Survey Says...Day 4 (Updated!)

What have been the major factors in shaping your opinion about your body (family, friends, media, etc.)?

1. Early childhood experiences, the relationship between puberty & the process in its newly acquired sexualisation, the way in which the media distorts the human figure to unrealistic dimensions. Id also have to mention the transition from childhood to teenagehood again as my experience in the first year of secondary school was both baffling & distressing, i believe the way in which you become accepted by your peers be it negatively or positively has a huge impact on your early adult like perceptions of yourself. For me, highschool proved quite negative in the early years as self-worth/esteem is so easily moulded by the opinions those around you & the instinctual need within you to find acceptance can distort your personal self worth substantially.
2. My girlfriends have all the female surgeries out there,and they are still beautifulLoosing your breasts,uterus etc doesnt make you less sexy,\i believe the strenght within and determination is in our eyes and our soul.
3. i want to still meet ladies, but no matter what i try, i will always have a podge
4. Mostly the internet,and the media and the fluid,ever changing measurement of all things female.
5. My mother walked around naked on a regular basis as I was growing up, which I think helped me form a realistic image of women. However, the media tries to sell whatever idea makes the most money, and it is generally at the cost of women's self-image.
6. I stay away from media as much as possible, because what it portrays is so unrealistic. I will continue to envy friends who are smaller than me, with smaller boobs and less ass than me. But I've also had the pleasure to meet and work with some amazing ladies who have been teaching me to love and flaunt my curves, which has been such a gift.
7. Whether or not a man wants to have sex withme
8. Being weighed in grade school; peers in grade school, middle school, and high school. My mother, with her constant dieting and putting me on diets. My dad calling me fat.
9. The people around me. In high school they were size 8, I was size 10 (Australian sizing). I was curvy, they were not so much.
10. For awhile it was society up until now
11. In school I was made fun of, I remember distinctly one day when I was in class. On the chalk board you had to write your name when you excused yourself to go to the restroom. I finally grew the courage to go up in front of everybody to write my name on the board, not only did the guy behind me holler "it's a FULL moon out tonight!", but when I came back, my name had been erased and in place of it was "Diseased Cow".... Did I mention this was the second time this boy had done this to me? (this was in the SIXTH grade, I am now 21, the first time he had done this to me I was in the FIFTH grade.) Ever since that first day, I felt terrible about my body, my face, everything. Recently something just clicked in my head.... I have no idea what triggered it, but it happened, and I feel great about it. My opinions on my body have changed.
12. Media and friends...and family expectations
13. High school ruined my self confidence.
14. Older brother use to pick on me and caused some low self esteem. Not much other than that.
15. I am constantly bombarded with negative (and sometimes positive) thoughts and feelings about my body based on the media. It's hard not to compare myself to other moms I know.
16. I think it's the media; all the images floating around.
17. All of the above! My nana thought I didn't eat enough. I'm really into fashion and politics. And we know there are a lot of hidden messages there.
18. Definitely the media. It took me a long time to learn that almost nobody looks like women in magazines, and more importantly, if I was doing a photoshoot they would photoshop me until I looked that perfect! That doesn't just apply to me, I mean they can pretty much make anyone "ideally" beautiful with a lot of makeup, lighting and photoshop. My friends have been all different sizes and as I've gotten older I've realized how quirky all our bodies are! Aside from icky friends who tell me that I'm underweight or I have ugly hair, my opinion about my body has been shaped positively by my social life. My family is very conflicted; my dad believes that a healthy body is all that counts while my mom believes that being heavy is worth feeling guilty over. In general, though, I would definitely have to say that the media has given me the most information about how I should look.
19. I was severely underweight as a child and young adult, so I never had a "masculine" body at any point in my life.
20. My parents were generally good about my appearance but sometimes would make stupid comments about "do you really need to eat that?" I've gotten both more insecure and more resolved to be healthy after forming friendships with a lot of people recovering from eating disorders. When they complain about their (beautiful) bodies it is hard to stay rational and remember that just because you are bigger than them doesn't mean you're less attractive. But seeing how insane their EDs have made them, and the warped way they view the world, made me only want to stay healthy and avoid falling into that trap.
21. Family.
22. My negative feelings about my body come from the media and cruel people. I have learned to love my body on my own and with the help of those closest to me who see my body as it is and love it.
23. Friends have affected me the most in body image. Listening to them complement themselves or put themselves down makes me instinctively compare myself to them.

Head on over and give the survey a whirl.