Body Image & Media

By Kathleen Diedrich

Shocking Statistics

In a study on fifth graders, 10 year old girls and boys told researchers they were dissatisfied with their own bodies after watching a music video by Britney Spears or a clip from the TV show "Friends". One study reports that at age thirteen, 53% of American girls are "unhappy with their bodies." This grows to 78% by the time girls reach seventeen. In a survey of girls 9 and 10 years old, 40% have tried to lose weight, according to an ongoing study funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Source:http://depts.washington.edu/thmedia/view.cgi?section=bodyimage&page=fastfacts, National Institute on Media and the Family

Shocking Statistics

One-half of 4th grade girls are on a diet. (1) One in every three (37%) articles in leading teen girl magazines also included a focus on appearance, and most of the advertisements (50%) used an appeal to beauty to sell their products. (2)

1- Gustafson-Larson, A.M., & Terry, R.D. Weight-related behaviors and concerns of fourth-grade children. Journal of American Dietetic Association, 818-822, (1992). 2-National Institute on Media and the Family

Day 1

What is Media?

Television Magazines Movies Newspaper Internet Advertisements Music Other mass communications

One in every three (37%) articles in leading teen girl magazines also included a focus on appearance, and most of the advertisements (50%) used an appeal to beauty to sell their products. (2)

Day 1

TV & School

On average, children watch three to four hours of programming a day (28 hours a week). Students spend about 900 hours in the classroom and 1,500 hours in front of the TV each year. Children see at least one hour of commercials for every five hours of programs on commercial TV.

http://loveyourbody.nowfoundation.org/factsheet2.html

Day 1

Commercials

By age 21, the average child will have watched 1,000,000 commercials. The majority of children under age six do not understand that the purpose of a commercial is to sell a product. Children who watch four or more hours of TV a day are more likely to believe claims made by advertisers. Saturday morning commercial TV advertisers bombard children with ads for sugary cereal, salty snacks, fast food and junk food.

Before teens reach the legal drinking age they have watched 100,000 alcohol commercials.

http://loveyourbody.nowfoundation.org/factsheet2.html

Day 1

Internet

Internet advertisers want children and teens to develop brand loyalty as early as possible.

Magazines

Models are air-brushed and touched up, unrealistic body images, ads that encourage inappropriate behavior, plus the unbelievable promises lose fat in 14 days, six-pack abs in two months, acne banished in 30 days. Advertisements in teen magazines are designed to sell teens a product by any means possible.

http://loveyourbody.nowfoundation.org/factsheet2.html

Day 2

What is out there?

Notice the different advertisements that

you are surrounded by every day. Look at the body images they encourage. Find two advertisements that you can actually bring in to discuss in class. Also, find two advertisements that you saw and can discuss.

Day 2

Examples From the Media

Day 2

Examples From the Media

Examples From the Media

Day 2

Examples From the Media

Day 2

Examples From the Media

Day 2

Examples From the Media

Day 2

Day 2

How do these images make you feel?

Do you feel comfortable with your body as it is? Do you feel confident in your body? Do you feel intimidated? Or bad about your body? Do you feel like you would look like this too if you bought this product? How else do you feel?

Share with a partner how each of these images makes you feel.

Day 2

What is Body Image?

According to kidshealth.org, "Body image is how you view your physical self including whether you feel you are attractive and whether others like your looks."

There can be a strong correlation between body image and self-esteem.

http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/body_image/body_image.html

Day 2

Do you like what you see when you look in the mirror?

One study reports that at age thirteen, 53% of American girls are "unhappy with their bodies." This grows to 78% by the time girls reach seventeen.
www.true-beauty-tips.com

Day 2

Activity

By yourself or with a partner trace one of your body parts (each person should have their own traced body part). Fill the space inside of the body part with positive adjectives, characteristics, or pictures that describe your body part. These should only be positive.

In groups of 4-5 share your completed body parts.

Day 3

Fighting the Media's Idea of Perfection

Day 3

Media Working to Change Body Image

Dove: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iENFuUAwVc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV_Yhto-7fc

Day 3

Create Spaces in Your Classroom That Foster Overall Wellness

Day 4

What Can We Do?

Limit the amount of television we watch Choose television shows and movies that show real people with real, unedited bodies Participate in some physical activity for fun, not always to lose weight Change focus from losing weight to improving health Eat all foods in moderation Use the images in the media as a vehicle for discussion Understand that our bodies change and grow

http://loveyourbody.nowfoundation.org/factsheet2.htm http://children.webmd.com/building-healthy-body-image-for-childrenl

Day 4

Activity
Goal Setting As a class brainstorm ideas for healthy goals On your own, choose a goal you think you can accomplish and make it unique to fit your needs and desires Start working on your goal!

How do we find the information we need?

We found many different types of advertisements that encourage outrageous body images. Can we find any that actually promote good health and provide valid information for wellness and healthy habits? Bring in five different advertisements promoting different types of products that relate to health. We will analyze them as a class tomorrow.

Are they real?

Choose one piece of media that showcases body image (positive or negative) o Analyze this piece and the pros and cons of it o Explain (in writing or presentation to peers or teacher) what message this piece is delivering and how it positively or negatively affects its audience o Then, create your own advertisement that portrays what you believe to showcase positive outlooks on body image examples: poster, commercial, webpage, etc. o Create a small write up about how this ad promotes positive (and healthy) outlook on body image and how your ad can help promote healthy living

Day 5

Do you like what you see when you look in the mirror?

www.true-beauty-tips.com

Unit Plan Outline

Grade: 5th-8th Standards: Standard 2: students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology and other factors on health behaviors standard 5: students will demonstrate the ability to use decision making skills to enhance health standard 8: students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family, and community health Day 1: Introduce the idea of what media is Bring in and show different forms of media as examples

o o o
o o

Don't talk about body image just yet Have students bring in examples of media from their daily lives What are some pros and cons about media and how we view it (or how much we are exposed to it)

Day 2: Body image and the media Have students analyze sample media items. Look at how many of them have to do with body image Discuss how it makes students feel? What do they think of these images? These people? What do they think these advertisements are trying to sell, why did they choose these people?

Activity creating a positive representation of a body part Have students try to find advertisements that are not showing the idealized body type and have them bring them in the next day

Unit Plan Outline Continued....

Day 3: How can we change these images? How can we defy them? Share students' media findings with the entire class

o o o o o o o o o

In students' pods/partners discuss the pros and cons of the advertisement In pods/partners discuss what these pros and cons can do to the audience that views them As a whole class, discuss how these media findings promote either healthy or unhealthy lifestyles and body image

Have students in their pods/partners create a flyer that promotes healthy lifestyle and promotes a positive body image

Day 4: How can we be more comfortable in our bodies? Create an anchor chart as a whole class about ideas and ways we can create positive outlooks for the way we view ourselves

As a whole class create two anchor charts with the words "Healthy Image" at the center. Have students break off into pods/partners to come up with general ideas for the way the media could change the way people view themselves.

Have students share out their ideas and write them on one anchor chart.
Have students break off into pods/partners to come up with ideas that an individual could change the way they view themselves. Have students share out their ideas and put them in the second anchor chart.

Unit Plan Outline Continued...

Day 5: Activity on body image Students will choose one piece of media that showcases body image (that can be positive messages about body image or negative)

o o o o

Students will analyze their piece they brought in and analyze the pros and cons of it
They will then explain (either in writing or presenting to peers or the teacher) what message their media item is delivering and how that either positively or negatively affects its audience They will then create their own advertisement that portrays what they believe to showcase positive outlook on body image (they can create any type of advertisement they would like (poster, commercial, "webpage", etc. They will create a small write up about how their advertisement promotes a positive (and healthy) outlook on body image and how their advertisement can help promote healthy living