Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak, as I have in the past, about my concerns surrounding child beauty pageants and early sexualisation of girls. Child beauty pageants are, unfortunately, only one aspect of a huge problem connected to the early sexualisation of young girls, body image issues and the subsequent potential for emotional and psychological harm to youth and adolescents.

Today I would like to take some time to raise awareness of an issue that affects far too many young Australians: the issue of negative body image. Body image—and, more specifically, negative body image—is indiscriminate. It can affect individuals of any age, gender, size or ethnicity. A recent study by Mission Australia showed that body image is more of a concern for people aged 20 to 24, with 28.7 per cent indicating concern, than for those aged 15 to 19, with 27.4 per cent indicating concern. Children aged between 11 and 14 are also worried about their body image, with 23.7 per cent indicating that it is of concern to them.

As these statistics show, body image is a significant problem for individuals of all ages. Might I add that these statistics become even more concerning when you take into consideration the fact that surveys asking individuals to self-assess often produce an underreporting of negative statistics. The problem of negative body image is most likely even more widespread than any survey can show. It seems there may be a public perception that negative body image is a problem only experienced by girls. However, the research being conducted in this area clearly demonstrates that body image issues are faced by both boys and girls. In the Talk Now youth survey conducted earlier this year, of the 58 males polled, 79 per cent had an issue with their looks. The same survey took suggestions for strategies to make young people feel good about themselves. I found the comments from a nine-year-old boy to be simplistic but profound. He stated that we should 'see more people that are not perfect in the media and in sport and in music'.

This statement identifies a vital element of the negative body image problem. Too often, role models for our young people are portrayed falsely as perfect. In my capacity as a politician and a mother, negative body image is a prominent concern for me. It has the potential to affect the self-esteem and general wellbeing of our young people. It can also inhibit participation in social activities and lead to serious health issues such as depression, eating disorders and social isolation.

There can be many external influences on young people's idea of body image and self, one of the most prominent influences being our cultural idea of beauty and the ideal body. Mass media magazines, music videos and celebrities can sometimes reinforce those negative views that young people are quite clearly experiencing. The phrase 'thin is in' clearly characterises the current culturally ideal body. This is obvious in many aspects of society, from pictures of ultra-thin models in magazines to the constant selling of the newest and best whiz-bang diets on television and in other media outlets. The implicit message is that we are not good enough the way we are and that we must change. The cultural ideal of beauty that is currently being communicated to young people via the media is unrealistic and unachievable for most individuals. This is a very serious problem.

When our youth are constantly bombarded with images and messages that prescribe a look that is unattainable for most, it leaves many young people constantly feeling that they are falling short and are not good enough. We already know, because it has been spoken about in this chamber on many occasions, that this reinforces one of the worst aspects of young people's lives at the moment: bullying. These negative feelings often open the door for the subsequent problems, as I outlined earlier, of depression, eating disorders and low self-esteem—and the list goes on.

According to the latest annual survey of Australian youth aged between 11 and 24, in 2010, nearly a third of young people said body image was their top personal issue—ahead of bullying, alcohol, drugs and even crime. The sheer scale of this problem is huge, and we must begin immediately to develop a plan of action. Kylie Burke, a psychologist, outlines the important role families and parents can play in combating negative body image. She states:

Healthy attitudes to body image are a family matter. If healthy eating and exercise are perceived as valued activities that are put into practice by the whole family, a child is more likely to focus on health and well-being rather than body shape. As with other challenging issues that occur when raising a family, it is vital for parents to have a strong, ongoing, positive relationship with their children. This means keeping the lines of communication open, giving plenty of positive feedback and sharing activities together.

That is an excellent point on this issue and I would encourage all parents to explain to their children that health should come before appearance and that a healthy lifestyle is much more important than a fashionable outward appearance. The fact that body image is an issue that concerns so many of our Australian youth is reason enough for me to believe that it should concern not only me and others in this chamber but the community as a whole. These young people are the future of our nation. They are the individuals who will one day stand in this chamber, and I feel it is our responsibility to ensure they have the best possible start in life, not a start that includes self-doubt, self-dissatisfaction or uncertainty about their self-worth. At present, there is a conflicting message for young people about what a healthy body image is, and Mission Australia's manager of research, Anne Hampshire, summed this up well by stating:

We've got much more of a focus as a nation on the number of Australians who are overweight, including young Australians ... at the other end of the spectrum we've got an increasing focus on body beautiful and what constitutes an acceptable and a healthy body ... in fact, what's been presented as ultra thin probably isn't a healthy body for most of us. So, I think young people are getting a bit caught in between these two potentially conflicting messages.

The key message that I want to convey today is that there is so much more to someone than just their outward appearance. An unhealthy body image is characterised by thinking your body is bigger or smaller than it is in reality, by believing that you are not perfect on the outside and by thinking that how you look on the outside is your entirety. It is our responsibility to assure young people that this is simply not true. Not always are the kindest hearts and the sharpest minds to be found behind the most beautiful faces. We must do all that we can to assist our children to develop a holistic understanding of self and to understand that their outward appearance is only one small aspect of who they are.

I recently visited a number of primary schools throughout Launceston. It was reinforced to me time and again when I was at the openings of new facilities at these schools, under the Building the Education Revolution, how important it is for young people to be encouraged to have confidence and to have that reinforced not only by their parents but also at school. When I see young primary school age children leading the assemblies, there are times when I wish that I could have my education again, because these young people are going to be fantastic leaders of the future. They will make a wonderful contribution to our state parliaments, to the Senate and to the House of Representatives. I feel excited when I go to schools and hear the young people and see their talent, skills and self-confidence. So I think we as legislators have a responsibility to ensure that the media, along with the rest of the community, takes its share of the responsibility to ensure that young people do not get mixed messages, that we talk about a healthy lifestyle and that we do not try to reinforce the idea that, unless you are stick thin, you are not beautiful in the eyes of the public, because nothing is further from the truth.

We also have to be mindful that young people understand that, when they pick up their glossy magazines, all of which have something to contribute to our community, a lot of the photos are photo­shopped. They are airbrushed and are not necessarily reality. I commend those modelling agencies that are moving to bring forward women who actually represent the general population, showing that it is just as important to have women on the catwalk that are a size 14, 16 or 18 and that you do not have to be a size 8 to be a model. Of course, we have to reinforce a healthy lifestyle. We have to eat healthily and we have to be active. All of that goes to reinforce that this starts at home. A family that eats healthily and does activities together will have a far more positive impact on their young people. We need to reinforce that through our education system, but as members of this chamber we also have a responsibility to speak up on these important issues.

Our future is in the hands of these young people. We have to give them the self-confidence. It is in all our interests to avoid things such as depression and the negative impacts that body image can have on the mental health of young people. It is not in any government's interest to spend more money on health issues that we can avoid if only we change the way we look at each other.

I have raised this because I think it is important that we talk about these issues in this place. It carries on from the speech I delivered in the last session in relation to my concerns about baby beauty pageants and the negative impact they can have. From the outcry after the event that was held in Melbourne, and then taken to Western Australia, as I understand it, the public do not want the reinforcement that little children need to have fancy hairdos, false teeth and make-up applied to them to be acceptable. All children are worthy of being loved and supported in our community.