1. Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Awesome.2Cents! A Healthy Lifestyle Curriculum for Teens…
Grades 8-12
Lesson 3– Body Image
Grade: High School Grades 8th- 12th
Learning Activity: The importance of healthy body image
Track: Nutrition
Louisiana Content Standards Benchmarks:
1-H-1, 1-H-2, 1-H-3, 1-H-4, 1-H-5, 1-H-6, 3-H-1, 3-H-2, 3-H-4, 3-H-6, 4-H-1, 4-H-2, 4-H-3, 5-H-2, 5-H-6
1-M-1, 1-M-2, 1-M-4, 2-M-3, 3-M-1, 4-M-3, 5-M-1, 5-M-4, 6-M-1
Time Allotted: 50 minutes
Number of Participants:
Key Concepts:
1. Understand what a healthy body image is
2. Common perceptions of body image
3. Influence of media on body image
4. How to develop healthy body image
5. Health and fitness and body image
How will change in knowledge or skills be evaluated?
Students will be tested on knowledge of body image components before and
after lesson.
What You Need for the Lesson:
1. Lesson plan,
2. Powerpoint: What do I think of my Body?
3. fact sheets
4. Magazines with images of people
Homework assignment:
1. Poster.
2. Identifying characteristics
1

2. Slide Lesson Plan
1 Body Image title slide
2 Say:
This lesson will cover:
Body image
Self esteem and body image
Body image acceptance
Media influence
Family and friends
Accepting your body
Developing a healthy body image
1. Body Image –
a. What is it? General information, self esteem,
Perception (Cognitive)
Dissatisfaction (Affective)
Behaviors (Behavioral)
b. satisfaction and perception
c. influences
media
family and friends
athletics
2. Health professionals – reality about health and weight,
experiences, health and fitness.
3. Improving and keeping Healthy Body Image
a. How to have a good body image, self esteem
b. Body Image steps 1-10
3 Body Image
Say:
 Are you happy what you see in the mirror?
 Your perception of how your body looks forms your body image.
 Body image can also be closely linked with self-esteem.
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Your perception of
how your body looks forms your body image. Interestingly, an
athletic 20 year old fitness model could have a very poor body image,
while a moderately active 50 year old man or woman could have a
great body image. Regardless of how closely your actual figure
resembles your perception, your body image can affect your self-
esteem, your eating and exercise behaviors, and your relationships
with others.
What do you see in the mirror? (Perceptions).
How do you feel about what you see in the mirror? (Dissatisfaction).
How does this affect your behavior and emotions?
(behavioral/affective)
4 Self Esteem & Body Image
2

3. Self-esteem is all about how much people value themselves, the pride
they feel in themselves, and how worthwhile they feel.
Self-esteem is important because feeling good about oneself can affect
behavior. For example, a person with high self-esteem will make
friends easily, is more in control of his or her behavior, and will enjoy
life more; whereas a person with low self-esteem may be withdrawn
and uncomfortable with others.
For many people, especially people in their early teens, body image
can be closely linked with self-esteem.
5 Body Image
 Regardless of how closely your actual figure resembles your
perception, your body image can affect your self-esteem, your
eating, grooming and exercise behaviors, and your relationships
with others.
A person with a poor body image will perceive his or her own body as
being unattractive to themselves and others, while a person with a
healthy body image will see him or herself as attractive to others, and
accept his or her body in its current form.
Body image is unique to everyone – perceptive issues are not common
to everyone. People will perceive things differently.
You have your unique body image ‘experiences.’ (Perception,
satisfaction, behavior and affect).
6 Body Image
 Body image - objective measures?
 Own versus others opinions
 Body image is most strongly affected during puberty.
One’s body image is not necessarily related to any objective measures
(such as one’s actual weight status) or the opinions of others.
For example, a person who has a poor body image may be objective
rated as physically attractive by others, and a person with a good
body image may be rated as unattractive by others.
Body image is most strongly affected during puberty.
(Body image terms: poor/good; positive/negative).
7 Body Image
• In the Western societies such as US, there is a lot of emphasis
placed on body weight, size, and overall physical appearance.
(e.g. hair, symmetry of features, etc.)
• We are conditioned from a very young age to believe that self-
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4. worth is derived from these external physical characteristics, vs
internal characteristics. (e.g. morals, values, altruism,
intelligence, etc.)
For example, being thin and/or muscular is associated with being
“hard-working, successful, popular, beautiful, strong, and self-
disciplined.” On the other hand, being “fat” is associated with being
“lazy, ignorant, hated, ugly, weak, and lacking will-power.” These
stereotypes are prevalent in our society; and they are reinforced by
the media, our family and friends, and even well-respected health
professionals.
Other stereotypes: “Thin people” have it all. “This is glamorous.”
As a result, we often unfairly judge others and label them based on
their weight, size and appearance alone. We feel great anxiety and
pressure to achieve and/or maintain a very lean and attractive
physique. And, we believe that if we can just be thinner, more
muscular and overall more like what society says is ‘attractive’. , we
can be happier, more successful, and more accepted by society.
Body Image is not just about size and weight; especially during
puberty. It is about face and appearance, etc. Such things as acne,
bad teeth, sparse hair, kinky hair, freckles, scars, and
disproportionate body can all influence body image negatively at this
age.
8 Body Image Satisfaction and Perception
A study on body satisfaction found that most girls aren’t satisfied
with their body shape.
Majority of girls (59 percent) are dissatisfied with their body shape
and 66 percent want to lose weight.
Another study indicated that many do not perceive their body
adequately.
About about two-thirds (65 percent) of girls can correctly identify
themselves as being either normal weight or overweight, while one-
third of all girls have a distorted idea about their weight. They cannot
identify their weight correctly.
9 Body image influences?
 Other cultural attitudes
 African Americans - less drive for thinness and a greater
acceptance of larger body proportions.
 Hispanics are more accepting of their body size.
 Asian women are more content with their body size.
 A mother’s weight, body image, attitude, and health habits are
strong indicators of whether or not her daughter is overweight,
satisfied with her body, and physically active.
4

5. African Americans seem to have different attitudes about weight, body
size, and attractiveness than do Caucasians. They have less drive for
thinness and a greater acceptance of larger body proportions.
A mother’s weight, body image, attitude, and health habits are strong
indicators of whether or not her daughter is overweight, satisfied with
her body, and physically active.
10 Other Influences
 Modern media, including:
 Compact disc (CD) covers
 Advertisements
 Movies
 Music videos
 Television
 Video games
 Magazines
The onset of mirrors led to individuals of being critical of their
appearance.
Today one of the reasons most often cited for the continued body
dissatisfaction among young women is modern media influence,
particularly related to the expression of the western ideology of
thinness and glamour of diet and perfect skin, makeup etc.
11 Media Effects
 Media
 Reflects the unrealistic ideals of the current generation
 Uses whatever image best sells
 Reinforces perceptions of the human body
If media does enforce perceptions of what the human body should
look like and the image is that of flawless skin and that of a thin,
toned body, then it is hard for many to realize that beauty can exist
outside of these constraints.
Media states that they are merely reflecting the ideals of the current
generation or using whatever image best sells their products.
However, research has shown that media plays a larger role in
reinforcing, rather than simply reflecting, perceptions of the human
body.
12 Media Effects cont.
 Unrealistic standards for what is considered “normal.”
 Girls are indoctrinated to think they should to look like fashion
models.
 Boys think that men naturally have bulging muscles.
 These body ideals are reinforced every day on TV shows,
movies, magazine covers, and even video games.
The media sets unrealistic standards for what body weight and
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6. appearance is considered “normal.” Girls are indoctrinated at a very
young age that they are supposed to look like models. (i.e. no fat
anywhere on your body, but large breasts). Average models body
mass (BMI) index is about 16, extremely thin, vs normal weight
woman’s BMI being 22.
Boys are given the impression that men naturally have muscles
bulging all over their bodies. They should look like action figures with
large arms and tiny waist and these body ideals are reinforced every
day on TV shows, movies, magazine covers, and even video games.
The media’s portrayal of what is “normal” keeps getting thinner and
thinner for women and more muscular and ripped for men. Twenty-
five years ago, the average female model weighed 8% less than the
average American woman. Currently, the average female model
weighs 23% below her average weight. Similar trends are seen with
men.
With these unrealistic media images and body ideals, many women
and men feel inadequate, ashamed, and dissatisfied with how they
look. Only about 5% of women have the genetic make up to ever
achieve the ultra-long and thin model body type so pervasive in the
media. Yet that is the only body type that women see and can
compare themselves to.
Similarly, male body ideal is impossible to achieve without illegal
anabolic steroids. There is a physiological limit to how much muscle a
man can attain and maintain naturally, given his height, frame, and
body fat percentage. Unfortunately, however, the cartoon heroes and
male fitness models on magazine covers and ads suggest otherwise.
13 Family and Friends
 There is pressure sometimes to be thin or super muscular in
order to be accepted by peers and sometimes even family
members.
 At school you are likely surrounded by negative “body talk”…in
the bathroom, in the dining halls, in the locker room… (“Yuck!
Look at my thighs…I’m so fat! I really need to go on a diet!”).
 Leads to feelings of self-consciousness about own body.
 Leads to thoughts about options (behaviors) to change
the body.
In high school you may feel great pressure to be thin or super
muscular in order to be accepted by your peers and family members
and to be attractive to potential romantic partners. In these
situations, you may be surrounded by negative “body talk”…in the
bathroom, in the dining halls, in social activities…there’s no escaping
the comments (“Yuck! Look at my thighs…I’m so fat! I really need to
go on a diet!”). All these comments can make you crazy! They can
make you start worrying about your own weight and make you start
feeling self-conscious about your own body, even though you never
worried about it before!
14 Family and Friends cont.
 Family members may have made comments about their own
weight and enforced food restrictions.
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7.  Parents may have inadvertently sent messages that you need to
be thin in order to be loved.
Your mother, or other family member, may have done the same thing
while your were growing up by making constant comments about her
own weight (or yours) and enforcing lots of food restrictions on herself
(or you). Early on, you may have gotten the message that you need
to be thin in order to be accepted and loved by your parents.
15 Athletics
 There may be pressure to:
 make a specific weight class (i.e. wrestling, crew,
boxing),
 race faster (i.e. running, cycling), or
 weigh less in order to achieve a more difficult skill level
as well appear attractive to the judges or audience (i.e.
gymnastics, dance, cheerleading, figure skating).
If you’re an athlete, you may feel tremendous pressure to lose weight
or body fat so you can make a specific weight class (i.e. wrestling,
crew, boxing), race faster (i.e. running, cycling), or achieve more
difficult skill level (i.e. gymnastics, dance, cheerleading, figure
skating). The pressure may come from you, your teammates, your
coach, and/or your parents. In any case, the message is clear, “you
need to have a certain body to perform well and be considered a good
athlete.”
16 Health Professionals
 Weight and height measurements are routinely done at health
clinics; and you are often assigned a certain label
(“underweight, healthy weight, overweight, or obese”) based on
these measurements.
 Your clinician may even encourage you to lose weight, to see a
dietitian, or to consider drugs or surgery.
Weight and height measurements are routinely done at health clinics;
and you are often assigned a certain label (“underweight, healthy
weight, overweight, or obese”) based on these measurements. Your
clinician may even encourage you to lose weight, to see a dietitian, or
to consider drugs or surgery based on these numbers, without even
asking about your eating and exercise habits or considering your level
of fitness. The clinician, of course, has good intentions. After all,
clinicians are taught in their medical training about all the perils of the
“obesity epidemic.” And, they are reminded again and again that
obesity is a “disease” that can (and should) be aggressively treated
with drugs.
17 Health Professionals cont.
If you have been a victim of this type of weight prejudice by the
medical community, it’s understandable that your body image and
self-esteem would suffer. After all, you are being told by one of the
most powerful and respected members of society that you are
“diseased.” The guilt, shame, and self-loathing associated with such a
label does nothing to support healthy eating, physical activity, and
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8. good health; and, in many cases, it does just the opposite.
18 Reality about weight measurements
 A “normal” weight person can actually be overfat.
 A high BMI may not necessarily indicate overfat.
While weight measurements may actually reflect bad eating habits, a
sedentary lifestyle, and poor health and fitness, they don’t always. In
fact, there are many large, “overweight” (but fit) men and women
who eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and enjoy excellent health
(as indicated by their optimal blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and
blood sugar levels). And, there are many “healthy weight” men and
women who don’t.
19 Reality about weight measurements
 Keep in mind that your weight and body composition are
determined by a number of factors.
 Under person’s control:
 dietary intake
 level of physical activity
 Cannot be controlled:
 body type
 bone structure
 the way you store fat
 other genetic variables
Keep in mind that your weight and body composition are determined
by a number of factors. Some of these factors (such as your calorie
intake and level of physical activity) can be manipulated. But other
factors (such as your body type, bone structure, the way you store
fat, and other genetic variables) cannot be manipulated. The body is
not completely ‘malleable’ (able to be changed). You may have to
work within your body type to achieve a healthy goal.
20 Health and Fitness
 Body weight is different from body composition (i.e. how much
is muscle, bone, or fat).
 Muscle is denser and weighs more than fat.
 Weight isn’t the best indicator of health and fitness.
 Your eating habits, exercise pattern, and metabolic measures
are more important indicators of your health.
 Eat based on MyPyramid?
 Exercise 30-60 minutes a day?
 What are your cholesterol, iron, and glucose values?
 Do you sleep well and have energy during the day?
What does a number on the scale really tell you about how healthy or
fit someone is? When you step on a scale, the weight that you see
doesn’t tell you anything about your body composition (i.e. how much
is muscle, bone, or fat). Keep in mind that muscle is denser and
weighs more than fat. So, if you are very physically active and have
more muscle, you SHOULD weigh more.
In addition, weight (or even body composition) isn’t the best indicator
of health and fitness. Your eating habits, exercise patterns, and
8

9. metabolic measures (like blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood
glucose levels) are more important indicators of your health. And,
your fitness level is better measured by your cardiovascular
endurance, muscle strength, muscle endurance, and flexibility--not by
your weight and body fat.
Eat based on MyPyramid? Learn about serving sizes and calorie levels.
Exercise 30-60 minutes a day? Exercise helps keep heart and brain
active.
What are your cholesterol, iron, and glucose values? Avoid chronic
diseases by keeping lab values within normal range.
Do you sleep well and have energy during the day? Exercise and
proper nutrition helps you sleep so you can be alert during the day.
21 Adolescent changes
• Changes that accompany puberty, such as changes in
appearance, ability, performance and strength are all perfectly
normal parts of growing up.
• Seek help from trusted sources such as the parents, a school
nurse, the family doctor.
. Changes that accompany puberty, such as changes in appearance,
ability, performance and strength are all perfectly normal parts of
growing up.
Seek help from trusted sources such as the parents, a school nurse,
the family doctor or the following websites:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/teenhealth.html
http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/
http://www.teenhealthfx.com/
22 Steps to take to have a good body image
Step 1.
 De-emphasize weight.
 Weight is not the problem, and dieting is not the answer.
 Weight doesn’t define who you are or what you are worth as a
person.
 There is no such thing as one “ideal body weight” based on your
height.
 There is a physiological limit to how muscular you can get
naturally.
What can you do to improve your body image?
De-emphasize weight. Don’t get hung up on numbers. Weight
doesn’t tell you much. Is it muscle, bone, or fat? Muscle weighs more
than fat.
Weight isn’t the best indicator of health or fitness. Your eating habits,
exercise patterns, and other lifestyle choices are more important.
Weight doesn’t define who you are or what you are worth as a person.
9

10. 23 Beware– don’t compare!
Step 2.
 Avoid comparison.
 Everyone develops differently and at different times.
 Avoid comparing yourself with celebrities and models.
 Celebrities’ images are touched up to enhance the
appearance of the person in the picture.
It is common to compare our appearance with our friends; however,
avoid it as much as possible. It is also a bad idea to compare
ourselves with celebrities and models. Most people don’t look like
those that are shown in the media. Many times the images are
touched up to enhance the appearance of the person in the picture.
Photo editing is used to give celebrities and models a flawless
appearance (i.e. remove wrinkles, skin eruptions, blackheads, circles
under the eyes, scars etc).
Celebrate your body and the marvelous things it can do when you are
fit and well nourished. So often we take these things for granted.
Focus on how your clothes fit and feel, not how much you weigh.
24 Treat Your Body Well
Step 3.
 Learn about healthy food choices and different exercises.
 Engage in physical activity.
 You may need to change your activity as you develop,
there is an exercise for everyone.
 Experiment with different activities.
Making educated choices about food and exercise is part of developing
a mind and a life of your own.
It is always important to engage in some form of physical activity.
About ¾ of all teens stop participating in sports around the time that
their bodies develop. Physical changes sometimes make it harder to
participate in certain sports.
Whether you no longer feel comfortable doing the sport you previously
did, or even if you have never really exercised in the past, there is an
exercise for everyone.
Experiment with different types of activities, from walking to yoga
classes or martial arts until you find something that you are
comfortable with.
25 Befriend Your Bod
Step 4.
 Don’t stress out.
 Give yourself time.
 Don’t focus on minor imperfections. People will not notice them.
If you’re uncomfortable with some of the changes, don’t stress.
Just like a friendship that grows and evolves, keeping in touch with
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11. our body takes time.
For example, a minor imperfection can become overwhelming when it
is the sole focus of attention. But the truth is, other people won’t
notice it like you do.
26 Walk Tall– Even if You’re not!
Step 5.
 What people do notice is how you project your feelings about
yourself.
 Think tall. You will look strong.
 Work on good posture and walk with a sense of confidence.
What people do notice is how you project your feelings about yourself.
For example, if you think you’re too tall, you will be much more
noticeable. Slumping over makes you look smaller and vulnerable.
Work on good posture and walk with a sense of confidence. You’ll
probably become more confident, too. It will take a while but then it
will become second nature.
27 Project Health: Inside and Out
Step 6.
 Healthy is attractive.
 Take care of yourself.
 Present yourself well.
 Are you outgoing and upbeat, with a friendly smile and
welcoming posture that attracts people to you? Do you
dress to impress, have a unique style, stand tall, and
carry yourself with pride and confidence?
Beauty & Attractiveness
While body size and shape certainly contribute to physical
attractiveness, they are not the only factors, and they certainly are
not the most important ones! How you present yourself in social
settings also plays a big role. Are you outgoing and upbeat, with a
friendly smile and welcoming posture that attracts people to you? Do
you dress to impress, have a unique style, stand tall, and carry
yourself with pride and confidence? All of these characteristics also
contribute to your physical attractiveness.
Imagine a pair of twins standing across the room. One is smiling and
dancing and exuding a sense of confidence and openness. The other
is standing with his/her arms crossed and has a disgusted, angry
expression on his/her face. Which one would you think was more
attractive?
28 Invest in your well-being
Step 7.
 Surround yourself with people who have a healthy relationship
with food, weight, and their bodies.
 Stop your negative thoughts and statements about yourself.
 Invest time and money in yourself, rather than the diet and
11

12. supplement industry.
 Move and enjoy your body.
Some Tips:
Surround yourself with people who have a healthy relationship with
food, weight, and their bodies. It will make a difference in how you
feel about yourself. Also, remember to set a good example for others
by refraining from “fat talk” when you’re with friends and family.
Stop your negative thoughts and statements about yourself. Focus
on what you love about yourself. Compliment yourself. Talk to your
body the way you would talk to a good friend.
Invest time and money in yourself, rather than the diet and
supplement industry. Spend your extra money on flattering clothes,
fitness equipment, haircuts, massages, and other personal
indulgences--not on diets.
Move and enjoy your body. Go walking, swimming, biking, and
dancing. Do yoga, aerobics, and weight training…. not because you
have to, but because it makes you feel strong and energized.
29 Reclaim and Build Your Inner Self
Step 8.
 Reclaim your own inner strength.
 Nurture your inner self.
 Examine the degree to which your self-esteem depends upon
your appearance.
 Broaden your perspective.
 Recognize that “fat-ism” is a form of discrimination similar to
sexism, racism, and classism.
Reclaim your own inner strength. Focus on the unique qualities and
personality traits that make you a special and successful person.
Nurture your inner self. Enjoy things you find relaxing (e.g. music,
bubble baths, fragrances, candles, massages, reading, writing,
napping), be close to nature (e.g. garden, sunsets, beach, stars),
and/or seek spiritual connection (e.g. prayer, meditation, inspirational
reading, reflection). Feeling good on the inside is key to feeling good
on the outside.
Examine the degree to which your self-esteem depends upon your
appearance. Although it may seem natural to wish you looked like a
fashion model or a body builder, basing your happiness on this desire
may lead to failure. Unrealistic goals can prevent you from exploring
ways to enhance your life.
Broaden your perspective. Talk to people you trust, read books about
body image, or write in a journal. These activities may help you to
recognize emotionally destructive thoughts and put body image into
perspective.
Recognize that “fat-ism” is a form of discrimination similar to sexism,
racism, and classism. Assumptions that body shape determines
attractiveness, personality, and success are incorrect and unjust.
Combat discrimination when possible. Question assumptions and
generalizations which promote the belief that one “type” of person is
better than another.
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13. 30 Pursue Happiness
Step 9.
 True happiness comes from within.
 It comes from nurturing your soul and spirit with healthy
relationships, communication, boundary setting, and relaxation.
Happiness
It's not uncommon for people to think that they would be so much
happier if only they could lose weight or have a more muscular
physique. After all, our society equates thinness and extreme
leanness with happiness. Logically then, people turn to diets as the
solution to all their life problems. Unfortunately, however, weight is
not the problem, and dieting is not the answer. True happiness comes
from within. It comes from nurturing your soul and spirit with healthy
relationships, communication, boundary setting, and relaxation. While
finding true happiness internally can often result in better self-care of
the external body (i.e. healthier eating and physical activity patterns),
focusing only on the self-care of the external body will do nothing to
heal the inside pain
31 And Finally:
Step 10.
 Pay Attention – Listen to internal cues (i.e., hunger, satiety,
fatigue).
 Appreciate Your Uniqueness – You are contributing to the
human experience just by your presence.
 Be Accepting – Learn to Highlight your best features and to
minimize those that bother you. People will notice the attractive
parts of you when you highlight them and accept the others.
No one is perfect!
39 Authors:
Heli Roy, PhD, RD
Shanna Lundy, MS
Reviewer: Tiffany Stewart, PhD
Division of Education
Phillip Brantley, PhD, Director
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Steven Heymsfield, MD, Executive Director
The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is a world-renowned nutrition
research center.
Mission:
To promote healthier lives through research and education in nutrition and
preventive medicine.
13

14. The Pennington Center has several research areas, including:
Clinical Obesity Research
Experimental Obesity
Functional Foods
Health and Performance Enhancement
Nutrition and Chronic Diseases
Nutrition and the Brain
Dementia, Alzheimer’s and healthy aging
Diet, exercise, weight loss and weight loss maintenance
The research fostered in these areas can have a profound impact on healthy living
and on the prevention of common chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer,
diabetes, hypertension and osteoporosis.
The Division of Education provides education and information to the scientific
community and the public about research findings, training programs and
research areas, and coordinates educational events for the public on various
health issues.
We invite people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in the exciting
research studies being conducted at the Pennington Center in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana. If you would like to take part, visit the clinical trials web page at
www.pbrc.edu or call (225) 763-3000.
Edited : October 2012
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