Supporting Body Empowerment as a parent or support person is an important role. Part of it involves understanding the broader environments in which your swimmer is living, training and competing. Another part is understanding how we can contribute to swimmers feeling safer, more confident and more empowered in their bodies through providing spaces where conversations about bodies and body image are welcome.
Firstly, if you haven’t already taken a look, we would like to point you to the Key Messages of Body Empowerment which you can find in detail.
After reading this, you might be interested in attending one of the Body Empowerment live online webinars, or connecting with others to book a workshop for your club.
Empower your Understanding
Understanding what body image is, and isn’t, how it develops and changes over time and our role in supporting the body image of swimmers is central to Body Empowerment. This is a topic that can feel daunting but we hope that starting in this way helps you feel clearer about what we’re aiming to address in the swimming community, and why.
Why “Body Image?”
Body image concerns are certainly experienced by individuals but are not just an individual issue. We are influenced by many factors outside our control which impact the way we feel about ourselves and our bodies. Gender, our family upbringing, involvement in sport, our genetics, friendships, our body-focussed culture, and many other factors can all have positive, and negative impacts on the way we view our bodies.
Although body image is a serious and common precipitating and perpetuating factor in eating disorders, most people who experience body image concerns or distress will not have an eating disorder. Even so, the impact that feeling bad about our bodies can have on our lives can be significant and if not addressed, can last a lifetime. The good news is that we are all in a position to learn ways to feel good about our bodies so we are able to live, train and compete well and take care of ourselves in the long-term.
Did you know?
How does poor body image develop?
What we understand is that body image is something that develops over time, and from young ages. Research has found that children as young as three can experience body image concerns and although this might be unusual, it tells us that it’s never too early and never too late. It’s most common that body image concerns emerge over time and can be “triggered” by an event, or series of events. This might include comparisons to the bodies of others, comments on body shape (not just teasing or bullying), being weighed, body changes related to normal growth or puberty, amongst many others. Poor body image usually starts as a series of thoughts and feelings before sometimes being accompanied by behaviours, such as food monitoring and restriction, exercising or self-weighing/measuring. By the time swimmers have started engaging in behaviours, the feelings of body negativity can have been experienced for some time already.
Who is more likely to experience body image concerns?
Although it could easily be said that anyone who is a human being can experience body concerns, there are groups of people who are more likely to experience concerns in ways which interrupt quality of life. These include:
- Women and female-identifying people – of all ages, shapes and sizes
- People who do not necessarily fit into a particular sport-specific athletic “stereotype” (and feel pressure to attain a particular shape/weight/size)
- People who compete is sports where a weight is demanded (such as in weight category sports) or a certain weight, shape or size is seen as preferable for performance (such as in aesthetic sports)
- People who are more likely to compare themselves negatively to others
- People who believe that bodies can be easily changed through behaviours
- People who have a genetic history of eating disorders and other mental health conditions
What can influence and impact a swimmer’s body image?
Action Steps for Parents and Supporters
Take the time to reflect on the way bodies are spoken about at home
The language we use can be powerful; we all grow up with different messages about bodies – our own and others – in ways which can unintentionally filter down through family members. Take the time to reflect on words and phrases you use at home and consider ways you may become more aware of using either neutral (neither good, nor bad) language, or ways to steer away from appearance-based comments altogether.
Stay open to conversations about body image
The way we would speak with a younger child, an older child or a teen about body image would naturally vary, and you know your swimmer the best. Involving young people directly in conversations about body empowerment is an important way to communicate boundaries (what is OK, and what is not OK) and to understand and establish helpful pathways of communication (e.g. who would I tell if something doesn’t feel OK?). Encourage swimmers to become more aware of the way they speak about bodies – their own and others – ensuring that it is clear they would not be admonished or “in trouble” as they learn some new language and ways of communicating.
Support your swimmer’s natural body shape, and its change over time
Young people’s bodies grow and develop at different ages and at different rates. Even children from the same family can have very different growth patterns. It’s important that young people know that growing and going through puberty means that they should be increasing in both height and weight, that their body shape will change, that it’s completely normal, and that it can feel different and strange. For young people who grow before or after their friends, team-mates or peers, this can be challenging, and they may need extra support and reassurance.
Be aware of the signs of negative body image
It can sometimes be hard to know if something is “normal” or worrying, but you know your young person best. If they appear more critical than usual, start making negative comments about their own body that you haven’t heard before, or start changing their food, eating or exercise patterns, then these might be signs they are worried about their body. Even changes we might see as “healthy” (for example, changing their types of snacks) are worthwhile raising, to make sure your swimmer understands how to fuel their body adequately for training. If you’re concerned, check in with your swimmer. They may dismiss your concerns but as a parent, it’s worth keeping an eye on any new behaviours. For children at school, counselors may be able to offer some support to parents.
Understand our own body story
We all carry our own body image experiences and it’s very common that we too have, and may continue to experience, poor body image through adulthood. One of the most powerful ways we can help swimmers – no matter our relationship with them – is to understand ourselves first and work on our own relationship with our body. It is also important to understand, and to help your swimmer understand, that your body and its needs are different to anyone else’s, especially a growing body.
If you concerned about yourself or your swimmer, please speak to a trusted health professional, or contact The Butterfly Foundation for support. It does not have to be “bad enough” to start the conversation.
Learn more about this, and other important topics, by signing up for a Body Empowerment Webinar and the for updates as new resources are added.
