Why address body image with young people?

Adolescent girls are at the most pivotal point in their lives to gain the confidence, self- acceptance and self-love to move forward into a healthy adult life. Unfortunately this is also a time when they are bombarded with images, messages and negative feedback about how they are not measuring up. It is crucial for young women to receive different messages that allow them to create a healthy self esteem. Addressing body image is one of the most important issues to support young people's health and growth. A few stats:

• In Marin, 52% of 14 year-old young women currently suffer from an
eating disorder.
• Young girls are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer,
or losing their parents (Council on Size
and Weight Discrimination).
• Individuals who diet are 8 times more likely to develop eating disorders
(Dr. L.K. Hsu).
• 80% of 11 year-old girls report dieting behavior (Mellin, Irwin, and Scully).
• 30% of males are dissatisfied with
their bodies.
• 33% of adolescent males use
unhealthy weight control methods.
• Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, claiming up to 20% of sufferers.

What values does Love the Skin You're In™ espouse?

Love the Skin You're In™ inspires participants to accept and enjoy their bodies, to appreciate and value the community of their school, to think critically about media stereotypes, and to embody radiant health and strong values. It's time to redefine beautiful, sexy and cool.

In what contexts to you present co-ed?

Co-ed presentations are available at corporate and college levels.

Multiple co-ed pilots have led to the recommendation that high schools and middle schools maintain gender-segregated audiences. This is because at this young stage of maturation, images of pop stars dressed like sex workers have been found to elicit a response from male audience members that detracts from the program's efficacy with young women. These responses can be more powerfully addressed when neither boys nor girls feel onstage with the opposite sex. This choice ensures a safe context for all participants.

How long is the presentation and how many participants can you address?

Love the Skin You're In™ is flexible in length, ranging from 50-90 minutes. The presentation is designed to impact the lives of the entire female student body through a school-wide event. There is a corresponding talk for young men focusing on equally relevant body image steretypes.

What equipment do schools provide and set up for the presentation?

sound system
microphone
DVD player
data video projector
projection screen

How can we offer this vital education to parents?

Brie offers a corresponding presentation for parents. This presentation covers representations of men and women in the media, signs and symptoms of eating disorders and muscle dysmorphia, as well as tips for positive communication with their children and effective prevention tools.