Date: February 4, 2014

Grade: Healthy Living 8

Name: Meg Sawler

Topic/Theme: Body Image as Seen in the
Media

Lesson Purpose:
This lesson familiarizes students with the processes, tactics, and concepts used by the
media to mold and modify humans to create the ideal body. It teaches students to
recognize that we must formulate our own thoughts related to body image rather than
following what the media says it correct. Students learn to criticize and dissect what the
media puts forth about body image and develop their own opinions. It teaches students
that what we are seeing isnt real, and that we must look beyond what we see to discover
healthy bodies. It allows students to recognize that people come in all different shapes
and sizes, and that there is no right size or shape. It is designed to teach students that
the media has distorted the human body. This lesson is ultimately designed to ignore
images put forth by the media, and to learn to love the body they have and to feel
confident in the way they look
Student Outcomes:
Critically analyze industrys impact on body image and healthy eating.
Gather information and formulate critiques to piece together opinions different
than the norm.
Dissect and understand the process media uses to alter human images.
Familiarize students with simple photo editing techniques.
Understand and use technology available to alter body image.
Develop a comfort with the sensitive topic of body image.
Realize that bodies come in many shapes and sizes.
Feel comfortable with the body they currently have through the development of
self-confidence.
.
Authentic Student Assessment:
Students will be assessed through initial assessment during Hook.
Subjective assessment will be used during Activity 3 Class Discussion in the form
of questioning and formulating responses. Students will have the opportunity to
respond to, question, and put forth comments during this portion of the lesson.
Teacher will gage if students show understanding in this section through
thoughtful participation as well as active listening.
Students will show their ability to gather information and critique an ad following
the lesson. This will be collected in the form of formative assessment.
Students will be assessed for participation through teacher circling and
observation.

Prior Knowledge:
Students will have been exposed to body image and the media from a very young
age through television, music, magazines, books, newspapers, social media,
schooling, and movies.

Students will have a general understanding of eating disorders from Healthy

Living 7 and previous units in Healthy Living 8.
Students have been exposed and have previously used aspects of technology
(ipads) in this class as well as others within the school, therefore they will have
some familiarity with the ipads and how to use them.
Students will have been exposed to dolls and toys such as Barbie and GI Joe in
their childhood.
Students will have a general understanding of healthy body weights, shapes, sizes
and understand that bodies come in all shapes and sizes and that being healthy
doesnt always look and fit a specific mold. This knowledge comes from Healthy
Living 5, 6, 7, and previous units in 8.
Students have seen, used, or understand that photo-editing programs exist and are
used.

Lesson:

Hook Approximately 5 minutes:

Welcome students to the class and share with them that todays topic will be body
image in the media.
Ask students: Do you think that celebrities that you see on tv, magazines, movies,
etc. have typical body sizes and shapes?
Show Barbie doll and GI Joe doll.
Holding up the Barbie ask students to raise their hands if they think that she has a
realistic body shape.
Holding up the GI Joe ask students to raise their hands if they think that he has a
realistic body shape.
Tell students that neither of these dolls actually has a realistic body type.
If Barbie were real she would be 59 and weigh 110 lbs, have a 39 bust, 18
waist, 33 hips, and would wear size 3 shoe. With these measurements she could
fit the criteria to have anorexia, and if she were real her proportions would be so
off and make her joints so weak that she would have to crawl on all fours instead
of walking.
The average Canadian woman is 53 tall and weighs 155 lbs.
If GI Joe was real he would be 70 tall and weigh over 300 lbs. He would have a
55 chest, and 27 biceps, so his arms would be bigger around than the average
waist of a grade 8 student. He would be larger by almost double than many
professional body builders.
The average Canadian man is 59 and weighs 177 lbs.
Transition to Lesson Approximately 2 minutes:
In todays society the media flashes images of extremely thin, muscular, athletic
looking bodies and portrays them as perfect. They make us think that this type
of body is the norm. Advertisements try to use bodies to sell products or services.
The people that we see in magazines are not real and they dont represent the
entire population. They have been enhanced, altered, plucked, and prodded to

make them appear perfect. Canadians come in a wide variety of different shapes
and sizes and the majority of people are larger than those who we see in the
media. These images that we see on a daily basis affect us. Repeated exposure to
these images can make us feel dissatisfied with our bodies or not proud of the size
and shape that we are. If we can learn to be critical of the images of unrealistic
bodies that we see in the media then we can become more self-confident and love
our bodies the way they are!

Activity 1: Celebrities without makeup and airbrushing Approximately 10

minutes
Using the LCD projector, students will be shown a collection of famous and
recognizable celebrities, athletes, and other public figures in before and after
pictures showing both before and after professional editing/airbrushing, and
with and without makeup on.
Links: http://www.chilloutpoint.com/misc/celebrities-before-and-afterphotoshop.html, http://www.vancouversun.com/life/fashionbeauty/news/7841314/story.html?tab=PHOT&__lsa=3de0-8e9d
Activity 2: Faking It Video Approximately 8 minutes
Students will watch this 8 minute youtube video created by a British DJ and
model who takes viewers behind the scenes of the transformation she goes through
to present herself to the media. She takes viewers on a behind the scenes of her
make up and hair transformations, how long it takes her team to get her
appearance ready, and the tricks they use at her photoshoot to make her look
perfect.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSuwYsuLan0
Activity 3: Class Discussion Approximately 10 15 minutes
Together as a class, using the following guide questions, we will answer and
discuss them using the information we have picked up in our day-to-day lives and
also the information from the photos, videos, and Barbie demonstration.
1. Who creates these perfect images?
2. Why do we think we should look a certain way?
3. Where does our idea of the ideal body come from?
4. Why does our society place so much focus on body image?
5. Who should decide whats beautiful?
6. Who feels more pressure about body image? Boys or girls? What are
some differences we may see between genders?
7. Do the images we see in the media affect our daily lives?
8. What kinds of things do teenagers do to try to have the ideal body?
9. What can we do to change societys idea of the ideal body?
10. Do these messages influence how we feel about ourselves?
Activity 4: Instagram and At Home Photo Editor/Social Media Approximately
10-15 minutes

Because technology has such a big presence in our lives and it is always changing
and improving we are starting to be able to make similar alterations to our own
photos at home.
Programs like Adobe Photoshop, iPhoto Photo Editor, Photobooth, Photoshop
Express, PicCollage, Pixlromatic, and Instragram let us edit and change the way
we look on our own photos quickly and easily. Many of these programs are free
and let us edit our own photos and videos and change the way we look very
quickly on our computers, ipads/tablets, smart phones, etc.
Because we use social media so frequently in our society we are able to share these
new edited photos and videos quickly and easily, which can give others the
impression that we look different than we do.
Show students on the LCD projector several photos of objects that I have taken
and show them with no filter (unedited version), and then under different
Instagram filters to show them the difference between home edited and unedited
pictures.
Talk about the dangers of posting photos on social media and the consequences of
posting edited photos and altering the way you look.
Pass out class set of ipads to students. Using the camera on the ipad let students
and partners take a photo of each other and then use iPhoto to change the filter
and edit the photo to see what drastic changes can be made electronically to alter
the way you look.
Have students hold on to ipads for next activity.

Activity 4 Mirror, Mirror Aproximately 5 minutes

Using the photo that students took on the ipad, they will revert the photo to the
original version.
Using the original, unedited version of the photo, students will use the typing/text
feature on the editor to type five things all over the photo of themselves that they
like about themselves and their body just the way it is.
Examples: I love my legs because they help me to kick the soccer ball with lots of
power. I love my hands because they help me knead homemade bread for my
family. I love my eyes because I use them to read my Biology textbook and learn
new things.
Students will save and email this photo to themselves so they can keep a copy and
to me and I will print them and hang them around the classroom.
During this activity, popular songs related to positive body image will be played
for students while they work. The following songs will be used: Just The Way You
Are Bruno Mars, Roar Katy Perry, Beautiful Christina Augilera, What
Makes You Beautiful One Direction, Who Says Selena Gomez
Materials:
Macbook
LCD projector
Whiteboard
Whiteboard markers

 Powerpoint Presentation of lesson

Barbie doll
GI Joe doll
Links to websites with Celebrities without Makeup and Airbrushing photos
Link to Youtube video: Faking It
iPhone
Instagram app
Photos taken on Instagram
Class set of ipads
iPhoto app installed on all ipads
.
Closure:
Following Activity 4, students will be packing up and cleaning up their supplies.
They will return ipads to teacher.
For homework they will be asked to continue thinking about body image in the
media. To complete this lesson, they will select an advertisement, an article, a
photo, a commercial, etc. that they think the media uses body image. They can
use an electronic version or something from a
newspaper/magazine/flyer/book/etc. Then using what they have learned in
todays lesson they will critique 5 things about what they have chosen. Short
critiques are fine, 1-2 sentences per each negative point about the ad.
The following day I will collect this from students. They can submit a paper
version or electronic including the online link they used.
The following class I will also have their Mirror Mirror pictures hanging around
the classroom.
Professional Growth Target:
Try to add in more multiple intelligences to enhance learning for more types of
learners.
Keep on track for timing so lesson can be completed in one class.
Allow students to deviate from planned lesson if they have questions or comments
pertaining to this subject.