Presentation Information
[O-6-04]The Development of Tall People’s Body Image Study Case: Indonesia
*Yosep Keris Kusnadi, Elysabeth Ongkojoyo (Pet Camping Therapy Home Foundation(Indonesia))
Keywords:
Body image,Tall people,Indonesia
The existence of tall Asian people has been an emerging phenomenon in the last few decades. In Indonesia, tall Indonesian born teenagers have been increasing from year to year. Although there hasn’t been an official census of tall people numbers, they can be found in major cities especially in middle high economy areas. In 1995, a 150 cm 10 year old boy was rare. In 2024, that kind of boys and girls can be found in any gym and sport club, even taller than 150 cm. Despite being almost 30 years apart, the same problem still exists: taller teenagers tend to feel insecure and have low self esteem due to their heights. This insecurity and self esteem cause further negative psychological effects which also can be altered by the nearest social circle including family. This negative experience can continue to grow as they grow older and will affect their life options throughout adult life. The objective of this research is to recognize possible roots of low self esteem and insecurity in tall people along with the possible solution. This research was using art based methods to track down life time experience from a 1985 200 cm tall Indonesian-born male and a 2015 150 cm tall Indonesian born female. Childhood experience and affirmation play a great role along with sufficient support from the family regarding food, activities, clothing, and mindset. Pet companionship and interaction add a significant development in building the necessary self love and confidence. Patriarch culture provides an additional challenge for tall females, where male need to appear taller than females. Interesting fact occurs that tall people in Japan have better self esteem than tall people in Indonesia, despite patriarchs and Asian culture.