Body Image

‘Body image’ is the term used to describe thoughts and perceptions about our body, or parts of our body, and the associated feelings. It can affect our wellbeing positively and negatively, but we know that body image dissatisfaction is a common experience of children and young people. Research has found that attitudes around appearance and body shape and size start to develop as young as 3 or 4 years old, and concerns develop throughout childhood and adolescence. The pupil wellbeing survey carried out in 2024 found that in primary school, nearly a third of girls were worried about how they look, rising to over half in secondary school. Additionally, half of year 10 girls said how they feel about their body has a negative impact on their mood, and a third said that they avoid doing activities they would like to because of worries about their appearance.

Body image can be influenced by many different factors, including things such as the values and behaviours of parents, friends, and peers; experience of appearance-related bullying; social media promoting of certain appearance ideals; appearance ideals in film, TV, and magazines; wider social and cultural values of what is attractive or healthy; exposure to advertisement about improving appearance.

Poor body image can have negative impacts to wellbeing, including:

Low confidence
Low self-esteem
Increased anxiety
Depression or low mood
Critical internal voice
Social isolation and withdrawal
Disengagement from school
Disordered eating behaviours
Self-harming behaviour

Spot the signs

It is relatively normal for children and young people to compare themselves to others as they get older, particularly around puberty, and as they become more aware of societal values and pressure to look a certain way. Sometimes however this may go beyond usual comparison, and there are some signs to spot that may indicate a child or young person may be struggling with their body image:

Feeling overly worried about appearance
Becoming self-conscious and covering up
Lack of engagement in PE due to anxiety around getting changed
Rigid thinking about good and bad appearance
Disordered eating behaviours including black and white views on food and increased control
Changes in school or social engagement and participation
Changes in mood

What can be done in school?

It can be challenging to address body image dissatisfaction as there are so many contributing factors which are difficult to escape from. However, there are a number of things that you can do in school to create a more positive environment that celebrates body diversity and takes the focus of off appearance.

Utilise lessons in PSHE to explore the pros and cons of social media, and teach digital literacy to aid understanding of when images have been edited, re-touched, or when products are being marketed
Explore lessons on health through focusing on what health may feel like rather than associating it with a particular look
Focus lessons on food and nutrition around health and enjoyment, and avoid good vs. bad language around food and health
Focus lessons on PE around the psychological benefits of movement and enjoyment of being active rather than focusing on appearance or ability
Reinforce positive body image messaging by including materials around school that showcase diversity in terms of body size, shape, height, skin colour, abilities, disabilities etc.
Support pupils to value and celebrate positive attributes and skills that they have that are not related to their appearance
Engage in staff CPD on body image to understand the topic and recognise early signs a pupil may be struggling – there are currently two FREE offers available to schools in Devon (see Training & CPD section below)
Encourage staff to be mindful of language that is used around body size, shape, and appearance with each other and with pupils, avoiding reinforcement of stereotypes and negative views
Provide information to parents to support understanding around body image
Ensure effective policies and practices are in place that demonstrate no tolerance of appearance-related teasing or bullying or body shaming, and support children and young people who experience bullying
Be mindful of how some experiences in school may impact some pupils and take steps to reinforce positive body image messaging, for example around the NCMP (in primary school)