Key Terms
BODY IMAGE
How you think, feel, and behave towards your body, including the way it looks and how it works. This can include negative and positive thoughts, feelings and behaviors, such as shame, guilt, pride, self-acceptance, and avoiding or enjoying certain life activities—like sport!
Negative Body Image
Many people have concerns about diet, weight and attractiveness. These concerns can lead to unhealthy preoccupations with body weight and eating, affecting self-esteem, mental health, and physical health.
Body Confidence
Accepting and appreciating our bodies and what they can do, no matter what they look like. When we have body confidence, we’re likely to have better self-esteem; stay active; and do better at school and in our relationships. Body confidence matters!
Appearance Ideal
What society shows or tells us is the ideal or ‘best’ way to look.
Athletic Ideal
What society shows or tells us is the ideal or ‘best’ way to look as an athlete.
Objectification
Involves viewing and/or treating a person as an object, devoid of thought or feeling. When objectification is targeted at women and reduces them to objects of sexual pleasure and gratification, this is known as sexualization. Women are more often sexualized than men in the media by being portrayed in a sexual manner (e.g., dressed in revealing clothing) and objectified (e.g., used as a decorative object or as body parts rather than a whole person).
Self-Objectification
Occurs when people view themselves as objects to be looked at by others instead of as human beings with thoughts, feelings and agency. Self-objectification is a result of objectification and occurs when people internalize other people’s objectification of their bodies.
Gender Stereotypes
Thinking that someone will look, think or act a certain way because of their gender. These stereotypes may hold people back from living a life that they want, including pursuing their interests, career aspirations and relationships.
Girl
When we use the term “Girls”, we refer to someone under the age of 18 who was assigned female at birth, or who identifies as a girl.
To learn more about the effect of gender stereotypes on girls’ participation in and enjoyment of sport, and what you as a coach can do to manage and avoid stereotypes, visit CoachingHER.com.
Discrimination
When a person is treated unfairly because of some aspect of their identity such as their age, sex, ethnicity, skin color or shade, sexuality, gender or weight.
