Cultural Identifier Description, Choice Rationale, and Connection

Body Image for K-12 Students
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Institutional Affiliation
Body Image for K-12 Students
Cultural Identifier Description, Choice Rationale, and Connection
The cultural identifier will be body image for K-12 students. Body image is the way individuals think about their physical appearance. It constitutes someone’s self-perception or mental identity or representation or an organized definitive knowledge concerning oneself that possibly manages the social, behavioral inclinations (Tallat et al., 2017). I chose this cultural identifier since a healthy body image is critical for building self-esteem among children and teenagers. Unfortunately, some students have poor body image. They consider themselves not “good-looking enough” because they do not appear as someone they see on TV or social media. Another reason for selecting this cultural identifier is because there has been an increase in the number of teenagers with low self-esteem because of their appearance. It is critical to ensure that K-12 students have the right body image (Tallat et al., 2017). Accordingly, students need to feel good in how they appear without allowing external factors like peer pressure and media to dictate that.
Body image connects with my beliefs concerning its capacity to influence respective learner’s educational outcomes. I find this cultural identifier a critical problem impacting K-12 learning, as its ramifications persist among the younger populaces. This occurs despite the institution-centered prevention efforts in implanting programs that support all students’ wellness, particularly in classroom settings. Body image is comparatively perception-centered since it is based on actions and feelings derived from social conduct responses. It also refers to how individuals view their physical self, especially how good-looking they are or feel about themselves (Winter, 2018). Body image is an appropriate study topic since it raises concerns among researchers and schools alike, particularly considering potential causes and dangers linked with it.
Influence of Key Historical Events on Body Image
Historically, the media has been critical in influencing how children construct their body image. Both traditional and social media have contributed to the idea that being thin is beautiful. The conventional press shows advertisements of thin individuals and displays them as more attractive. In this way majority of teens seek body image validation from their peers. Social media is a quick way to get immediate feedback. School-going children with access to smartphones spend more time trying to capture photos at the right angle. Once they post them on social media, they gauge their appearance based on the number of likes and the nature of comments the photo receives. Unfortunately, the increase in instances of cyberbullying has led to some teens receiving negative comments which amounts to body shaming, which has affected their self-esteem (Tallat et al., 2017).
Looking back in history, beauty trends have changed and evolved. History has an ingrained tendency to repeat itself, with body image patterns recycling across the decades. Although slimmer physique was increasingly favored, a healthy and sporty appearanc...