role models could definitely encourage people

good role models. and maybe seeing characters and people on tv who aren't super glamorous, 'cause in reality, not all people look fabulous 24/7

My sister is in college and sponsors Love Your Body Week and she designed some really cool merchandise for it. The first is a shirt that says "I <3 My" and then has a big blank rectangle underneath it for people to write any body part they want! She also got buttons/pins made that say "I <3 my thighs" and "I <3 my lungs". They're a very cute accessory and helps teens feel more confident. I have chubby thighs and really enjoy sporting my "I <3 my thighs" button everywhere I go. I even had one lady i don't know approach me and tell me how impressed she is because not many teenage girls feel confident about their bodies.  Show them how to express it out loud to the public. That helps self image a lot. 

hi! i'm 17 and i delt with anorexia...i constantly felt that i wasn't good enough. it was hard to eat or speak with other people, i felt like i was constantly being watched, and thus i decided just to starve myself. i always looked at others and compared myself to them and i just didn't seem to make the cut in my mind. i had a teacher who 'discovered' my problems and would secretly write something good about me on a slip of paper and slide it in my locker. she helped me see my talents and it helped me take the focus away from what i saw wrong with myself, and what i was good at. lack of self confidence never goes away, but it helps when you have something else to focus on. like being in volunteer groups, or afterschool activities....danni!

I am a teacher of students with behavior and emotional disabilities in middle grades. We have a problem at our school with students who "sag". While this is ok around home or out with friends, I ask my students would they dress that way when going to church. Of couse they say no and I further explain that how we dress says something about who we are. I developed a program called Tieday Friday in which all my students wear ties to school every Friday. The are allowed to wear ties with a polo shirt or a dress shirt (anything with a collar). I emailed the other teachers within the school and received donations of ties that the students can use. It has worked wonderfully for us. I believe in Postive Behavior Support.

you didn't say what was wrong about their appearance.

My son used to have long hair a few years ago--12-15..
I told him that kids will tease him but if he likes it and can handle the teasing to be happy with what he likes. I don't have to like everything he likes but Im not going to sit on him and force a hair cut. Plus I am an adult, why would I like what teenagers like?

My son is now 17 with what is referenced as a buzz cut because he is a Lieutnenant in Civila Air Patrol. A&M and WestPoint, and Embry Riddle are 3 of the schools he has applied for.

So...his hair and clothes weren't what made the boy into the man..it was self worth that let him exceed.

what does it matter what he wears..its how he feels about himself...Geez..its clothes and hair..it will change..kids will change..

i had a very good friend that was bolimic. it was really upsetting and i had no idea what to do. latter she became suicidal and almost succeeded several times. she's gotten better since she didn't make the cheerleading squad (ironically). my friends and i tried telling teachers and parents. we tried to get adults involved but things worked better when it was her friends that were talking to her.

it took a long time for us to feel like we could talk to her about her problems and try to help her overcome them. it took longer for us to learn how to tell her what we thought. i think you should try to teach teens to compliment one another. then you should also try and teach them how to deal with someone struggling like that.

her problems started when she was in fifth grade and her friends and her twin did not speak up until freshman year. if we would have known what to do, i don't think we would have waited so long. i don't think she would have undergone as much pain. if you want any more advice, i'd be glad to give it to you.

what you're doing really matters. i'll help you in any way i can.

Try to bring out a teen's talent and inner beauty to make them feel better. If you want them to believe you, have each person in a class write something good about them anonymously and then hand out all the notes. Knowing that others think they are smart, or pretty, or athletic or artistic, can make a dramatic difference.

Thank you so much for that advice it really helps!!!!

I'm a father of three "young adults" and that has been a sore subject at this house. But appearance has so many variables for teens and adults. For instance the location of the teen; if at a party, or the mall, will feel compelled to "fit in" and dress accordingly... like their friends. Which is actually extremely important to a teen. You wouldn't want your son in a suit and tie; or your daughter in a corporate casual outfit in those settings, that would be cruel and unusual punishment. But their appearance must not be taken to the extreme either, guidelines must be negotiated and both sides need to give in a little until we have come to some kind of happy medium.
Now for a job interview, church or a parents social event where the teen is invited,they need to be well groomed and they must dress nicely. Fortunately there are very nice acceptable clothes that are stylish out there; they probably won't be thrilled, but a teen can't help being a pain, it's part of their job. I say be flexible with definate boundaries. Every generation since the begining of time parents have complained about teens, and will continue till the end of time.
Nicholas

unfortuantely i dont know the name of the film but in my health class we watched a documentary on buliema. it was so powerful and schocking. i would reccomend maybe doing a google or youtube search for a video. or maybe you can get one at a library or from a health teacheralso i would recommend role play or something where the participants really need to be active. i did one activity where small groups of students had to act out scenes for a group. then someone in the audience group would take the place of one of the actors and try to fix the problem. you could ask the participants to focus their skits on body image related problems, and see what solutions they can come up with i hope i explained that well! good luck!  

Thank you!!!!

I know it is a complete ad for Dove, but it really hits the point:

Doing a quick search on youtube will bring up a bunch of these type of videos. I would show these to people and ask their thoughts.