Body Image

One in four young people say that body image is their top concern.

People of all genders and all ages compare themselves with others and this can make them worry about the way they look. This can be especially difficult during puberty when our bodies are changing so much.

We are fed messages from social media, images on TV, movies, and advertisements that tell us what the 'perfect body' is supposed to look like. These images are often photoshopped, filtered or taken on special angles and the people in the images don't really look like this in real life.

t's important to look around you - at your family and friends, and at people on the street. The reality is that people come in all different shapes and sizes and that's what makes us awesome individuals!

Feeling bad about the way you look can lead to dangerous eating and/or unhealthy exercise. This can affect anyone and involve things like:

• Not eating enough food
• Obsessing over calories of food
• Refusing to eat out
• Binge eating and/or vomiting

Someone doesn't have to be really skinny to have an eating disorder. If you are thinking about what you're eating all the time and it's effecting your day-to-day life, you should talk to someone about it. This could be a family member, teacher, school nurse or youth worker. You can also call Kids Helpline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 1800 55 1800.

Have a look at Butterfly website for more information on eating disorders.