SELF-ESTEEM
“Researchers suggest that teachers and parents can more easily affect elementary-school
students’ attitudes about weight and shape, and more easily discourage comparisons to
unrealistic media images”
Smolak, Levine and Schermer, 1998; Smolak, 1999
Children become aware of body image by age seven or eight
In preschool (ages three to five), self-esteem tends to be global and unrealistically high, and
children do not differentiate between body esteem and other forms of self-esteem.
By age seven or eight, self-esteem is differentiated into physical, academic and social.
Research on child development suggests that in children under 12, components of the self are
less concrete and more connected to situational factors than in their adolescent counterparts.
(Smolak, Levine and Schermer, 1998; Smolak, 1999). As a result, teachers and parents can
more easily affect attitudes about the body.
Preventive programs can be particularly effective for elementary school age children.
Research shows that the pre-pubertal children have attitudinal flexibility. Therefore, this is an
important age to reach with prevention programs that recognize people of all weights and
shapes and emphasize that body shape does not predict success.
Our students would also benefit from having role models who have diverse body shapes, sizes
and weights. (Mainstreaming Body Equity, 2001 p. 26)
http://www.etfo.ca/Resources/BodyImageProject/Research/Documents/Mainstreaming%20Bo
dy%20Equity.pdf
It is especially important to help young girls understand that the body changes with puberty.
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In an effort to improve body satisfaction in girls, most program developers feel that it is
critically important to stress the genetic component of body weight/shape, as well as the
inevitability of pubertal weight gain. (Mainstreaming Body Equity, 2001. p. 24)
All of us have our own internalized view of ourselves and our bodies. To help our students,
we need to reflect on our physical self-esteem.
Since modelling body positive behaviours is an essential component of school-based body
image programs, much of this work must begin with ourselves.
To help our students, we need to recognize and acknowledge that we too may be victims of the
system that we are fighting against.
It is important for us to be personally in-sync with the positive body image messages that we
convey as teachers.
Unpacking the layers of our physical self-esteem can be a complex and at times uncomfortable
process, but it is ultimately worthwhile, both personally and for our students.
What we can do:

Consider the Alternative Book List for Reflections of Me: The ETFO Body Image Project
http://www.etfo.ca/Resources/BodyImageProject/CurrDelivery/Documents/Alternative%20
Book%20List%20for%20Reflections%20of%20Me.pdf

Explore Year Long Activities to Boost Positive Body Image From Reflections of Me: The ETFO
Body Image Project (Grade 1, p. 65)

Consider this example of a successful prevention program:
“One recent and very successful school-based prevention program, carried out with 8-10 yearolds took as its focus the debunking of myths about fat (Kater et al., 2001). The primary
message was that bodies are biologically predetermined to be different shapes and sizes. Kids
learn to think critically about the clash between cultural messages and human biology.
Nutrition and exercise messages were minimal, which may also have contributed to the success
of the program.
The program did not try to teach kids what they should do, rather it taught them differences
between what they cannot control (developmental pubertal changes, impact of genetics on size
and shape, and physical/facial differences) and what they can control (development of a
multifaceted identity, selection of realistic role models, and variety in nutrition and exercise).
An example of an exercise that enforced this concept:
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Kids are each assigned different metabolism speeds, ranging from fast to slow. Then they are
given “food bites” that they tape onto their bodies in different places. Over the period of 20
minutes, children get to watch as the “fast metabolism” kid’s food bites are removed, and the
“slow metabolism” kids store the food bites in different places. The effects of different
metabolism rates become graphically apparent, and children learn that fatness or metabolism
does not affect hunger, and that fat prejudice is based on ignorance.
The program was successful in changing kids’ attitudes, knowledge and intentions relating to
body image. Not only did their attitudes about fat kids change, but their own body images did
too, as they acquired knowledge about how bodies come to be unique. (Mainstreaming Body
Equity, 2001. p.24)”
Reflections of Me (Grades 7&8) Topic 2: Self-Perception and Self-Esteem - Reflecting Images (pg
32 - 42)
Reflections of Me (Grades 7&8) Topic 1: Puberty - A Lifetime of Changes (pg 21 - 31)
Reflections of Me (Grades 7&8) Topic 5: Mass Media, Self-Esteem and Body Image - Media
Literacy - Understanding the Effects (pg 58 - 69)
Reflections of Me (Grades 7&8) Topic 7: Resistance to Negative Body Image Determinants Positive Thinking (pg 78 - 81)
Social Justice Begins With Me - Primary - The Colours of Us (Self-Esteem) p. 2 - 3
Social Justice Begins With Me - Primary - Amazing Grace (Self-Esteem) p. 12 - 13
Social Justice Begins With Me - Primary - I Love My Hair (True Worth and Beauty) p. 158 - 159
Resources
Formation of Body Image
http://www.etfo.ca/Resources/BodyImageProject/Resources/ETFO_Resources/Formation%20o
f%20Body%20Image%20Stages.pdf
Reflections on Body Image: The ETFO Body Image Project - Body Image Brochure
http://www.etfo.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/Issues%20in%20Education%20Documents/Body
%20Image/Body_Image_Brochure.pdf
Teacher and Parent Resources - ETFO Body Image Project (Books & Websites) Reflections of Me
- All Grade Levels
Do Women with Low Self-Esteen Use Appearance to Feel Better? By Josée L. Jarry, Ph.D., Amy
Kossert, and Karen Ip, B.A. http://nedic.ca/do-women-low-self-esteen-use-appearance-feelbetter
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Women, Eating Disorders & Self-Esteem By Janet M. de Groot, M.D., F.R.C.P.(C)
http://nedic.ca/women-eating-disorders-self-esteem
Tip Sheet for Educators, Caregivers and Parents Source: National Eating Disorder Information
Centre
http://www.etfo.ca/Resources/BodyImageProject/SelfAwareness/Documents/Tip%20Sheet%2
0for%20Educators,%20Caregivers%20and%20Parents.pdf
Healthy Living at Your Size by Francie M. Berg M.S.
http://www.etfo.ca/Resources/BodyImageProject/Research/Documents/Healthy%20at%20You
r%20Size.pdf
Exposing the Diet Myth: Diets Make You Eat Less By Randi E. McCabe, M.A.
http://www.etfo.ca/Resources/BodyImageProject/Research/Documents/Exposing%20the%20D
iet%20Myth%20-%20%20Diets%20Make%20You%20Eat%20Less.pdf
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