What is Body Image?

1. What is Body Image? • A combination of the way you see your physical self and how you believe others see you.

2. In what ways are people different? • Different heights. • Different weights. • Different body builds (slender, muscular, etc.). • Different complexions. • Different hair colors/types (straight, curly, etc.). • Different eye colors. • Different preferences. • Different likes/dislikes. • Different abilities (some of us are good in math, some in writing, some in art, some in sports) • Different interests

3. Can we change our body image? • Some things we can change through effort (by studying, practicing, etc.). • Some things we can’t change, even if we want to (height, eye color, etc.). • Some things will change naturally over time whether we want them to or not (height and weight as we grow, preferences, interests, etc.).

4. Key Factors to a Good Body Image • What you eat. • Physical activity. • A combination of diet and exercise. • Eating behaviors (i.e., time of day you eat, portion sizes, etc.). • Diet supplements. • Dieting. • Heredity.

5. Influences on Body Image • Friends • Family • Media • TV • Movies • Advertisements

6. Body Image and the Media • Provides distorted views of the “ideal” body. • Plays a HUGE role in teens developing an unhealthy body image. • Twenty years ago, models weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today, they weigh 23% less than the average woman.

7. SO THE QUESTION IS…

8. SHOULD THE MEDIA CONTROL HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF???

9. Fact or Myth Game • If you agree with the statistic you will raise the AGREE sign (blue) • If you disagree with the statement you will raise the DISAGREE sign (red)

10. Facts about Body Image • The average American woman is 5’4” tall and weighs 140 pounds. The average American model is 5’11” tall and weighs 140 pounds.

11. Facts Continued… • If GI Joe were human, he’d have larger biceps than any bodybuilder in history.

12. Facts Continued… • A study found that 53% of thirteen-year-old American girls are unhappy with their bodies. This number grows to 78% by the time girls reach seventeen.

13. Facts Continued… • One out of every four college aged women has an eating disorder.

14. Facts Continued… • A 1996 study found that the amount of time an adolescent watches soaps, movies and music videos is associated with their degree of body dissatisfaction and desire to be thin.

15. Facts Continued… • In a survey of girls 9 and 10 years old, 70% have tried to lose weight, according to an ongoing study funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

16. Now that you know the facts…It is clear that body image can be very controversial and we will continue to work on this by creating a pamphlet

17. Pamphlet • Students will be broken down into 4 groups of 4-5. The four different groups will be arranged in the following groups (parents, coaches, media, and peers). • Each group is expected to create a pamphlet outlining how their given group affects an individual’s body image.

18. Pamphlet • Each group will have about 10-15 minutes to work on their pamphlet! • Requirement: • Cover Page • 3 positive influences • 3 negative influences • 2 solutions / suggestions for change

19. Reflections • Which group has the most positive influence on your body image and why? • Which group has the most negative influence on your body image and why? • How can each of these different influences change their current impact to promote a positive or more positive role in developing body image?

20. Take Home Message All of us are different in many ways, including physically. Some of these differences are within our power to influence, while others are out of our control. Each of us should focus on being the best we can be and showing respect toward others.

21. “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”