What is body image?

This site has a definition of body image and I think it relates to my topic so read further and to find out more click on the title thanks.

''Body image refers to the perception of one's own body, based chiefly in comparison to socially constructed standards or ideals.

Humans have the unique ability to form abstract conceptions about themselvesand to gaze at themselves as both the seer and the object being seen. This can cause conflict when the seer places unrealistic demands on him- or herself,especially on his or her own body. As the advertising and film industries bombard the industrialized world with images of idealized beauty, more and moreadolescents are forming negative body images and engaging in self-destructive behaviors to fit an unrealistic ideal.

Children begin to recognize themselves in mirrors in meaningful ways at about18 months and begin perceiving themselves as physical beings in toddlerhood.School-age children are aware of how their bodies look, though relatively few focus an inappropriate amount of attention on them. Ideally, children learnthat their physical appearance is in many ways beyond their control and learn to accept their bodies without judgment. However, children living in the industrialized world are immersed in a culture that creates standards of idealized beauty and then connects those standards to personal worth. Consequently,school-age children can become convinced that they are only worthwhile if they live up to an idealized standard of physical appearance.''