1. Advert Profiles
Think back to our last lesson on the media. Imagine you are working for a media company and are looking for someone to star in your TV show/advert. You need to write an advert profile for the type of person you are looking for, e.g. age, appearance. Choose two of the available options.
Option 1:
A female to wear the new style of Levis jeans for your advert.
Option 2:
A male to star in an advert for Lynx fragrance.
Option 3:
A male contestant on Love Island.
Option 4:
A female to advertise a new L'Oréal foundation.
Ask students to think back to their last lesson on the media. They need to imagine they are working for a media company and are looking for someone to star in a TV show/advert. They need to write an advert profile for the type of person they are likely to be looking for, e.g. age, appearance. They can choose two of the available options on the PPT (e.g. female to star in a Levis advert, male to star in the Lynx advert). They can work in pairs to do this.
Take feedback and ask for the types of advert profiles they have written – it is likely they will have gone for things like someone who is young, good looking etc. Ask why they chose this and whether what the problems of this might be? This will lead into the LO on Body Image as TV shows and adverts can make people want bodies that are unrealistic and unattainable and can lead to poor self-esteem with their own bodies.

2. Body Image
Learning Objective: To explore issues surrounding body image and strategies for dealing with this.
I can explore the issues and dangers surrounding body image pressures.
I can analyse whether media portrayal of body image is a true reflection of reality.
I can give examples of top tips for body confidence.

3. Body Image in a Visual World
In today’s digital and very visual age, we receive a lot of messages about what the ideal body is, what is attractive and what is ‘beautiful’ in terms of size, shape, weight, height, skin colour, hair – in fact, anything you can think of that is part of our external appearance. And through these messages we are given a narrow list of ‘acceptable’ body types. We are told what is beautiful and made to assume that everything that doesn’t fit these ideals is not beautiful.
And sadly some people even see these ‘other’ bodies and appearances as ‘ugly’. We do see some exceptions to this, but often the media’s response is to say that they’re ‘so brave and cool’, like it’s a courageous act to just exist in this world and not look a certain way. Rather than just allowing different body types to be visible they still need to be singled out and commented on.
Use the PPT slide to explain to students that the digital age we live in give out messages to people about what the ideal body type is. Lead on from this to discuss what the dangers of this might be.

4. What are the dangers of this?
What needs to change to prevent this type of negative body image?
What can cause people to feel the need to change their body?
What would you say to someone who feels like this?
How are people putting their health at risk?
Ask students what they think the dangers are of having the media tell people what an ideal body looks like. Take feedback on this and ask whether they think they are influenced by what is on Instagram, TV etc.
Then show the two clips from Newsbeat showing how these messages can lead to people having an unhealthy idea about their body which can have extremely negative consequences.
Clip 1 is called Addicted to Protein (show this up to 8 mins)
Clip 2 is called Bigorexia
When students have watched the clips discuss what they have seen using the questions on the PPT to stimulate discussion.
– protein
- Bigorexia

5. A few words on muscles from Callum McSwiggan…
From a very early age boys have it drilled into them that their personal worth is associated with their masculinity and their muscle mass. Men with rippling biceps and washboard abs appear everywhere in the media and are seen as the pinnacle of desirability, and that in itself can leave a lot of men feeling deflated. It’s important to remember that all of our bodies are different and all of us develop in different ways, particularly when we are going through puberty. Some of us will grow much broader and some of us will barely change at all – whatever is the outcome for you, you shouldn’t punish yourself for it. You may not be as thin or as tall or as muscly as the people around you but that’s because your body is going through its own individual metamorphosis and that’s what makes you unique. There will always be someone bigger or stronger than you but that doesn’t make you less attractive, desirable or worthy. It’s easy to get jealous of those who look different to ourselves, but it’s always worth reminding yourself that they may be looking back at you and your body with a jealousy of their own.
Having finished the discussion show students the slide with ‘A few words on muscles from Callum McSwiggan’ – Callum McSwiggan is a London Youtuber famous for speaking about LGBT issues. The extract reinforces the message that everyone is different, including our bodies.

6. Body Image
Learning Objective: To explore issues surrounding body image and strategies for dealing with this.
I can explore the issues and dangers surrounding body image pressures.
I can analyse whether media portrayal of body image is a true reflection of reality.
I can give examples of top tips for body confidence.

7. Is it even real?
Watch these two clips illustrating how much of what we see in the media isn’t a true reflection of reality…
Dove Evolution:
Now move onto exploring whether the images we see in the media are even a true reflection of reality. There are two clips to illustrate this, one from Dove Evolution and one is a talk titled ‘Killing Us Softly’.
Ask students whether they were surprised by anything in these clips and whether they agree with what was being said in the talk.
Killing Us Softly:

8. Body Image
Learning Objective: To explore issues surrounding body image and strategies for dealing with this.
I can explore the issues and dangers surrounding body image pressures.
I can analyse whether media portrayal of body image is a true reflection of reality.
I can give examples of top tips for body confidence.

9. Top Tips for Body Image
Feeling comfortable in your own skin can sometimes be difficult, but here are a few top tips you can try…
Fake t ‘til you make it:
Pretend to be confident even if you don’t feel it. Other people will then think you’re a confident person and treat you as such.
Focus on the things you like:
Think of one physical thing you like about yourself. When you pay attention to something you like about yourself you’re more likely to find more things you like because you’re thinking positively.
Take a compliment:
When people pay us compliment we have a tendency to ignore or deny them. But if you take a compliment with a simple ‘thank you’, over time that can really help build your confidence.
Don’t compare yourself to others:
This is easier said than done but it is integral to feeling good about yourself. Comparisons don’t help anyone.
Surround yourself with positive and supportive friends:
Avoid people who say negative things about your body. Friends can offer all kinds of help and support when you’re feeling down about yourself, so it’s good to have positive people there for you.
Social media lies:
Even online, when the photos are coming directly from a person, e.g. on Instagram, everyone uses filters, and photos are carefully selected to show people what you want them to see.
Put action before appearance:
Think of your body as a tool, rather than what it looks like. What are all the amazing things that it allows you to do? Eat, drink, walk, dance…
Fake Exercise/do a sport:
This isn’t about losing weight or toning your body. People who exercise or do sport regularly generally feel much better and happier about themselves. It’s all those happy hormones you release when you exercise!
Wear what you want:
Clothes should be made to fit us, we don’t need to change to fit our clothes. Wear the clothes that make you feel comfortable, confident and that you like.
Share the top tips on the board for maintaining a healthy body image. Then ask if students have any of their own they would like to add. If you have time you could get students to write down their favourite three in their books.

10. Advert Profiles
Now rewrite your advert profiles from the beginning of the lesson based on your learning. Focus on creating realistic adverts that doesn’t simply reinforce one idea of what someone should look like.
Option 1:
A female to wear the new style of Levis jeans for your advert.
Option 2:
A male to star in an advert for Lynx fragrance.
Option 3:
A male contestant on Love Island.
Option 4:
A female to advertise a new L'Oréal foundation.
Now go back to the advert profiles that students created at the beginning of the lesson. They need to rewrite their advert based on their learning this lesson. They need to focus on creating adverts that doesn’t simply reinforce one idea of what someone should look like.

11. Body Image
Learning Objective: To explore issues surrounding body image and strategies for dealing with this.
I can explore the issues and dangers surrounding body image pressures.
I can analyse whether media portrayal of body image is a true reflection of reality.
I can give examples of top tips for body confidence.