Body Image and Media Literacy in Schools

Here you will find information on why body image and media literacy matter in education.

See the lesson ideas and other resources tabs for how to implement media literacy into your class.

See the references tab for the evidence behind all this!

Why does body image matter in education?

School curriculum can have a significant role in how students perceive and experience their bodies
Students may disengage from classes such as physical education to cope with negative body image experiences
Students with poor body image are more likely to have lower grade point averages
Adolescent girls are more likely to be disengaged from schooling when struggling with negative body image
Adolescent boys with low self-esteem are more likely to ‘act out’ and display aggressive behaviours
Schools provide an opportunity to improve body image across every developmental age
Activities that foster positive body image can be applied across the curriculum, from health and physical education to Information Technology

(Donnellan, Trzesniewski, Robins, Moffitt, & Caspi, 2005; Dunstan, Paxton, McLean, & Gregg, 2014; Kerner, Haerens, & Kirk, 2018; Paolini, 2016; Yager, Diedrichs, Ricciardelli, & Halliwell, 2013)

The role of media literacy in schools for fostering positive body image in students:

While body image is impacted by many factors such as sociocultural or family ideals, media, peer attitudes and disability, schools are uniquely positioned to embed activities that foster positive body image into the curriculum.

One such way is media literacy, which encompasses the skills and practices to allow students to access, critically analyse and create media. Media literacy is critical for students to develop cognitive, emotional and technical competencies to engage with social media.

Media literacy can be used to help students understand how images can be manipulated, how influencers and targeted marketing affect them and how to think critically about covert and overt messages on social media.

(Social) Media literacy programs have been shown to lower body dissatisfaction, lessen internalisation of thin ideals, improve self-esteem and body satisfaction, and lessen weight concern in adolescents.

(Diedrichs et al., 2015; McLean, Paxton, & Wertheim, 2016; Richardson & Paxton, 2010; Wilksch & Wade, 2009).