Body Image: Workshop Design

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Body Image is a person’s perception of the aesthetics or physical attractiveness of their own body and the thoughts and feelings that result from that perception. Encouragement to focus on appearance is at an all-time high in this culture, and with it comes the potential for a significant increase in negative body image.

PROJECT BRIEF: Understanding and bringing up the body image issues faced by teenage girls and how their family, friends, schools and they themselves can help cope up with this and build a healthy body image.

PROJECT DURATION: 6 weeks

Understanding Body Image

Body image is how we see ourself when we look in the mirror or when we picture ourself in our mind. It encompasses:

- What we believe about our own appearance (including our memories, assumptions, and generalizations).

- How we feel about our body, including our height, shape, and weight.

- How we sense and control our body as we move. How we feel in our body, not just about our body.

Body image is also how we feels in our body — if we feel strong, able, attractive, and in control.

For many people, especially people in their early teens, body image can be closely linked to self-esteem.

Body Image and Adolescence

Adolescents experience significant physical changes in their bodies during puberty and hence, they are likely to experience highly dynamic perceptions of body image. Body image is influenced strongly by self-esteem and self evaluation, more so than by external evaluation by others.

Going through puberty can amplify body image concerns. Puberty for boys brings characteristics typically admired by society– height, speed, broadness, and strength. Puberty for girls brings with it characteristics often perceived as less laudable, as girls generally get rounder and have increased body fat. These changes can serve to further enhance dissatisfaction among girls. Going through puberty later or earlier than peers can have an impact on body image as well as psychological health. Generally, early development for girls and late development for boys present the greatest challenges to positive body image.

Cited in Davidson & McCabe, 2006

Understanding the context

To begin with, it was essential to understand the context and the current scenario with respect to India and the world. An initial information collection was done through secondary sources and then primary research was conducted through surveys, questionnaires and, long and short interviews of teenagers and adults (both boys and girls), parents and school teachers in Ahmedabad.

Promoting Positive Body Image

To cultivate a positive body image, they need to develop skills to help them navigate through all the messages they hear and see related to body image, appearance, and eating. Since for adolescents, body image and self esteem go together, it is essential to have a positive body image for a high self esteem and vice versa. Self- esteem is made up of the thoughts, feelings, and opinions we have about ourselves. Over time, habits of negative thinking about ourselves can lower self-esteem.

Once we’re aware of it, and know that the way we think is up to we, we can begin to change the way we think. And changing the way we think about ourself changes the way we feel about ourselves.

PROPOSAL

Recommendation 1:

Develop a New Curriculum Focus on Body Equity: The Elementary schools should not produce another resource focusing on healthy eating and weights but instead create a resource focused on body equity, organized in an age and stage appropriate way. A body equity curriculum would weave together the study of gender, disability, race and class through the body, addressing representation of bodies in popular culture, historical understanding of bodily differences, and the experiences of people who do not t societal body norms.

Recommendation 2:

Mainstream the Body Equity Message throughout the Elementary School Curriculum. Prevention materials should be developed that mainstream the body equity message in its elementary school curriculum. Mainstreaming body equity in an institution implies that body image issues should be regarded as cross- cutting issues in all policy and curriculum development.

Program Themes for Different Age Groups

Ages 4-7 Accepting Diverse Bodies
Ages 8-10 Promoting Body Acceptance and Building Resistance to Body-Based Harassment

Ages 11-14 Questioning Adherence to Body Norms and being critical

The following Video was created to be used as a one of the tools at the workshop for promoting positive body image and boosting up their self esteem. It has been divided into 5 parts, offering 5 tips to help quiet the unhealthy negative thoughts about one's shape and appearance, and boost their self esteem.

As a part of the workshop, after the completion of each part, the speaker takes the stage and creates space for sharing and discussions. The idea behind video is to make the viewers realize that they are not the only ones who go through these issues and that they are not alone in this. Also, that it is okey to feel that ways, but what is important is that one shares these thoughts and problems. And that, that they will be heard and help will be provided.

Below are a few clippings from the video.

(This still is a rough draft of the proposed storyboard)

It is far too easy to bind to the belief that your body is not god enough!

Sometimes we are so focussed on the parts of our body that we wish we could change, that we fail to recognize how amazing we are!

Tip 1: Look inward and be your own inspiration

Stop comparing yourself to others. Stop looking at the girl in the magazine and thinking- 'I don't look like that.' Because guess what, the girl in the magazine doesn't even look like the girl in the magazine!

So don't chase air brushed, back breaking ideals.

Instead... ask yourself, what makes you 'memorable'?

Tip 2: Future Health> Current Figure

How you treat your body now, greatly affects how you develop for the rest of your life! You could actually be ruining your body with excessive dieting, strenuous weight lifting or by taking steroids and supplements to build muscles.

Tip 3: Don't keep moving goal posts back

It is easy to aspire to be like others. But if you aim to shape your body just like someone else's, you're fighting a losing battle! Genetics are largely responsible for determining a person's shape and size.

Step back from these athletes and actors that you admire from a distance and look at all the cool men and women in your immediate life who manage to balance career, family and exercise!

Everyone loves complements! :)

So remind these individuals just how beautiful they are, inside and out and, that they inspire you.
You never know who else around you is feeling blue!

Tip 4: Talk it out

If you have real concerns about your size, go ahead and speak to your doctor, your coach, fitness instructor or your physical education teacher. They will help you set small goals for yourself. They can instruct you on the safest way to build up or slim down, based on your body type.

Tip 5: Step away from the mirror

And help others! Assessing your appearance for hours each day can turn you into a obsessed one. Instead, get out of your head and go do something for others.

Get involved in an after school tutoring program or grab a group of friends and help out at a local shelter.

Volunteering = experience + lifted mood :)

Plus you'll probably make new friends while helping others. Everybody wins!

To recap...

You are perfect as you are!
Shift your focus on what's fabulous about your shape and size. If you have real concerns, ask professionals for health and fitness advice based on your specific situation.

Be active in your community. Make sure your eating and exercise habits are smart and safe long-term choices.

And lastly,