Lesson 4.4: Your Body Image

Overview

This lesson focuses on understanding body image and how it can be influenced by the media and identifying ways in which body image can be improved.

Learning Targets

  • Explain what body image is.
  • Explain why having a positive body image is important.
  • Explain what an eating disorder is and give an example.
  • Describe how the media influence body image.
  • Identify five ways to improve your body image.

Preparation

For the Warm-Up Activity: Write the journal question on the board, or identify (and copy as needed) the worksheets you plan to use:

For the Content Focus: Open the Lesson 4.4 PowerPoint slides, or make copies of the Lesson 4.4 Note-Taking Guide.

For the Lesson Focus: Copy the Lesson 4.4 Analyzing Influences on Body Image Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet.

Warm-Up Activity

Select a warm-up activity to help get your class focused and on task.

  • Journal Question: How often do you compare yourself to images you see in the media? How do you feel when you compare yourself to others?
    • Option: Write or project the question, and have students respond in their journals as they enter class.
    • Option: Have students discuss the question with a partner or in a small group.
  • Vocabulary Review: Have students work individually, in partners, or in small groups to complete the Lesson 4.4 Vocabulary Review Worksheet.
  • Quiz: Have students complete the Lesson 4.4 Quiz to assess their prior knowledge.
    • Option: Collect the quizzes, and use them alongside posttests to demonstrate student learning.
    • Option: Have students share their answers with a partner and then go over the answers together as a class.

Lesson Content

Review the content from the textbook lesson.

Option: Use the Lesson 4.4 PowerPoint slides to review the chapter content.

Option: Have students use the Lesson 4.4 Note-Taking Guide to review chapter content. Ask students to work alone, in pairs, or in small groups. Review the questions as a class if time permits.

Lesson Focus: Analyzing Influences

  1. Provide each student with one copy of the Lesson 4.4 Analyzing Influences on Body Image Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet.
  2. Review the directions for the worksheet with students. Provide students with one positive and one negative influence from your life as a way of helping students understand what an influence can be. Direct students to come up with at least four influences that affect how they feel about their body. At least one of these influences needs to be negative so they can complete the worksheet.
  3. Direct students to complete this assignment individually, and remind them that some students might not want to share their influences and that’s okay.
  4. When students have identified at least four influences on their lives, direct them to work on the second part of the worksheet.
  5. Ask students to share the positive influences that affect how they feel about their body to further spark positive body-image thoughts in other students.

Challenge Activity

Have students who need an additional challenge work on the following critical-thinking task.

Write a story about a teen who has a negative body image. Make the story as realistic as possible and include information about the influences on the teenager’s body image and how their negative body image affects different parts of their life.

Reflection and Summary

Review the critical content from today’s lesson. Review the learning targets, and ask students to answer each question posed.

Can you…

  • Explain what body image is?

    Your body image includes your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to your body size, shape, and appearance. Body image is not the image you project to others or how you actually look; it is how you feel about yourself and the way you look.

  • Explain why having a positive body image is important?

    Having a positive body can promote good emotional health, improve self-confidence and self-esteem, and lead to healthier relationships and habits (for example, exercise and healthy eating).

  • Explain what an eating disorder is and give an example?

    Eating disorders are serious, diagnosable mental illnesses that can develop at any time in a person’s life but develop most commonly among teenagers. Examples include anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating.

  • Describe how the media influence body image?

    Media images represent a narrow view of beauty that 95 percent of people are genetically unable to meet.

  • Identify five ways to improve your body image?

    Accept your body. Don’t body shame yourself or others, focus on the things you like about yourself and on what your body can do, be mindful in your body, and take care of your body.

Assessment

Complete one or more of the following assessment tasks for this lesson.

  • Quiz: Have students take the Lesson 4.4 Quiz.
  • Vocabulary Review: Collect the Lesson 4.4 Vocabulary Review Worksheets, and evaluate them for accuracy.
  • Note-Taking Guide: Collect the completed Lesson 4.4 Note-Taking Guides, and spot check one or more items for completion and accuracy.
  • Skill-Building Worksheet: Have students submit the Lesson 4.4 Analyzing Influences on Body Image Skill-Building Challenge Worksheets, and use the Analyzing Influences Holistic Rubric to evaluate their skill development.
  • Journal Question: Ask students to respond to the journal question again, adding information they learned from today’s class. Require a one-paragraph response that uses proper grammar.

Take It Home

Make your room a safe body-image space. Take down images and posters that make you feel bad about yourself. Post positive messages to yourself on mirrors, doors, and nightstands and in drawers. Focus on things that you like about yourself and can do well. Whenever you are in your safe space, don’t allow yourself to say anything negative about your appearance, and avoid body shaming anyone else.