Body Image - Key Stage 5

The Dove Self-Esteem Project

About

Born in 2004, the Dove Self-Esteem Project combines work with leading experts with a vision of a world where positive body image equals positive self-esteem, and beauty is a source of confidence.

Since 2013, Dove has joined forces with leading authorities and partners to underpin their work in psychology, health and teen body image. From the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) to the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) and the Women’s Dermatologic Society (WDS) – working together to empower young people and build body confidence around the world.

Dove's educational program is made to help parents, mentors, teachers and youth leaders better understand how to improve self-esteem of young people. Their resources include tools that are free to download and proven to build positive body confidence.

Click here to see how you can get involved.

Resources

Teach your pupils important strategies to protect and build self-confidence with the Confident Me programme. Confident Me is helping secondary school teachers meet national curriculum objectives in statutory health education, PSHE, health & wellbeing, and literacy across learning.

The programme includes:

Confident Me (5-lesson-pack)
Five x 50-minute lessons on appearance ideals, media messages, body comparisons, body talk and how to become a body confidence champion.

Confident Me (single lesson)
One x 50-minute lesson on appearance pressures, body comparisons, challenging appearance ideals and building body confidence. The single lesson includes one teacher guide with a plan for the session, one PPT slide deck and worksheets.

My Hair, My Crown (single lesson)
A 2-hour session exploring hair beauty stereotypes

Proud To Be Me (single lesson)
A 2-hour session on the impact appearance norms and ideals have on the LGBTQ+ community (Proud To Be Me).

All resources can be delivered flexibly within health education lessons, during tutor time or even as part of an assembly. Each lesson includes a teacher guide with a lesson plan, PPT slide deck, videos and activity sheets.

Click here to register for the resources.

Dove have also produced training videos for teachers to support the delivery of the Confident Me workshop, which include:

Introduction to body confidence
Workshop lesson plan & material
Workshop content overview
How to create the right environment
When to adapt the lesson plan
Tips for challenging questions

Body Image and Advertising

Teaching resources and lesson plans on body image by MediaSmart. The website also provides pages for young people, supporters, parents and careres.

Media Smart Parent Guide

Media Smart Body Image and Advertising - Teachers' Notes

Compilation of TV adverts on MediaSmart UK's YouTube playlist

If you wish to use the case studies, please ensure that your school or educational institution has a valid Educational Recording Agency licence.

Female Puberty Guide

Guide to What A 'Normal' Vulva Looks Like - BBC News

Teenage girls are being directed to a new online reference tool that helps them check if their vulva looks normal. Available on the sexual health charity Brook website, the resource gives visual examples and advice on how female genitals change in puberty.

Key Standards in Teaching About Body Image

Teacher Guidance by the PSHE Association for effective teaching and learning about body image.

'Naked Beach' Body Image Resources for Schools

Based on research by Dr Keon West at Goldsmith’s University and created in collaboration with Barefaced TV, this lesson for Key Stage 4 uses clips from C4’s ‘Naked Beach’ to promote discussion around body image and representation.

There are two lessons to choose from, one showing the journey of Darrell, who is struggling to reclaim his love of exercise following injury and weight gain and the other Jolie, who has vitiligo and worries that her lack of body confidence is stopping her from enjoying her life. Each lesson contains two clips from the show, with follow up discussion points/statistics for the class to disseminate and feed-back on.

Please note: Naked Beach is a family show and was aired before the watershed. Whilst the makers of the programme do not consider nudity to be inherently offensive or sexual, participants’ genitals were covered and their bodies painted. The aim of the programme was to showcase rarely seen or celebrated aspects of the human form such as: range of body types, range of skin colours, disability, vitiligo and stretch marks.

View and download the lesson plans here.

To The Bone

Rachel Egan: Why I Won't Be Watching 'To The Bone'

This mainstream film may be hot off the press, but Rachel Egan has many reservations. The leading character, Lilly Collins, had anorexia in her teens, and she lost 20lbs of weight for the role. This was irresponsible of the film makers. The film also reflects the huge misconceptions around eating disorders. For example, the main character is a skinny, young, white woman. When in fact eating disorders affect people of all shapes and sizes, and of varying ages. In fact the majority of people with eating disorders will never become underweight. Rachel won't be watching for many other reasons, including the high risk of 'triggering'. Of course viewers are free to make their own decisions about the movie, but you have been warned. To read the full article click on the title above.