Body Image (also Grief, Suicide, and Depression)

I have worked with campers who have issues with their body image. I have worked for people with body image issues. I was raised by people with body image issues. Most of all, I have my own body image issues.

So many people around me are haunted by a dislike of some aspect of their body image, something they would like to change, something they are ashamed of.

I'm not just talking about weight issues, either, though this is the first thing most people think of when "Body Image" is mentioned. Body Image can range from thinking you have "big shoulders" to claiming you have "chicken legs," to feeling like a "beached whale" in a party dress. I have heard each of these things spoken earnestly and resignedly. In fact, one of these quotes is from me.

We are often our own worst enemies, seeking out what we think are enormous flaws and agonizing over them. Most people do not recognize these things nearly as much as we do.

The statistics are staggering. (We discussed them in class, but here is a link that I had a look at: http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-body-image)

"About 7% of 12th grade males have used steroids in order to become more muscular"

1. "One out of every four college aged women has an eating disorder."
2. "53% of thirteen-year-old American girls are unhappy with their bodies. This number grows to 78% by the time girls reach seventeen."
3. "One-third of all girls have a distorted idea about their weight."
4. Of all the insecurities that plague us on a day to day basis, body image issues must surely be one of the most prevalent.
5. Of all the issues I must discuss with my students, of all the issues I must tackle, body image is the one I dread the most. In comparison, teaching math or history or even physical education is easy. I can learn these things, and then I can teach them. It is much harder to teach something you have not mastered. 

I was thinking about this all through class, and then I realized that, depending on the age group and situation, there may be some value to admitting to my students that I'm not perfect either. I can tell them that I am working towards a goal of liking what I look like, by eating properly, exercising, focusing on what I do like, and having a support network to make me feel better.

I also had a look at this set of lesson plans, which could be helpful for the higher grades (perhaps with a few adaptations): 

http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/CFS/CFS-737-W.pdf

I especially like page 7's lesson called "Mixed Messages: Living in a Supersized World." In stead of telling students what to think, this activity lets students research the media's depiction of body image and allows them to think critically about these issues.
A useful addition to this activity could be to encourage students to look not just for body image portrayal in terms of sizing, but in terms of other body characteristics.