Young people's concerns about appearance and its implications. Many people are very concerned about their appearance or what others think of them. Young people worry to death about appearance. Some people think they are too fat, too thin, too short or too tall and would prefer to look like someone else. This phenomenon is widespread among adolescents and adolescents since this is the stage where rapid changes occur in both the physical and emotional makeup of young people. Most young people suffer from self-esteem issues, which is reason enough for them to focus on their appearance. Poor body image and low self-esteem are risk factors for the development of weight loss strategies and mental health disorders such as depression and eating disorders (Ahluwalia, 2008). The Royal Children's Hospital (2011) posits that the implications of excessive worry about physical appearance include: • Focusing on weight loss or worrying about specific parts of one's body, • Constantly comparing one's body with that of others others • Associating food with feelings of guilt or shame • Wanting to stay indoors because of how you look • Not doing activities because of how your body feels • Feeling inadequate or critical of your body Body image is what we think, see and feel about our entire body. In most cases, it has nothing to do with your actual appearance. Friends, peer magazines, and television programs are among the various factors that constitute a person's body image (Ahluwalia, 2008). The sex most affected is that of women. They worry a lot about gaining weight and some of them always complain that they are fat so they are always on a diet. This has always been an associated stereotype...... middle of paper ...... February 21, 2014, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Worried-About-How-You-Look-Or-Your - Body-Image?&id=1324879Attewill, F. (2012). From the age of five, girls worry about their weight and appearance. Retrieved February 23, 2014 from http://metro.co.uk/2012/05/29/girls-as-young-as-five-worry-about-their-weight-and-looks-449439/Furlong, AC. (2006). Young people and social change. McGraw-Hill International.Mee, c. S. (1997). 2000 voices: perceptions of young adolescents and curricular implications. National Association of Colleges. The Royal Children's Hospital. (March 10, 2011). children's education network. Retrieved March 15, 2014 from http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/body_image.htmlWhitehead, R. and Harrison, M. (March 2, 2012). Perception of body image. Accessed March 21, 2014 from http://www.bestieltsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/model-answer-2.pdf