Resources

Resources for teaching 11 to 14 year olds, with a focus on boys’ body image

This free lesson resource from Media Smart is designed to get students aged 11 to 14 talking about body image and advertising, and exploring ways to develop positive body image. This brand new resource has just been awarded the PSHE Association Quality Mark.

Research suggests that 53% of boys aged 11 to 18 say that advertising creates a pressure to look good, but with many boys reluctant to share their concerns with parents or teachers, they may not get the support they need to address body image issues.

The Media Smart Body Image and Advertising resource includes teacher notes, presentation slides and printable worksheets, to help you plan and deliver PSHE lesson that:

• introduces the topic of body image, and explores how it’s influenced by the media and advertising.
• teaches students how to manage this influence, and promotes positive body image and emotional resilience. 

Although the resources focus on how the male body is represented in the media, they are designed to be used with all students, encouraging them to consider the ways that body image issues can affect everyone.

Access Media Smart’s free resources here

PSHE Association Subject Specialist, Jenny Fox says:
“This resource provides opportunities for teachers to tackle the issue of body image and the influence of advertising from a fresh new perspective. Too often, boys can be overlooked in the messages our curriculum provides relating to self-esteem, body image and health. This lesson, developed in response to research into boy’s understanding of body image, encourages young people to think critically about the messages they receive from the media and how to build their emotional resilience to these messages. We are happy to award this resource our quality mark as we see it as contributing to a PSHE programme that challenges gender stereotypes, promotes wellbeing and ensures relevance for all its learners..”