uncomfortable to take off his or her clothing off in front of those who aren't their friends, and it is awkward for an abundant amount of students to have areas of their body visible that are normally covered. However, there are teens who feel perfectly content to be in a bathing suit in front of their peers and that's fine, but it is a difficult task for those who have a body image issue. They can't just change into their pool attire without being anxious of what others may think of them or if some of their classmates will have a more healthy appearance than they do.
An anonymous AHS freshman declared, “I don't believe it's fair that I have to have my body so uncovered for such a requirement that doesn't address the people who have an issue with it." Possible solutions have been made such as talking to their physical education teacher and attempting to make a compromise. However, this solution isn't ideally helpful because it is extremely difficult for teens to easily communicate about such serious subjects. Even if the adolescent conversed with their teacher about it, it's likely that the teacher could do anything about it since it is a state requirement.
In order to have a healthy body image, one has to be content with their physique themselves. Although, this is a struggle for some and activities such as mandatory swimming aren't helping the passage to happiness. The next step is to identify the aspects of your appearance that cannot adjust. For instance, shoe size and height cannot be altered in any way. Then, the being with a body issue should commit themselves to change anything about their appearance that he or she is displeased with such as exercising and eating healthy foods to become fit. However, it is seriously foolish to take extreme measures to change appearance. For example, it is extremely unwise to decide unhealthy options like bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa as the only way to lose weight.
Because a body image issue can be too much for an adolescent to handle, a teenager can become depressed, lose interest in activities or friends; and some may resort to self-mutilation, drugs, and alcohol. It is encouraged that anyone who feels this way should confide in a trustworthy, supportive adult figure. However, the most important thing to do is to make sure body image isn't affecting the way a person lives their life.