So each of us grew up thinking ‘I have a big nose’, or ‘I have buck teeth’, or ‘my legs are short’ or ‘my behind is so huge’ (the last attacking a lot of women!). The image of oneself is a process of construction that during early childhood depends on parents and what they say or omit to say to children. Teasing a child even lovingly (‘mottu’ for example) fixes a certain image of the self for the child. Later, the child may go overboard trying to shed kilos that are not even there. In later years, it is the media that feeds images to young adolescents and adults. The image of the body that is flashed through the photographs and media is supposedly perfect as if perfection existed. In the last few years, the image of the woman has been portrayed to be thin, wafer like with long legs driving young girls to excessive dieting. Young women are also driven by this false, abstract and unattainable image of the body. What is worse is that most of these images are touched up for ‘perfection’! What should one do in such a case? It is a difficult question to answer. I think avoiding the Barbie type dolls for boys and girls is already a beginning. Buying dolls that have more real proportions is important. Ravinder Kaur, one of the senior teachers at our school did a simple yet remarkable activity. She asked children (grade 6) to measure the proportions of such dolls. Then they compared it to real life bodies and realised that such long legs and such a small waist could not physically exist. They worked on their own body representations through sculpture and art, integrating science as well. I followed the group of these kids as they passed out of school into young adult life. I can only say that I envied the ease with which they handled themselves leading to success in their college lives. I myself did some work on analysing advertisements and stereotypes in print media. I also did some comparative study of the representation of the body in art through the ages. It was only exploratory given the time constraints and age of the children, but it helps educate them about the pitfalls of media influence. I think schools have a large role to play in this. As for parents, we have to be careful of what we say to our children. And then we are the role models too. So our own complexes get passed on to the children. Encouraging children to accept themselves and others differences is important. Also what appears to be a fault in one culture can be the idea of beauty in another. Fair skin is valued in India whereas women in the west go to saloons to tan themselves! Your complex can become your asset! So encourage children to love themselves as they are. But before that, begin with yourself and your self! Finally, if you are up to it, ask the child feedback about your performance as a parent or teacher! The Above article was published in the Ahmedabad Mirror on 29/09/2009 |
