The Effect of Negative Body Image on Self Confidence and Self Esteem among Youth

Abstract

The modern period that has taken over the planet has drastically altered every aspect of cultural life. The new styles are so alluring that viewers are constantly drawn to them and end up progressively feeling discontent with their physical appearance in an attempt to improve and mould their ideal body image. The phrase “body image” refers to our thoughts and feelings around our bodies. We can be impacted by our thoughts and sentiments about our bodies for the rest of our life, which can have a wider impact on our mental and physical health and as how we feel about ourselves. Although it’s actually not a mental health issue in and of itself, having body image issues is a somewhat regular occurrence and may increase the chance of developing mental health issues. The issue of body image and appearance can be seen in both children and adults, but it is more prevalent among youths, as they tend to be very conscious about their looks. So this current paper will do a systematic review that how young boys and girls think and feel about their bodies, the more negatively they perceive their appearance and physical form, the more their self-confidence and self-esteem diminish. This significantly affects on their mental health, which gradually hampers their personality development, affecting their future lives and causing their self-confidence to waver, leading their thoughts to shift from positive to negative. This paper will therefore highlight on psychological effect of negative body image and consequences and also how they can be protected from it, so that their self-confidence increases, their feelings of inferiority diminish, their psychological distress is alleviated, and their standard of living rises.