Lesson video

Hello, and welcome to our final lesson for this unit of work internet safety and harms: body image.

And my name is Mrs. Smith.

In this lesson, we will learn about how you can seek support for body image, mental wellbeing concerns.

And we will also look at the body positivity movements.

This lesson covers some content that might be a sensitive topic for you.

We recommend checking the lesson with a trusted adult beforehand or completing the lesson with a trusted adult nearby.

If you're ready to start, then let's go.

For this lesson, you will need an exercise book and paper and a pen to write with.

If you need to go and collect this equipment now do so, and press play when you're ready to carry on.

Our agenda for today's lesson looks like this.

We will first look at identifying body image issues, discuss how we can seek support for any of those issues and then discuss the body positivity movement.

We will end with a reflection and exit quiz.

Our keywords for today's lesson include; self esteem, the confidence in one's own worth or abilities.

Body image, the perception we have of our body and the thoughts and feelings this can create.

And body positivity, the idea that every person, regardless of body type is deserving of a positive self loving life style.

For your first activity I would like you to unscramble these key words.

These are all words that we have discussed over the previous lessons.

Can you unscramble them all? Pause the video and complete this activity and press play when you're ready to continue.

Let's now discuss the answers.

So number one is perception.

And remember, this is the way in which something is interpreted.

We also looked at the word self-perception and this is how we view ourselves.

Realistic, representing something in a way that is true to life.

Subjective, based on personal feelings, tastes or opinions.

Cultural, relating to the ideas, customs and social behaviour of a society.

Filtering, this remember is a technique through which size, colours, shading and other characteristics of an image are altered.

Mental wellbeing.

We've discussed this a lot, and it's all about your thoughts and feelings and how you cope with the ups and downs of everyday life.

Puberty, describes the changes that take place when you physically become able to reproduce.

It is part of growing up for everyone.

And the final keyword there was photo editing, the act of altering an image.

Well done if you got all of those.

Let's first discuss the issues surrounding body image.

One survey of 11 to 16 year olds in the UK by Be Real found that 79% said how they look is important to them.

And over half, 52% often worry about how they look.

In the survey of 13 to 19 year olds, 35% said that body image causes them to often or always worry.

And that's why it's really important that we can identify these body image issues and know where we can seek support.

Can you remember how we defined the term positive body image? Take a moment now to pause the video and remind yourself of that definition.

A positive body image is when you have a healthy body image and you feel happy and satisfied about your body, you will also feel comfortable and accept how you look.

Let's look at the other side though.

And can you remember what we meant by a negative body image? Again, pause the video and reflect on that definition.

A negative or unhealthy body image is being unhappy with the way you look, it's often associated with wanting to change your body, whether that be the size or the shape.

If you are ever having negative thoughts and feelings about how you look, you might be struggling with your body image.

You may even find everyday tasks like eating or getting dressed to be more and more difficult.

And this can be at any point in your life or continuously throughout your life, but it is common to have these thoughts when you are going through puberty.

Remember during puberty, your body releases hormones that make you more aware of how you look and more aware of other people's bodies.

These changes happen to everyone and can sometimes make you feel out of control or anxious.

It can also lead to feelings of low self esteem, depression, anxiety, isolation and eating problems. And in young people, body dissatisfaction has been linked to more risk taking behaviours and mental health problems. Poor body image may also prevent young people from engaging in healthy behaviours.

With some studies finding that children with poor body image are less likely to take part in physical activity.

Amongst adolescents research has found that those with greater body appreciation are less likely to diet or use alcohol or cigarettes.

Symptoms of unhealthy or negative body image may include obsessive self scrutiny in mirrors.

Thinking about comments about your body or frequent comparison of your own size or shape to other people.

How can we then support both ourselves and others in our lives? Let's remind ourselves, is this statement here true or false, point to the screen now.

Good, well done.

That's true.

And I really hope that you can take that definition away from this unit of work and remind yourself that it is not about looking perfect, but it is in fact about loving yourself and feeling comfortable and accepting the way that you look because you are all beautiful.

For this next part of the lesson, I would like you just to start by pausing and reflecting on this.

How can you support yourself when you are feeling negative about your body image? Take a moment now to consider that.

So let's now have a look at some of the things that you might have thought about.

Be kind to yourself and try not to compare yourself to the many images that you see online and in magazines.

These are often digitally changed to make them look perfect.

They don't reflect how people look in real life.

Check your social media and how that is affecting the way you feel about your body.

There can be a lot of pressures online to have that perfect body.

And this can cause you to worry about how you look and compare yourselves with others online.

Follow influencers who talk about positive body image, who will help you to feel better about your body and have a more positive time online.

There are more tips on this, on the YoungMinds.

org websites.

Focus on the things that you do like about yourself and the parts of your body that you do like.

Spend time with people who make you feel positive.

It might help you to write down the nice things that people say about you and not just about how you look.

Remember people value you for lots of different reasons.

And think back to the previous activity from last lesson where we looked at what you are worth, not necessarily on being defined by looks.

Think about what advice you would give a friend if they told you they were struggling with how they look and remember that advice when you are ever feeling negatively.

Talk to someone you trust it could be your parents or family members.

It might be a teacher or someone from a club that you attend.

If you feel unable to cope or particularly worried about one part of your body, talk to your GP about how you are feeling, they can listen, tell you about local services and support groups or they might suggest specific treatment for the way that you are feeling.

Next and I think a little bit easier.

How would you support other people in your life? Pause the video now and have it reflect on that.

If you have a friend or family member who is struggling with their body image here are some ways that you can support them.

Talk to them, encourage them to focus on what they like about themselves and what they can do, not just how they look, help them to see their good points and the things you like about them.

These can be simple things like being good at a sport, being a caring friend, or making somebody laugh.

If you are finding it difficult to know what to say, writing their good points as a list together can be another way to help them.

They can keep the list for the days that they are struggling as a reminder of all the good things that you like about them.

Support your friend to have a positive online space.

If you feel that your friend is struggling you could send them a message to let them know that they matter and remind your friend how brilliant they are.

And if you think they are feeling overwhelmed, encourage them to see their GP or seek professional help.

So which of these are good ways to look after yourself, point to the screen now.

So I hope you selected checking who you follow online and creating a positive online space.

Being kind to yourself and reflecting on what makes you amazing and what you actually worth, not just how you look.

And speaking to a GP or professional, if you are really feeling that your body image is affecting you.

Now sitting in your room alone is not going to help you look after yourself and in fact may deepen those negative body image feelings.

So please reach out and speak to those family members, your friends and peers, or teachers and school staff if you ever need to speak to someone.

The final part of the lesson, we'll be looking at the body positivity movement.

It is meant to encourage everyone, regardless of religion, gender, sexual orientation, race, age, weight or disability, to love and appreciate their bodies.

Unfortunately, too many assume that men do not suffer from body issues the same way as women do, which is false.

Men are faced with the same stereotypes of the ideal body in the media everyday.

The body positivity movement promote seeing different bodies on things like social media to encourage us to accept our body and the way we look.

If you are struggling with body image, body positivity can help you feel better about yourself.

By thinking positively about how you look, you can feel more comfortable and confident.

Changing the way we think about our body and how we look can take time.

It can feel difficult on some days and more than others.

That's okay.

Accepting your body is a process but it is time to start reclaiming individual beauty.

One initiative that promotes body positivity includes the This Girl Can movement.

No one gets to choose how you exercise other than you, your body, your call and whatever that looks like they think it's worth celebrating.

This Girl Can funded by the National Lottery, believes that there is no right way to get active and encourage all types of physical activity to get your bodies moving.

Feel final, main activity today, I would like you to reflect back on the image of Barbie that we saw in a previous lesson.

And I've also added a action superhero for you but do these really reflect our bodies today? I would like you to now design a toy for the next generation of children, create a design and add labels to share how it fits with the body positivity movement.

Pause the video to complete this task and press play when you're ready to resume.

We shall now end with a final reflection.

If you are having any negative thoughts and feelings about how you look you might be struggling with your body image.

You should be able to talk to someone, a friend, a trusted adult or even your GP who will be able to support you.

Body positivity is a movement to accept all bodies no matter what type, shape or size.

Thank you for joining me for this final lesson for this unit of work on body image, you now have an exit quiz to complete.

And if you have any work that you would like to share with us online, please check with a parent or carer and use the #LearnwithOak.

It has been a great pleasure to work with you over these lessons.

Goodbye.