Talking Teens: Body Image and Eating Disorders with Dr Chris Eldridge & Dr Charu Narayanan

Can you remember being a teenager? For most us, there was no social media to contend with, and far fewer visual “ideals” to emulate. In this talk about teens, we’ll be hearing doctors’ insights into the changing bodies of teenagers, social expectations, the body-image pressures they find themselves facing, and how to identify potential eating disorders.

Small children tend to be blissfully unaware of their bodies. This innocence is lost as they get older, and a modern judgmental environment prevails. This is a tough time for our teenagers to navigate, and as parents we want you to be informed.

Did you know?

• Negative body image often emerges during childhood
• By 10 years old, 8 in 10 girls agree that looks are more important than ability
• In a UK study of 13- to-19-year-olds, 40% said that images on social media caused them to worry about their body image
• 53% of 13 year-old American girls are unhappy with their bodies; this number grows to 78% by the time girls reach 17
• Orthorexia is an eating disorder under the guise of ‘healthy eating‘ that’s increasing in Western societies

Boys also feel immense pressure around body image, so this talk is for parents of teenage girls and boys, to provide a practical framework for them to understand how they can help.

Date: 2 October 2020
Time: 10am
Place: Zoom Online
Price: S$10 (approx HK$57)

Dr Charu Narayanan (IMC Katong) has been helping teenagers and their parents for many years and will cover body ideals, social media pressures and negative body images in the talk.

Dr Chris Eldridge (IMC Jelita) has also been supporting teenagers for many years and will share insights into how eating disorders may present themselves and what parents should look out for. Join us if you have any concerns about your teenager.