The dream of the perfect body

When Canadian pop star Justin Bieber rips his T-shirt off at a concert and shows off his sweaty six-pack in the spotlight, young fans scream their heads off. Just a few years ago, the former child star was a real linnet. Now he proudly presents his toned body and is the crush of millions of girls and the role model of millions of boys. Bieber also symbolises a new development: until recently, it was mainly female teenagers who emulated young, female stars like Miley Cyrus or top models like Cara Delevingne, but now boys have caught up in terms of body awareness. The desire for a muscular body that is as free of body fat as possible is stronger than ever among male teenagers today. The fitness industry promises that this body ideal is achievable through training methods and nutritional supplements. According to a 2015 study by Health Promotion Switzerland, normal training is no longer enough for many male teenagers: 12 per cent help themselves with dietary supplements and 4 per cent turn to anabolic steroids when it comes to achieving the ideal figure.

Experiences with eating disorders: Switzerland is above the European average.

The fitness industry has discovered this new, young customer base and is luring them in with statements such as «We now define a very specific area of your body». «That's very critical,» says Petra Sobanski, head physician at the paediatric and adolescent psychosomatic clinic in Munich-Schwabing: «Young people going through puberty are given the feeling that they have control over their bodies.» But especially in the growth phase, it is not without danger «if the boys overdo it with fitness», says Sobanski. It's perfectly okay to really work out from time to time. It becomes pathological when the young men constantly feel they are not enough. «The competition among male teenagers should not be underestimated either,» says Petra Sobanski, who is also treating more and more boys with eating disorders in her practice. «The high-dose protein drinks are changing the eating behaviour of many young men.» An exaggerated fitness lifestyle can cause depression and anxiety disorders. «In America, it is estimated that 20 to 30 per cent of young male exercisers in fitness studios already show symptoms of bigorexia (muscle dysmorphia) or already have a developed body image disorder,» says Chiara Testera Borrelli, co-head of the Nutrition and Exercise team at Health Promotion Switzerland.

Between vegetarianism and McDonald's

David, a 17-year-old high school student from Lucerne, trains in the gym five times a week. His role model is the footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. «Ronaldo has the perfect figure for me,» says David, stroking his tight bodysuit, which gives a hint of his washboard stomach. «He's muscular, but he's no Hulk Hogan.» David's girlfriend Carmen, 16, who is in the same class, is also very figure-conscious. She works out regularly at the gym and also attends Pilates classes. She also has a clear idea of what she wants to look like: «My role model is Victoria's Secret model Candice Swanepoel; she is graceful and yet has defined muscles,» she says, showing countless Instagram photos of the blonde model on her mobile phone. To achieve her goal, however, exercise is not enough for Carmen - her diet also has to be right: «During the week, I eat a vegetarian and sugar-free diet,» says Carmen, «at the weekend, I don't pay attention to what I eat, so I'll occasionally have a feast at McDonald's.» This behaviour is also typical of the diet of many teenagers. On the one hand, more and more of them are deciding to live a very health-conscious life, eating a vegetarian or even vegan diet. On the other hand, they go overboard with fast food and can often be found at McDonald's or Starbucks. Carmen currently has a fixed goal in mind: she wants to lose five kilos by the summer holidays «so that I look like Candice in a bikini,» she says confidently. «It becomes problematic when, in addition to training, young people are also fixated on their diet and continue to lose weight,» says Petra Sobanski. «Very little research has been done into young people and their body image, even though it's a huge topic,» says Sobanski.

Beautiful, slim, muscular: never before has it been so important for young people to look good.

Eating disorders usually begin in adolescence. The latest figures come from a representative study conducted for Switzerland on behalf of the Federal Office of Public Health. 3.5 per cent of the approximately 10,000 people surveyed stated that they had already experienced one or more of the three eating disorders anorexia, bulimia or binge eating in their lives. This puts Switzerland above the European average of 2.5 per cent. It is assumed that this is partly due to the fact that healthy eating and a slim body are particularly valued in Switzerland and that the social pressure to be slim and fit is very high in this country.

Carmen and David are not isolated cases. More and more young people are extremely body-conscious and critical of their own figure. According to a study conducted last year by Health Promotion Switzerland among 371 young people aged between 13 and 17, 44 per cent of boys are dissatisfied with their figure; among girls, the figure is as high as 65 per cent. Specifically, 77 per cent of boys would like to be more muscular, 60 per cent of girls would like to be slimmer and the same number have already gone on a diet. These figures are not surprising when you consider the flood of media that today's teenagers have to deal with. And Generation Z, i.e. today's 12 to 17-year-olds, has its own style role models: young stars who have perfect bodies and great style and are ambitious when it comes to their careers.

Competition: The appearance is compared with each other

However, copying a famous role model is a tradition: hundreds of thousands of girls starved themselves down to Twiggy proportions in the 1960s. Kate Moss' delicate silhouette was copied in the 1990s, and Britney Spears' perfect curves were a hit in the early 2000s. But never before has it been so important for young people to look good. Their goal: to be as beautiful and slim as a model or as athletic and muscular as a sportsman. And for male teenagers in particular, it is important to have a good body image, which they strive for by doing lots of sport. And of course they compare their looks: «There's sometimes a real competition among the boys when it comes to body and style,» says 16-year-old pupil Jan. Whereas girls used to be considered «mare-bitten», there has obviously been a development in the other direction. «Girls tell each other how beautiful they think they are and support each other in many ways,» says Jan. The kids dream of ideal masses, sculpted torsos and six-packs. New beauty trends spread almost daily on the internet:

• der «Thigh Gap Challenge» zeigen Mädchen bei geschlossenen Beinen eine erkennbare Lücke zwischen den Oberschenkeln. 
• Die «Collarbone Challenge» besteht, wer eine Reihe von Münzen aufrecht auf seinem Schlüsselbein aufreihen kann – ein Zeichen von extremem Schlanksein. 
• Bei der «Paper Waist Challenge» hält man sich ein A4-Papier hochkant vor den Leib. Verschwindet die Taille hinter dem Blatt Papier, ist man angeblich dünn genug. 

It seems you can never be thin enough. According to a new Dr Sommer study by Bravo magazine, one in three girls aged 13 and over regularly check their weight. And according to the German LBS children's barometer, 92 per cent of teenagers have even thought about having cosmetic surgery.

«My clients have been getting younger and younger for about five years,» confirms Zurich cosmetic surgeon Gertrude Beer. «Today, 17-year-olds are as advanced as 25-year-olds,» says Beer. She would only enlarge a young woman's breasts «in the case of a significant deformity, if the parents agree and the risk is justifiable». Puberty is probably one of the most difficult and challenging phases in life. Seemingly overnight, uncomplicated girls and boys turn into mouthy adolescents who vacillate between euphoria and abysmal grief. However, the intense preoccupation with their appearance, weighing up and comparing themselves with others is completely normal. Also the feeling of inadequacy or not knowing where you belong and how others see you. And whether they see you at all.

Beauty is feasible

Not so long ago, beauty was considered a given. You were either lucky and had good genes or you didn't. Of course, artificial embellishment was also used in the past, but never to the same extent as today. Photoshop and other techniques are used to conjure up perfection from mediocrity, and this has become the maxim of modern society. Girls and women in particular know this pressure only too well; they are constantly judged and scrutinised on the basis of their attractiveness. This starts with very young girls. After all, an above-average appearance promises many things: success at work, with men and in society. And the beauty industry profits greatly from the desire for perfection, from expensive cosmetics and fashion to cosmetic surgery. And TV programmes such as «Germany's Next Top Model» feed such dreams. However, it would be too easy to blame such programmes or the fashion industry and its glossy magazines for young girls' eating disorders; many other criteria also play a role here. But very insecure young people certainly find confirmation of their own inadequacies here.

Thigh Gap, Paper Waist Challenge: New beauty trends appear on the Internet almost daily.

But it's not just the figure that is important for young girls, make-up is also part of everyday life for many of them, regardless of whether they go to school or out: «Of course there are days when I don't wear make-up,» says 17-year-old schoolgirl Anna, «but most of the time I don't go out without colour on my face. I just feel more «protected» when I'm wearing make-up.» In this respect, the teenager is no different from millions of adult women who would agree. «Our customers are getting younger and younger,» says Quynh Arguello, PR manager at the beauty company Bobbi Brown in Switzerland. «However, make-up is not about applying as much make-up as possible, but about covering small imperfections. Thanks to new online media such as YouTube tutorials, teenagers are starting to apply make-up earlier and earlier and are imitating celebrities like Kim Kardashian.»

Healthy children can set themselves apart

Blemished skin, a big bum, a figure like an asparagus tarzan: if you don't conform to the norm, you need good self-confidence. But what teenager in puberty has that? It is not uncommon for overweight children and young people to be the targets of ridicule and bullying. «Bullying in general and especially online, using Whats, for example, even in class chats - this is a problem that I encounter much more frequently in my practice than in the past. The content is far more perfidious and psychologically damaging than it used to be,» says psychiatrist Susanna Zürrer-Simmen. Whether magazines or electronic media such as Facebook or Instagram: It's embellished come hell or high water. And although even the kids know that what they see doesn't correspond to reality, they strive for these ideal images. However, they can only lose when compared to the glossy image.

But how much do young people suffer from this social pressure? In addition to education or social background, there are also «individual characteristics that make young people more susceptible to social messages», says Chiara Testera Borrelli from Health Promotion Switzerland: «These include the personality of the individual, their own temperament, low self-esteem, a depressive character and a tendency towards perfectionism.» The experts at Health Promotion Switzerland are following this development with some concern. «A negative body image can affect health and lead to eating disorders, smoking or drug use,» says Testera Borrelli. As far as eating disorders are concerned, there are already an above-average number of cases in Switzerland compared to other European countries. The internalisation of social ideals and the strong tendency to compare one's own body with the bodies of others, as well as dissatisfaction with one's own body, can also lead to young people suffering from their own bodies. However, psychiatrist Susanna Zürrer-Simmen warns against seeing teenagers as victims of the mass media: «I am convinced that the majority of young people do not identify 1:1 with these ideals. Healthy children are perfectly capable of setting themselves apart and looking for their role models elsewhere.» When it comes to mental balance, parents have an important role to play: «I always advise them to watch programmes like «Germany's Next Top Model» with their children in order to start a conversation. This also applies to social media such as Instagram or Facebook,» says Susanna Zürrer-Simmen.

Blemished skin, a big bum: If you don't conform to the norm, you need good self-esteem.

However, when everything revolves around looks or the next diet, it's time to seek help. After all, not living up to supposed ideals can drive an already fickle teenager to despair. In this context, it may also be useful for parents to scrutinise their own approach to beauty and figure. After all, a mother who is constantly on a diet or worries about her appearance, or a father who spends more time at the gym than at home, are not particularly suitable role models for adolescents. Eating disorders usually develop slowly. Just because a teenager eats less for a few days and loses weight, puts on weight or goes to the gym every other day does not necessarily mean there is a problem, and carers should remain calm. The whole thing could be a phase that often occurs during puberty. Perhaps the teenager is heartbroken, is in a growth phase or has acquired a taste for «double chocolate shakes». However, if the changes persist for a long time or become more pronounced, it is advisable to consult a doctor.

Left:

www.pepinfo.ch
PEP Centre (Prevention. Eating disorders. Practical), Inselspital Bern
www.aes.ch
Eating Disorders Working Group AES

www.netzwerk-essstoerungen.ch
Expert Network Eating Disorders Switzerland
www.essstoerung.ch
Centre for people with eating disorders
www.feel-ok.ch
Internet platform of the Swiss Health Foundation RADIX. Offers information and services on health and socially relevant topics in the form of texts, games and tests.
www.elternberatung.projuventute.ch
Free counselling for parents and caregivers of children and adolescents.

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• What does it even mean to look good?
  As part of our dossier on body image,five young people describe what good looks mean to them personally and what they are prepared to do - or not do - to achieve them.