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Embargoed not for publication or broadcast until 00:01 30 September 2011 - Pre-teens body confidence teaching aids unveiled

News Release issued by the COI News Distribution Service on 28 September 2011

A new 'media literacy' teaching pack to help children understand how the media often alter images and the impact these have on self esteem, was backed by Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone today.

The teaching materials developed by not-for-profit company Media Smart mark an important contribution to the government's ongoing Body Confidence campaign.

Primary school teachers will be able to download the materials to structure a lesson specifically tailored to the 10-11 age group - an important stage in a young person's development.

Pupils will be guided to look carefully at the images they see in order to gain a more realistic perception of what is real and what is not. The lessons will explore how and why idealised images in advertising and the media are used to construct particular messages and make people feel a certain way.

Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone said:

"Young people are being set an impossible standard by the images they are confronted with on a daily basis from the media and advertising and there is evidence to suggest this has a negative impact on self esteem.

"I want children to recognise from an early age that their value is worth so much more than just their physical appearance.

"I am delighted to have worked with Media Smart to produce this important work."

Media Smart Chairman Paul Jackson said:

"Media Smart develops lessons to help children think critically about the advertising and media they see on an everyday basis. We were delighted to work with Lynne Featherstone and her team to develop a lesson around such an important and topical issue.

"In trials of the lesson we found that children responded really well when they realised that most of the images they see have been altered in some way and are aspirational but not realistic."

Psychoanalyst, writer and convenor of campaign group Anybody, Susie Orbach said:

"Body confidence is a society wide issue. A lack of it can erode children's self worth.

"Enabling children, their parents and teachers to recognise how images in the media and advertising are altered and the often negative impact this has on all of our self esteem is crucial.

"Giving primary school children the tools which allow them to see the differences between the real and the fantastical is part of helping them develop a sense of self worth and confidence from an early age."

Mumsnet co-founder and Chief Executive Justine Roberts said:

"In recent years we've seen many discussions on Mumsnet about the pressure on children to conform to impossible stereotypes, and the impact this might have on their self-esteem.

"I'm sure many Mumsnetters will welcome this really useful tool, which should help children understand that the kind of bodies reflected in the media are often manipulated to present a distorted view of perfection.

"Enabling children to 'read' these marketing images is empowering - and will build the confidence they need to be happy in their own bodies."


096/2011


NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Teachers can download the Media Smart Body Image lesson free from the Media Smart website: www.mediasmart.org.uk

For more information on Media Smart and to request an interview with Paul Jackson, please contact Magdalen Bush on 020 7526 3600 / 07712001387.

2. To request a copy of the teaching pack please contact Caroline Jack Home Office Press Office on 020 7035 3846.


3. The government launched the body confidence project in 2010 to raise awareness about body image and encourage a more open and public conversation. For more information on the project visit the Home Office website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/body-confidence 4. Evidence that the public feel pressure and want the visual landscape to change:


YMCA poll:
• 90 per cent of adults would like to see a broader range of body shapes represented in advertisements and the media more widely.
• 64 per cent of adults felt that people’s lives were affected by images of models in the media.
• 94 per cent of women think that children are under more pressure to around their physical appearance that they were 20 years ago.
• Over 80 per cent of women feel that the media (broadcast and print), the fashion industry and celebrity culture promotes an ideal body shape
• Over a quarter of women say that their bodies make them feel depressed and that they feel under pressure to change their body shape

TNS face-to-face Omnibus Survey of parents for Bailey Review 2011:
• “Do you think that any of the following put too much pressure on children to conform to a particular body shape and size?”


* Celebrity culture - 65 per cent
* Pictures in magazines and newspapers - 57 per cent
* Music shows\videos\dvds - 47 per cent
* Adult style clothes for children in shops - 45 per cent
* Imagery in adverts - 44 per cent


Girls’ Attitudes Survey, 2010
• Girls were asked about the advantages and disadvantages of being a girl – 47 per cent felt one of the disadvantages of being a girl was the pressure to look attractive. This increased to 73 per cent for 16-21 year olds.
• 25 per cent of girls felt that it was important that role models are attractive.
• According to 11 to 21 year-olds who have been on a diet (50 per cent), the most common reason was to be more attractive, either to other
people (75 per cent) or because of the way the media portrays women (66 per cent).
• The proportion of girls linking diets to media portrayals of women increases with age:
• 40 per cent of 11- to 13-year-olds
• 58 per cent of 14- to 16-year-olds.
• 82 per cent of 16- to 21-year-olds
• Younger girls were more likely to say that girls dieted for health reasons

Contacts:

Home Office Press Office
Phone: 020 7035 3535
NDS.HO@coi.gsi.gov.uk