During adolescence, young people often think a lot about how their bodies look. They also compare their bodies with others. A positive teenage body image is an important part of healthy self-esteem, and you can help your child think and feel positively about his body.

Your body image is how and what you think and feel about your body. It includes the picture of your body that you have in your mind, which might or might not match your body’s actual shape and size.

A positive or healthy body image is feeling happy and satisfied about your body, as well as being comfortable with and accepting the way you look.

A negative or unhealthy body image is being unhappy with the way you look. People who feel like this often want to change their body size or shape.

Body image can change through your lifetime, and is strongly connected to your self-esteem and healthy lifestyle choices. When you feel good about your body, you’re more likely to have good self-esteem and mental health as well as a balanced attitude to eating and physical activity.

A healthy body image in childhood can lay the foundations for good physical and mental health later in life. An unhealthy body image in childhood can have long-lasting consequences.

Boys, girls, men and women can all be affected by body image issues, but in different ways. For example, teenage girls who don’t like their bodies often want to lose weight and be thinner. Teenage boys want to lose weight, be taller or have more muscles.

http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/body_image.html