Before a community forum sponsored by the Peterborough City-County Health Unit, Prof. Rice discussed society’s “toxic” pre-occupation with certain body types and the negative impact these have when children start to internalize them. “Children as young as five don’t like their bodies,” she explained. “This has reached the point where one study showed 15 per cent of women surveyed would give up five years of their life to achieve their weight goal,” Prof. Rice said. “What’s going on?”

She explained that media emphasis on skinny bodies makes young people more likely to view themselves in a negative way. This can then make them susceptible to eating disorders, avoiding exercise and other unhealthy behaviours. “We should be shifting focus off people’s bodies and weights onto our environments,” Prof. Rice said.

Prof. Rice emphasized the need to promote positive self-esteem for our children in a world pre-occupied with appearance. During her presentation, she provided strategies for parents, teens, teachers and other professionals to create an atmosphere of body acceptance and healthy lifestyles.

Prof. Carla Rice has more than 20 years international experience as a clinician, project director, researcher and media consultant on body image.

For more information about the work of Prof. Rice, please visit her website.