Body Image

A critically reflective teaching approach - What does this mean?

Design Brief
Develop a topic about Body Image with students using a variety of mass media
and multimodal texts to critically analyse, discuss and reflect about what the text
is saying, the messages given and what it means to a student personally. How
do they identify with what is being read, viewed or heard?
Take into consideration the voice of the author, the messages that are
conveyed through the image in different ways and through what is obvious or
not obvious to the viewer. What do you see? Can result in students responses
about the obvious or the literal meanings.
What is implied? Is the analysis what is the

Body Image

Literal Interpretative Subliminal Opinion

What do you see? What do you think it Are there any What is your opinion
means? hidden messages? of the image?
What does the
image present? How does this Explain your
image apply to you? reasons

Responses Responses Responses Responses

Ways we can teach about body image

Teaching children how to be aware of media influences and its impact on their
self-image. Find out ways students are influenced, which can influence their
thinking and can become a part of their identity.
• select material that is current in today's society - use existing literature eg
newspaper articles, magazines, male and female images, analyse the texts
– print, visual and texts in popular culture.

Text analysis – deconstruction: How can we do this?

• Read or view the text
• Identify and discuss the main points in context of the text
• Discuss the text from the range of different viewpoints that exist in the text.
• What do the statements made, mean to us?
• What is the position of the author? What is their point of view?
• What messages are being sent to us?
• What language is being used? How is image portrayed in the text?
• From what or whose perspectives are the viewpoints created?
From personal experience? Cultural viewpoints? Are they gender based?
Are they stereotypical? Are they political? Are they power-based in any way?
• What are the influences and what is implied by the messages that are given?
• What is left out? What are the silences?
• How do you respond to this? What do you think? How do these statements
apply to you in your lives? What power do you have to take charge of this?
• How do you identify with what you read, hear or see

Influences - Power structures

Peer pressure

Adult

Media Messages

Advertising

Political - government - authority

Others

Cultural influences in Body Image

Design Brief
Research the influences in today’s society that relate to body image. Research
peer pressure, influences in the media, the history of food, methods of cooking,
political influences in the food industry, soils and climate, available foods,
accepted images, in western culture, Asian cultures or select a culture of your
choice.

What do students think? Researching the topic: Body Image

Find out what the students think - look for patterns or similarities in the thinking
of students of a particular age group.
What images do students have of themselves now? How do they describe
themselves as people, their appearance, and their opinion of themselves?
What images do students have of themselves in the future?
How important is the image to students? And,
What kind of image do they see as being important to them? Why?
What counts as being the most important things in a person’s identity?
Personal - Others similarities – differences. Why?
 Body Image

Resources: Newspaper articles, History of male image; female image

popular magazines - different cultures,
images on the web, videos of films, advertising, friends,
animations, electronic games - others

Gender: male and female image Variety of magazines - study of

pictures/photographs/advertisements the image
What image is portrayed for females?
What image is portrayed for males?
What age groups are represented?
How does this affect how people think about themselves?
Interview/Survey

Influences: Historical perspectives

Current thinking peer pressure
What are the influences?
Advertising – Where and how?

Realism: Are the images realistic?

Do you think that these images are normal? Or realistic for all
people?
Are the images constructed - photo imaging?
How are they changed?
Do you think that people try and live up to these images? How?
What are the health consequences?
Physical? Mental? And Emotional?

Health factors: What are the consequences for some people in trying to attain the
perfect body image?
Anorexia nervosa
Bulimia
Unhealthy eating

The Image industry What kinds of jobs are generated by the body image industry?

Consumerism How does consumerism affect the image in today's society?

What are the results of this?
How are people influenced by consumerism?

Political influences - Government Can a government in a country have an influence in relationship

to image creation or personal image of people? How?

Power What power do you have in relationship to your own image or

body image? Explain