ISSUES
: Body Confidence
Assignments
42
Assignments
Brainstorming
Ö
In small groups, discuss what you know about body
confidence.
What is body image?
What is self-esteem?
What is a selfie?
What does the term ‘photoshopping’ mean?
Research
Ö
Write an article on the issues surrounding the
possible impact that social media has upon body
image and self-esteem. You should conduct some
online research on the topic, investigating how
viable this claim may be, as well finding evidence to
support your conclusions.
Ö
What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)? Create
a PowerPoint presentation explaining what BDD is
and the effect it can have on someone’s life.
Ö
Read
Nine body positive social media campaigns
that are changing how we perceive beauty both in
and outside the fashion world
on page 17 and select
one positive social media campaign to research
further (or choose one of your own).
Ö
“Recent figures show that 91% of teens have taken a
selfie and over one million are taken each day.” Take
a survey of your family, friends and classmates and
find out if anyone has ever taken a selfie before. If so,
how often do they take selfies? Do they ever alter their
selfies? Why do they take selfies? Compile all your data
into graphs and present your findings to the class.
Design
Ö
In small groups, design an app for a smartphone
that will highlight the body image issues that
teenagers today are facing. Your app should also
offer help and advice on tackling these issues.
Ö
Produce a poster using the statistics surrounding
body image issues found throughout this book. You
may also find the
Key facts
section useful (page 40).
Ö
Produce a leaflet which raises awareness about
the dangers surrounding eating disorders such
as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-
eating disorders.
Ö
Choose one of the articles from this book and
create an illustration that highlights the key themes
of the piece.
Ö
Create a music playlist of songs to help boost
someone’s confidence and self-esteem when
they’re feeling down. You can also include positive
quotes, books or even activities that help build
confidence and boost self-esteem (e.g. dancing,
playing sports, etc.). You might want to include a
reason as to why you selected a certain piece.
Oral
Ö
Create a storyboard for a YouTube video explaining
how airbrushing and Photoshop alter photographs.
You should provide examples of digitally enhanced
photos which are circulated by the media and you
should discuss how these edited photographs may
affect members of the public who see them.
Ö
In pairs, discuss whether you think the Government
is doing enough to tackle body image issues is
children and teens. What else could they do? Does
your school discuss these issues with you? Do you
think they should? Make notes on your discussion
and feedback to your class.
Ö
Hold a class discussion on body image to discover
which concerns directly affect you and your fellow
students. You may want to consider how images
circulated in the media affect your self-confidence
or consider whether any of the statistics found in
this book are also applicable to your perception of
yourself.
Ö
In pairs, go through this book and discuss the
cartoons you come across. Think about what the
artists were trying to portray with each illustration.
Reading/writing
Ö
Imagine you are an Agony Aunt writing for a national
newspaper. A young girl has written to you admitting
that she has self-esteem and body confidence
issues. Write a suitable reply giving advice and
information on where she may look for support in
order to tackle her concerns.
Ö
Do you think male body issues receive as much
media coverage and are as readily discussed as
female body issues? Give reasons for your answer
and consider which issues are frequently discussed
for both genders, and/or what needs to be more
discussed in your opinion.
Ö
Read
France divides the fashion world by banning
skinny models
on page 16. Summarise the article
and include your own thoughts on the topic. Do you
agree with this law? Why or why not?
Ö
“A record number of over 51,000 Britons underwent
cosmetic surgery in 2015.” – The British Associations
of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). Write an
essay about what plastic/cosmetic surgery is:
you might want to include its history and what
procedures people have done and why.
