Activities for 11–14 year olds
free
being
me
Empowering girls through improving
body confidence and self-esteem
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 2
Free Being Me
for 11-14 year olds
About
Free Being Me
Written especially for 11-14 year olds, this educational
programme will give your group a chance to stop and
reflect on the world around them, and the influence
it has on the way they think about themselves and
other people. They will discover that their society –
through the media, and those they spend time with
– encourages them to try to look like a very narrow
definition of beauty. They’ll find out the downsides of
trying to look like this ‘Image Myth’ – and discover that
it’s actually impossible; even celebrities and models
are airbrushed!
Participants are empowered to speak out and
challenge the Image Myth in lots of different ways,
boosting their body confidence and having fun at
the same time. Finally, Free Being Me challenges
participants to take the lead by taking action in their
community, sharing what they have learned with
their peers.
These activities can be run with groups that are girls-
only and co-educational. Some activities suggest boys
and girls working in single-sex groups, but many can
be done together. All examples are adaptable for a
co-educational group.
11-14s will learn:
There is an Image Myth in their society (and
other societies worldwide have them too,
though they might have different features).
The Image Myth’s definition is so long and
specific, that it’s impossible to achieve (even
models are airbrushed).
There are lots of costs to following the Image
Myth for us and our community.
There is an alternative to the Image Myth! We
can all challenge the Image Myth wherever
we go, and there are lots of different ways we can
challenge both the media and our friends and family.
Using
Free Being Me
Before you begin, please read the Leader Guide, and
ask all other leaders and volunteers to read it too. Page
10 of the Leader Guide shows how the activity pages
in this pack are set up to support you as you lead,
including ‘support prompts’ and tips for the leader.
As Free Being Me is a global programme, millions of Girl
Guides and Girl Scouts around the world will be taking
part in the same activities as your group. By sharing
the messages your group creates during Free Being Me,
you can be part of a global body confidence revolution,
mobilising millions of young voices to speak up for
diversity and challenge the idea that there’s only one
way to look beautiful.
Visit www.free-being-me.com to share your
group’s story, and connect with other Free
Being Me groups from across the globe!
Children who have taken part in the Free Being Me activities
and done a Take Action project that reaches two others
should receive a Free Being Me badge. Giving these badges
is a great reward for the participants, and helps the World
Association count out how many have taken part in the
activities worldwide.
1
2
3
4
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 3
Before you start:
Secret friends and treasure boxes
Consider using the ideas below to make your group’s
Free Being Me experience even more fun, and
meaningful. You don’t have to do these to earn a
badge, but they are great to do before or during Free
Being Me. You can find out how to get the badge on
page 7 of the Leader Guide.
Set up a Free Being Me
wall at the start of the programme. This is a place
to collect positive statements, inspiring pictures and great ideas to help
participants feel empowered to be themselves. Some of these will develop
during the programme. Encourage participants to look for inspiration at home
and bring it in. At the end, use the wall to help plan the group Take Action
project. Share a picture of your wall on
www.free-being-me.com
At random, participants are each given a secret friend from the group. During
the programme, participants find clever ways to make their secret friend
feel good about themselves, without giving away who they are. Make sure
everyone understands the secret friends should not focus on appearance.
Before beginning
Free Being Me
, participants create treasure boxes using arts
and crafts materials. During the programme, every participant comes up with
a positive message to add anonymously to other people’s treasure boxes,
showing that what is inside you matters more than what you look like. By the
end of the programme each participant has a collection of positive messages
from other participants.
Before beginning
Free Being Me
, spend an evening with your group watching
an age appropriate film that your participants can identify with, that shows a
female character being true to herself, for example, Brave – the 2012 Disney/
Pixar film. For this film, you could discuss how Merida was expected to be, and
what she did to be stay true to herself.
Create a necklace for each leader with five beads on it; one for each of the
words “I am loving and caring”. Leaders wear the necklaces during
Free Being
Me. When they see a participant do something thoughtful and considerate for
another participant, they quietly take off the necklace and put it round their
neck. The participant then looks out for a chance to pass the necklace on to
someone else who has been loving and caring. Explain what the necklaces
mean in advance.
Free Being
Me wall
Secret
friend
Treasure
inside me
boxes
Movie night
Caring friend
necklace
(from the
Thousand
Islands)
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 4
Session one
Free Being Me
Session One
If you travelled round the world or through time, the
people you met would not all have the same idea of
what beauty is. Then why do so many people today
feel that they should try and live up to their society’s
‘ideal look’? In this session, you’ll work out what this
‘ideal look’ is in your society, then expose it as the
Image Myth it really is! You’ll discover where the
Image Myth comes from, and why following it can
cause real problems for people.
Session map
ACTIVITY
Welcome to
Free Being Me
- Take Part Pledge
- Agree Group Guidelines
Beauty around the world
Pressure at the Party –
Defining the Image Myth
Where does the Image
Myth come from?
Airbrushing Spot the
Difference
Outside Inside: Costs of
the Image Myth
Personal Challenge brief –
Media Detectives
TIME
15 mins
10 mins
15 mins
5 mins
5 mins
20 mins
5 mins
YOU WILL NEED
Paper to write guidelines
Sheet 1.1 – beauty Around
the World facts, True or
False signs
At least one fashion/
celebrity magazine per
group, pens and paper
A bell or a whistle -
optional
Sheet 1.2, or Dove
Evolution video if available
Large piece of paper per
group and pens
Sheet 1.3
SKILLS
Working with others,
speaking out, respect
for others
Decision-making,
independent judgement,
cultural understanding
Teamwork, quick
thinking
Quick-thinking,
speaking out
Eye for detail
Teamwork, group
discussion
Research,
independence
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 5
02 mins
Bring everyone together into a circle,
and introduce Free Being Me to your group.
Girls around the world are taking part in Free Being
Me. Everybody will be sharing the messages they
learn with other people to start a Girl Guide and Girl
Scout body confidence revolution!
If all the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in the world take
part, that’s 10 million girls changing the world.
By completing the activities in each session and
taking action to share our messages you’ll earn a
Free Being Me badge.
Explain that
We’re going to try some activities to help us feel
more confident about the way we look. Feeling
proud and happy about the way you look is called
body confidence.
You will be coming up with your own ideas about
how to help yourself and other girls be body
confident.
Welcome to
Free Being Me
Session one
Free Being Me
badge
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 6
02 mins
Session one
Outcome
Every participant agrees out loud to actively take part
and have fun in this session of Free Being Me. Saying
it out loud means participants will contribute more
openly, resulting in a bigger impact on their body
confidence.
What to do
Once you have introduced Free Being Me, thank
everyone for attending and ask them to shout their
enthusiasm and willingness to participate in the first
session of Free Being Me.
Are you ready to get excited and contribute to this
session of Free Being Me, and have fun along the way?
If so, shout
At a glance
As a whole group, lead the
participants to share their excitement
about taking part in
Free Being Me
.
You will need
No materials needed.
Tips:
Remember that the support prompts (blue
text with this symbol ) are there to help you
deliver the key messages of Free Being Me in a
really effective way. It’s ok to paraphrase these
as long as the message stays the same.
Encourage every participant to take part in the
pledge.
To make this more fun, you could ask everyone
to add movement when they shout “YES I AM”
– for example, try asking everyone to jump up
or into the circle all at the same time, or try a
‘Mexican wave’ where each person raises their
hands one after the other. There’s a Take Part
Pledge at the beginning of every Free Being Me
session – it’s great to be creative and do it in
different ways – why not ask the participants
for their ideas?
“YES I AM!”
Take Part
Pledge
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 7
Before you begin, set up some group guidelines to
help everyone feel comfortable and able to trust those
around them. Ask the group, including the leaders, to
suggest and agree rules together. Once everyone is
happy with the guidelines, write them up and display
them in your meeting place.
Here are some examples
Agree your
Group Guidelines
Tips:
This is a great chance for participants to practise
their leadership skills by negotiating with each
other. Encourage everyone to take part in the
conversation.
Remind the group about the guidelines at the
beginning of every Free Being Me session.
If you already have group guidelines you want
to use, take the time to discuss them with the
group to see if anything needs updating or
adding. If you don’t have group guidelines, they
can be a helpful tool during other Girl Guide/Girl
Scout programmes too.
We will do our best to actively
take part and contribute.
We will listen to other people.
We will listen to the leaders.
We will be kind to one another
at all times.
We will respect the opinions of
others.
We will ask a leader for help if
something is worrying us.
Session one
10 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 8
Session one
Outcome
Participants understand that there is no one perfect
way to look; that beauty ideals are always changing
over time and around the world. If we lived in another
country, or another century, we might be encouraged
to chase a completely different look.
What to do
Explain to the group that they will play a game to
discover how ideas about beauty are different around
the world and have changed over time.
The aim of the game is to work out which of the world
beauty facts are true and which are false.
(In fact, all the statements are true! But don’t tell your
group that before they start!)
Mark one side of the meeting space ‘true’, and the
other side ‘false’-
Read out your favourite facts (the part in bold) from
Sheet 1.
Players should run to the side of the meeting space
that they think is right for each statement.
Once everyone has chosen a side, read out the
information under the fact.
Remind them not to follow what other people
do – they should decide for themselves!
We’ve just found out that people in societies
around the world in the past and the present have had
lots of different ideas about what is beautiful – now
we’re going to turn to what our own society tells us is
beautiful.
Beauty Around
the World
At a glance
Play an energetic true or false game to
test your knowledge about how beauty
has been defined by different cultures
and societies around the world and
throughout history.
You will need
World beauty facts from sheet 1, signs
saying ‘true’ and ‘false’.
Ask afterwards
Were you surprised that all the statements are
true? Which were the most surprising?
10 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 9
15 mins
Session one
Outcome
Participants understand that the Image Myth is their
society’s idea of what the ‘perfect’ girl* should look
like. This is a myth (i.e. a false, made-up concept)
because it’s impossible for anyone to achieve, and of
course it’s not true that there is only one way to look
beautiful. Once participants understand what the
Image Myth is, they can have fun challenging it in lots
of different ways throughout Free Being Me.
*If you are working with boys and girls, you will also
need to focus on society’s idea of the “perfect” boy.
Follow the activity instructions and create a separate
additional list for boys (‘the “perfect- looking” boy?’).
What to do
1) Who is the perfect Gloss guest?
(5 mins maximum)
Ask participants to form small groups.
Explain to each group that they are event organizers
for a brand new high-fashion magazine called Gloss.
Their boss has asked them to organize a glitzy launch
party and to come up with the ‘perfect-looking’ guest
list. She wants all her guests to fit your society’s idea
of the ‘perfect’ look for a girl.
Your boss wants all of Gloss magazine’s party
guests to fit our society’s idea of the so-called ‘perfect’
look for a girl. So that you can describe the ‘perfect-
looking’ guest to your boss, come up with the longest
list of their appearance features you can (e.g. things
about her hair, body, height and face).
Challenge them to come up with as long a list of
appearance features as possible.
Give each group a selection of magazines to browse
through to help them describe the “perfect” look.
2) Create the list of appearance features for the
‘perfect-looking’ girl? Guest (7 mins)
While your small groups are creating their lists, set up
a large piece of paper where everyone can see it and
write at the top of the page: The “’perfect-looking’ girl?”
Bring the whole group together and invite participants
to share the appearance features they came up with
for the ‘perfect’ female guest. As they share, write all
of the features up underneath the title on the page in
as much detail as possible.
Pressure at the Party:
Defining the Image Myth
At a glance
Plan the guest list for a glitzy magazine
launch party. Use magazines and a group
brainstorm to come up with a long list
of appearance features that make up the
Image Myth.
You will need
At least one fashion/celebrity magazine
per group, pens and paper (1 per group).
The ‘perfect-looking’ girl?
Thin
Tall – but not too tall
Long legs – toned
Clear skin with no blemishes
Flat toned stomach
Curvy body shape
Big breasts
Small hands and feet – but long ngers
Symmetrical face
Large eyes, almond shaped
Straight white teeth
Small nose
Full lips
High cheekbones
Long, shiny hair, straight at the top
but with waves…
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 10
Session one
3) Define the Image Myth (3 mins)
When you have finished creating a long list, read out
every detail of every appearance feature on the list.
So the “perfect” looking girl is……
(read out all features on the list)
Actually in reality there is no such thing as the
“perfect” looking girl. Instead, we call this look the
Image Myth.
Ask participants to tell you what a myth is. The
definition is: an idea that is believed by lots of people
but is actually false.
The Image Myth is what society tells us the
‘perfect-looking girl’ looks like. But it’s a myth, because
it’s impossible for anyone to look like this in reality.
Nobody has all of these features naturally.
Pressure at the Party: Defining the Image Myth
(continued)
Tips:
Make sure participants are in the lead –
encourage everyone to contribute to creating
the big list.
This activity is more fun and effective for body
confidence if you make the list of appearance
features as long as you can. A really long
list shows just how narrow and ridiculous
the Image Myth really is! It also helps your
participants to clearly understand that it’s
impossible for anyone to look like the Image
Myth. Make it a game and a real challenge.
It’s fun to point out the contradictions within
the Image Myth (e.g., curvy body, flat stomach,
large breasts or long legs and small feet).
Encourage them to be as specific and
descriptive as possible. For example, if some-
one says “good teeth”, ask for details e.g.
straight white teeth.
Question any responses that imply that a
certain feature is ‘perfect’, e.g.,: “blemish-free
skin” is a better description than “flawless skin”.
If your participants are struggling to come up
with ideas, challenge them to focus on certain
features - e.g. “What about her head/legs/
arms, what would they look like?”
Tips:
To make this exercise really fun, read out
the list of appearance features theatrically
to emphasise how narrow, impossible and
ridiculous the Image Myth really is.
Make a big deal of crossing out the ‘perfect-
looking girl?’ title and replacing it with ‘the
Image Myth’ to really make your point.
Remember, this activity is not about criticising
the way anybody looks. The Image Myth is
about recognising that society often sends a
narrow and impossible-to-achieve message to
girls and boys about how they should look if
they want to be considered beautiful.
If a participant says that it is possible for
someone to look like the Image Myth, for
example a celebrity or supermodel, remind
them that even celebrities get airbrushed or
have cosmetic surgery because they don’t
match the Image Myth entirely and we’ll talk
about this more later in the session.
15 mins
The Image
Myth
The ‘perfect-
looking girl’?
Cross out
the ‘perfect-
looking girl?’
and write the
‘the Image
Myth’ instead.
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 11
Session one
Outcome
Outcome: Participants understand that the Image
Myth is created and reinforced by society. They also
come to realise that beauty ideals change over time
and vary between cultures and therefore are not worth
pursuing.
What to do
As a whole group, have a speed brain storming
session.
One leader reads out each question below in turn and
encourages participants to shout out answers and
ideas. When you hear a winning answer (listed below),
ring a bell, blow a whistle or make a funny noise.
When you feel participants have come up with the
main points, move on promptly to the next question
to keep the energy going.
Where does the Image
Myth come from?
At a glance
Speed brainstorm to expose the
origins of the Image Myth.
You will need
A bell or whistle – optional.
Tip:
It’s important throughout Free Being Me to
make sure participants don’t talk about any
perceived positive aspects of the Image Myth
because this will reduce their body confidence
and reinforce the beauty pressure we are trying
to challenge.
05 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 12
Session one
Where does the Image Myth come from?
(continued)
Questions
1) “Imagine the Gloss party was 200 years ago,
would the ‘perfect-looking’ guest have looked
the same and why or why not?”
Winning answers: No!
For example, throughout history different looks
have been considered beautiful. For example, in
Renaissance times in Europe larger hips and stomachs
were considered beautiful. In the 1800s corsets were
popular with women to create really narrow waists
and large bottoms. You could also refer back to some
of the facts in the World Beauty Facts game.
2) “Would the ‘perfect-looking’ guest have looked
the same if your Gloss party was in another
country?
Pick a country that is very different to yours.
Winning answers: No!
For example, some women in Ethiopia stretch their
lips with big plates as this is considered very beautiful.
In North America having tanned skin is considered
attractive, whereas in some Asian countries fairer skin
is considered more attractive for women. Again, the
World Beauty Facts game proves this point.
3) “Where do you think the Image Myth comes
from?”
Winning answers:
The media; fashion industry; diet/weight-loss industry;
make-up companies…
4) “Where do you learn, hear and see the
Image Myth?”
Winning answers:
Friends; family; media (television shows; films;
magazines; internet; advertising); diet industry…
5) “How do you think image myth messages
make people your age feel about their
appearance?”
Winning answers:
Under pressure to look a certain way, feeling like their
bodies are not good enough, worrying and unhappy
about the way the look.
6) “What do the media tell us will happen if we
can make ourselves look like the image myth?”
Winning answers:
We’ll be happy, loved, successful, rich, famous…
7) “Do you really think all these things will happen
if you look like this? Another way to think about
this is do celebrities, who often come closest to
the Image Myth, have perfect lives?”
Winning answers: No!
It’s unlikely that all of these things happen, especially
as the Image Myth is impossible for anybody to
achieve naturally in the first place. Even models and
celebrities who come the closest to looking like the
Image Myth don’t have perfect lives. For example, they
experience problems in their relationships and careers,
and often experience problems with privacy.
05 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 13
Session one
Outcome
Participants understand that the Image Myth really
is impossible. Even models and celebrities can’t fully
match it, as their images are frequently airbrushed in
magazines and advertisements.
What to do
Now we’re going to think about the pictures that
get used in magazines and other types of media like
Gloss magazine. We’re going to explore the computer
techniques that go in to creating these pictures and
how they can keep the Image Myth going.
In small groups, either:
1) Use Sheet 1.2. Compare the before and after
airbrushing images, and find as many differences as
you can.
2) Watch the Dove Evolution video and note down
all the ways you see the model’s image change from
start to finish. You could show Dove Evolution twice to
allow the group two opportunities to see what they
didn’t spot the first time.
Ask participants to turn to a friend, and give them time
to tell each other why they think the image myth is
impossible to achieve. This is an opportunity for girls
to take the lead to show why they disagree with the
Image Myth.
We’re going to explore some of these ideas in
future Free Being Me activities.
Airbrushing Spot
the Difference
At a glance
Using either a video or photo sheet,
participants spot the differences before
and after airbrushing.
You will need
Sheet 1.2, Dove Evolution video
www.
youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U
if available.
Ask afterwards
How does it make you feel to know that even
models and celebrities are airbrushed, because
they aren’t considered beautiful enough?
Is the image myth really ideal, or are there other
ways to be beautiful and special?
05 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 14
low self-
esteem, not
be condent in
what they can
do, body image
problems,
difculty
concentrating in
class,
low
grades at
school, not having fun
at parties, not wanting to
do sport, jealousy between
friends, feeling tired,
not
achieving everything
they are
capable of –
they’re
held back by
worrying about
how they look,
teasing or being
teased by other
people who they
feel don’t ‘conform’ to
how they think people
should look, spend a
huge amount of money
and time on beauty
products, go on diets
which can be unhealthy for
them, feel sad they think
they don’t look as good as
other people
Session one
Outcome
Participants consider the costs of trying to match the
Image Myth; how it can make young people around
the world feel down, how it can stop them fulfilling
their potential, and how it can affect their local and
global communities.
What to do
1) Create your inside and outside costs
(10 minutes)
Get participants into small groups and give them a
large piece of paper to draw the simple outline of a
person – one outline per group.
We’ve discussed the Image Myth and where it
comes from – now let’s think about the costs for people
who try to look like it. In other words, if people feel
under pressure and try to change the way they look to
match the Image Myth, what negative effects can this
have on them?
Inside downsides
Brainstorm the downsides for individuals of trying
to look like the Image Myth, and write them inside the
person outline. How might they feel? What might they
miss out on, not do as well at or not enjoy as much?
For example, they could have low self-esteem or lack
the confidence to go swimming. Challenge yourself to
come up with as many costs or downsides as possible.
Visit each group and encourage them to fill their
outline person up as much as possible. Example
individual costs are written inside the person below.
Outside Inside:
Costs of the Image Myth
At a glance
Using the outline of a person,
participants work together to come up
with all of the different ways following
the Image Myth can have a negative
impact.
You will need
Paper, pens.
20 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 15
Session one
Outside downsides
Now we want you to think about what the negative
effects are for your local and global community if
people try to look like the Image Myth . For example,
how does it negatively affect how people treat each
other at school and young people’s confidence to take
the lead to make their world a better place and speak
out on issues that affect them? Write all of these
community costs for the Image Myth outside of the
person.
Example community costs are written outside the
person below.
Outside Inside: Costs of the Image Myth
(continued)
Tips:
Give the groups time to come up with their
own ideas, this activity has the best impact
when the girls come up with the costs
themselves.
If some groups get stuck, give them an
example using the illustrations on this page
and congratulate them when they come up
with a cost themselves.
Encourage them to work together as a team
to come up with as many costs as possible; the
more costs they generate, the more effective
this activity is for their body confidence and
enhancing their leadership skills.
So that this really girl-led, make sure each
participant has written down at least one cost.
Asking each participant to speak out keeps
them engaged and gives them the chance to
publicly say they know that the Image Myth is
not a good thing to follow.
unhappy school
environments,
increased
pressure for
everyone
to look good,
a culture
of bullying,
girls not feeling
condent to be
leaders, costs to the
healthcare
system,
environmental
costs associated
with lots of
product
packaging
(e.g.,
make-up
packaging), a
lack of diversity
in our culture if
everyone is trying
to look the same
15 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 16
I’m leaving! Ask participants to pretend they’re
leaving their job at Gloss magazine to show pub-
lically that they don’t agree with the Image Myth…
So you’ve decided to leave Gloss magazine because
it encourages people to follow the Image Myth and
you don’t agree with that. You’re going to start your
own magazine that helps everyone to be free to be
themselves in our next session.
Since you’re leaving Gloss, what would you say to your
boss on your way out? It’s time to tell her why you
think it doesn’t make sense to follow the Image Myth.
Take a few minutes on your own to come up with what
you’d say to her. You might like to think about the
downsides that we just came up with in the Inside/
Outside activity.
Give participants a few minutes on their own to come
up with what they would say.
Ask participants to take turns acting out their “I
quit because I don’t agree with the Image Myth”
statement to their small group. If you have time, invite
groups to share some of their ideas with everybody.
You did a great job telling your boss why it’s
important not to follow the Image Myth. We want
everybody to feel free to be themselves. When we feel
free to be ourselves we can do the things we love and
take care of ourselves and other people , enjoying our
bodies for what they can do.
Session one
2) Quitting the Image Myth! (10 minutes)
Ask participants to share a few of their Image Myth
downsides with the whole group.
Now ask participants to shout out their answers to
these questions:
Outside Inside: Costs of the Image Myth
(continued)
Questions
So who benefits from the Image Myth?
Suggested answers: diet industry; media; fashion
industry.
Looking at all of the downsides we’ve come up
with on our Inside/Outside picture for example….,
are you personally benefitting from the Image
Myth?
No!
15 mins
Tips:
Encourage participants to have fun with this –
they can imagine they’re storming out of the
Gloss offices.
Check every participant has the chance to
make their statement in front of their friends
and make sure their statement includes a
challenge to show they don’t agree with the
Image Myth.
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 17
Session one
Outcome
Participants practise challenging the Image Myth,
using a real-life example.
What to do
Explain the Personal Challenge:
Before you come back for the next session of Free
Being Me, I want you to be a media detective - find
and expose an example of the Image Myth that you
come across in your society’s media. Stick it onto the
handout, write down why you don’t agree with it, and
bring along your example to the next session!
Show your participants the back of your hand-out,
and ask them to write down their answers to the
questions, for them to share next session.
Personal Challenge brief –
Media Detectives
At a glance
At home, before their next
Free
Being Me
session, participants find an
example of the Image Myth in their
world, and practise saying why it’s
impossible and a bad idea to try to
follow.
You will need
Sheet 1.3.
The questions are
“The image myth is fake because…”
“It’s not worth trying to look like this Image Myth
because….”
Tip:
Participants might not be used to taking away
Personal Challenges to do between sessions
– explain that they’ll have a few different
challenges while doing Free Being Me, but
they are all fun and interesting, and will really
help them stand up for body confidence for
themselves and other people.
05 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 18
Session two
Free Being Me
Session Two
Every day, children and young people are bombarded
with images and messages from the media. TV shows,
advertisements and magazines in particular push
the Image Myth and contribute to the pressure we
feel to follow it. Exposure to a ‘perfect look’ shown
in magazines has been shown
1
to reduce body-
confidence. This session gives participants a chance
to take the lead and challenge this, producing a TV
piece to expose the truth behind the Image Myth, and
create their own magazine that’s designed to boost
body confidence!
1
Stice, E., & Shaw, H. (1994). Adverse effects of the media portrayed thin-ideal on women,
and linkages to bulimic symptomatology. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 13,
288-308.
Session map
ACTIVITY
Take Part Pledge
Media detectives debrief
Make your own media
- Breaking news on body-
confidence
- Magazine cover
Personal Challenge:
Friendship Note
TIME
2 mins
5 mins
30 mins
30 mins
5 mins
YOU WILL NEED
N/A
Media Detectives Personal
Challenge hand-outs
(completed)
Sheet 2.1 – one per small
group
Paper – 1 piece each,
coloured pens/pencils and
any other art supplies you
have access to
Sheet 2.2 – one each
SKILLS
Speaking out
Sharing ideas,
presenting information
Teamwork, creativity,
performing/speaking in
front of an audience
Creativity, explaining
a message
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 19
Session two
02 mins
Outcome
Every participant agrees out loud to actively take part
and have fun in this session of Free Being Me. Saying
it out loud means participants will contribute more
openly, resulting in a bigger impact on their body
confidence.
What to do
Once you have introduced Free Being Me, thank
everyone for attending and ask them to shout their
enthusiasm and willingness to participate in the
second session of Free Being Me.
Are you ready to get excited and contribute to this
session of Free Being Me, and have fun along the way?
If so, shout
At a glance
As a whole group, lead the
participants to share their excitement
about taking part in
Free Being Me
.
You will need
No materials needed.
Welcome to Session Two
Take Part Pledge
“YES I AM!”
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 20
Session two
05 mins
Outcome
Participants understand the Image Myth is everywhere
in their society, but that they can challenge it, by
talking about why it’s impossible, and why it’s not
worthwhile trying to look like it.
What to do
Thank you all for your amazing detective work – you
have exposed lots of examples of the Image Myth! Now
you’ll have the chance to share what you think of the
Image Myth with each other.
Ask everyone to move freely around the room. When
you shout “SHARE!” They stop and chat to the first
person they see. Each person should:
Hold up the pictures and read out what they wrote on
the back:
“It’s not worth trying to look like this Image Myth
because….”
“The Image Myth is impossible because…”
After two minutes, shout “SWAP!”. The pairs should
swap images then go and find someone new to talk
to, holding up their new image and reading out the
statements written on the back. There should be lots
of energy and talking in the room!
Thank participants for sharing their examples.
We’ve seen that the media often spreads messages
about the Image Myth. But it doesn’t have to be like
that. Next you’ll have the chance to speak out and
change the media to promote body confidence instead
of the Image Myth!
Share: Media Detectives
Personal Challenge
At a glance
Share the examples of the Image
Myth and their challenges to it with
each other in quick-fire conversations,
swapping images as they go.
You will need
Image Myth examples collected by the
participants.
The Image
Myth ...
...
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 21
Session two
30 mins
Outcome
Participants challenge the Image Myth and come up
with positive alternatives in their own words.
What to do
1) Create a press statement (15 mins)
This activity gives you the chance to work together
and let your creativity go wild.
Remember in the last session you decided to leave
Gloss magazine . You will now make a press statement
(a message that is sent out to the media) to tell the
world why you decided to leave Gloss magazine and
why trying to look like the Image Myth is a waste of time!
Here are the three things your press statement should
include:
Tell other girls or boys what the Image Myth is and
how it’s promoted to us.
Talk about the downsides that come from trying to
match the Image Myth and why you decided to
leave Gloss magazine.
Give girls or boys advice about what they could say
or do to fight the pressure to look like the Image
Myth.
When people who work in the media need to get
a point across, they need the skills to communicate
their message in a strong and clear way. When you’re
creating your press statement, make sure you’re really
clear on what you’re saying. Make sure you use clear
statements to show your audience why you don’t agree
with the Image Myth. You might like to think back
to the Inside/Outside downsides activity for ideas to
include.
We’ll give you some time to prepare your press
statement and then you’re going to host a press
conference to deliver it to the world.
Give participants 15 minutes in small groups to
prepare their press statement. Give out Sheet 2.1 –
not to use word-for-word, but to help them with their
ideas.
2) Host your press conference (15 mins)
Ask each group to read/perform their press statement
to the rest of the group. They should sit at the front of
the room forming a panel.
To keep everyone involved, ask the audience members
to play reporters and jot down the key messages that
jump out at them while they are watching the press
conference. Make sure each group gets a round of
applause after their press conference.
Well done on such creative and fun press
statements! Can anyone share any of the messages
you wrote down while watching the press conferences?
What were your favourite challenges to the Image
Myth?
1) Breaking news
on Body Confidence
Tips:
If your group needs prompting to get them
going, try the ideas in Sheet 2.1
If working with a big group, when it comes to
performing split the group in half so everyone
performs to half of the big group.
Make your own media
At a glance
By hosting a press conference about why
they decided to leave Gloss magazine,
participants have fun and develop
leadership skills by telling the world why
they shouldn’t follow the Image Myth.
You will need
Sheet 2.1 – one per small group.
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 22
Session two
30 mins
Outcome
Girls understand that there is a fantastic alternative to
following the Image Myth.
What to do
Now you’ve left Gloss and decided to start up your
own magazine, one that helps girls feel good about the
way they look.
Your challenge is to come up with ideas together for
the cover page of the magazine.
1) Design meeting (10 mins)
Your magazine team is running out of time to get
a design of the magazine cover done by the deadline!
Work together to come up with a plan.
Ask the groups to consider three things:
a. Pictures: What pictures will you choose to show
that there are lots and lots of different ways real
people look?
b. Headlines: What will your headline stories be? There
should be two (or more) pieces of advice for girls or
boys on how to promote body confidence.
c. Magazine name: How will your magazine’s name be
inspiring, exciting and promote body confidence?
2) Individual cover ideas (10 mins)
The editor has decided every individual should
come up with their own design for your magazine
cover, to help decide what should be on it and how it
will look.
Ask each participant to create their own design for
the magazine cover that fits their team’s design
guidelines, being as creative as they want to be.
Ensure they include all three points (picture, headlines
and magazine name) agreed at their design meeting.
3) Report back (10 mins)
Ask the design teams to put up their ideas for their
magazine cover on a wall.
Ask each group in turn to pitch their ideas – either to
the larger group if there is time, or to another group.
Remind participants to talk about the three points
agreed at their design meeting (picture, headlines and
magazine name).
After each group has spoken, ask them a bit more
about their ideas:
Thank you for your ideas, they were fantastic!
If they would like to spend more time on these covers,
encourage participants to take them home.
At a glance
Participants create their own
magazine cover to promote the
alternative to the Image Myth.
You will need
A piece of paper per participant,
coloured pens/pencils and any other
art supplies you have access to.
Make your own Media
2) Magazine Cover
Questions
Why did you choose those pictures? How do they
help you show an alternative to the Image Myth?
How do you think your headline stories will help
girls or boys see the Image Myth is impossible, or
see the downsides to trying to look like it?
How does your magazine name help girls or boys
see they don’t need to take notice of the pressure
to look like the Image Myth?
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 23
Session two
05 mins
Outcome
Participants reinforce their understanding of the Image
Myth, why it’s impossible, and why it’s not worth trying
to look like it and practise sharing the message with a
friend.
What to do
Give out Sheet 2.2.
Between now and the next session, your challenge
is to write a note to a real friend in your life. The note
should encourage her or him not to try to look like the
Image Myth. In your letter, explain:
Why you think trying to look like the Image Myth has
lots of downsides.
Why you think looking like the Image Myth is
impossible – no-one can look like this!
What your friend could say or do to fight the
pressure to look like the Image Myth.
Remember to focus on the message, and not talk
about the way your friend looks. Remember, your goal
is to help your friend feel free to be themselves!
Check everyone understands what they need to do.
Ask participants to bring their note along to the next
session.
Personal Challenge:
Friendship Note
Tip:
Your participants should write their notes to a
real person in their life. It could be a friend, a
younger girl, another member of their guiding/
scouting group, anyone as long as it’s a real life
friend.
At a glance
Pairs write a friendship note to each
other between the sessions, to
encourage each other not to try to
look like the Image Myth.
You will need
Sheet 2.2– one per participant.
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 24
Free Being Me
Session Three
As Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, we are part of a
movement that’s based on friendship, grown in our
own communities, and shared around the world!
Participants will discover in this session that they can
not only challenge the Image Myth to free themselves
of it, but can challenge it for their friends too, and
make a real difference.
Session map
Session three
ACTIVITY
Take Part Pledge
Friendship Note debrief
Friendship Mission
Friendship Mission
Personal Challenge brief:
Mirror Mirror
TIME
2 mins
20 mins
40 mins
5 mins
YOU WILL NEED
N/A
Friendship notes
(completed)
1. Sheet 3.1 –
folded cut up.
2. Large pieces of thick
paper or card, scissors,
thick pens
3. Sheet 3.2 – cut up
4. Thick card, circle
templates (eg a glass),
safety pins, pens
or paints and other
decorative materials,
strong sticky tape
5. Small pieces of paper
and pens
Sheet 3.3 – one copy each
SKILLS
Speaking out
Speaking in front
of others
Teamwork,
quick thinking,
speaking out,
creativity
Self-confidence,
positive attitude
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 25
02 mins
Session three
Outcome
Every participant agrees out loud to actively take part
and have fun in this session of Free Being Me. This
verbal commitment helps participants to contribute
more openly, resulting in a bigger impact on their body
confidence.
What to do
Bring the group together into a circle. Thank everyone
for attending and ask them to shout their enthusiasm
and willingness to participate in the third session of
Free Being Me.
Are you ready to get excited and contribute to this
session of Free Being Me, and have fun along the way?
If so, shout
Welcome to Session Three
Take Part Pledge
At a glance
As a whole group, lead the
participants to share their
excitement about taking part in
Free Being Me
.
You will need
No materials required.
“YES I AM!”
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 26
Outcome
Participants reinforce their understanding of why
following the Image Myth has downsides, and practise
saying in front of other people that they don’t agree
with it.
What to do
Thank you all for writing your friendship notes! Now
you are going to have the chance to share your letters
and read them out loud in a small group.
Ask participants to get together in small groups.
Everyone in turn should read their letter out.
Remember that everyone has put a lot of thought into
their letters, so we’re all going to be really supportive,
and give a big round of applause after each one. Tell
the person reading it what your favourite bit of their
letter was when they’re finished!
It’s very important that the groups:
Listen carefully to the person reading their letter.
Show their appreciation of the letter by giving each
reader a round of applause and talking about the
things they liked about the letter.
While this is going on, leaders should visit each group,
congratulating them and thanking them for giving this
such a good effort.
At a glance
Using the Friendship Notes written
for the previous session‘s Personal
Challenge, participants read them out
loud in front of a small group to support
and encourage each other to avoid
trying to look like the Image Myth.
You will need
Friendship notes.
Share: Friendship Note
Personal Challenge
After the letters have been read out, get together as
a whole group, and ask:
Collect the letters – if you’re able to, keep them
displayed throughout your time on Free Being Me.
Questions
How did it feel to write the letter?
Did you come up with any new ideas of downsides
to the Image Myth?
Did it help you come up with new ideas for helping
your friends feel better about the way they look?
Session three
20 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 27
Outcome
Girls take the lead to practise challenging the Image
Myth, developing the skills to speak out so they can
become body-confident role models in society.
What to do
Last session we found out more about how
the Image Myth is encouraged in the media, like
magazines and advertisements. Did you know that
your everyday conversations with friends and family
can keep the Image Myth going too? This session is
all about practising how you can take the lead to help
people you know to be free of the Image Myth.
You will be faced with different missions where you
need to work together to use your leadership skills
and knowledge to practise convincing your friends and
family, and people in your community, that it’s a bad
idea to try to look like the Image Myth.
Set up mission bases as separate activity areas in
your meeting space, or if you have a larger outside
area, use this opportunity to move outside!
There should be at least one leader per mission
base, who explains what the groups need to do and
supports groups as they spend ten minutes
completing the challenge.
Divide the group into three to five smaller groups (so
there is one group at each mission base).
Note: There are three core ‘missions’ that every
participant should try: Connect, Beauty Bubbles
and Quick Comebacks. If you have a large group
and enough time, you may wish to use the two
extra missions suggested: Badge It and Role Models.
Assign each group to their first mission base.
Ask the groups to visit at least the three core
mission bases (shown with a star), and move on
every ten minutes. There will be a challenge at each
Friendship
Mission
area to complete. The instructions for each mission
base are on the following pages. use Sheets 3.1 and
3.2 to support these missions.
Once everyone has done at least the three core
mission bases, bring everyone back together.
Well done! You’ve all practised lots of ways to help
your friends and your community realise they don’t
need to follow the Image Myth, and that they are great
just as they are!
Tip:
It is very important that each person joins in
during each activity and has their voice heard,
so everyone gets a chance to argue against the
Image Myth for themselves, and practise
leadership among their friends and community.
At a glance
Through activities located at ‘mission bases’
in different areas of your meeting space,
participants have fun practising how to verbally
challenge the Image Myth, to help them and
their friends feel free to be themselves!
You will need
See each mission for materials. Each mission
description is on a separate page to give out to
leaders running each mission base.
Questions
What was your favourite comeback statement?
What would help you take the arguments you’ve
practised into the real world?
Session three
40 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 28
At a glance
Participants reply to text messages
or emails they receive from a worried
friend – their job is to support their
friend by convincing them not to
follow the Image Myth.
You will need
Cut-up messages, folded and placed
in a hat or on a table.
What to do
Your mission is to take turns to
help a friend by convincing them it’s a
bad idea to try to look like to Image Myth and that it’s
impossible!
Each of you is about to receive a text message or email
from a friend. Your friend will tell you that the way they
look makes them feel bad because they don’t match up
to the Image Myth – you need to reply by challenging
the Image Myth and the idea that they should try to
look different.
For example, your friend might text you and say “I feel
so fat today, I’m thinking about not going to my dance
class today.” What might you say to show your friend
that you don’t agree with the Image Myth. What might
you say to tell her that you think she is great just the
way she is and that the most important thing about
dance class is having fun and learning to dance?
Get a few responses from your participants.
Example responses could include: “I think you’re great
just the way you are”; “Dance class is about having fun
and learning to dance, not the way you look”; “it’s a
waste of time worrying about how you look because
you’ll miss out on having fun”
I want each of you to pick out a message and then
give it to me. I will read it out to the group and then
your job is to come up with a reply to your friend’s text
message that shows that you do not agree with the
Image Myth.
Each participant should:
Choose a message and give it to a leader to read
out to the group.
Mission 1 –
Connect!
Respond by telling the group what they would say
in their reply to the text message to help their
friend reject the Image Myth.
Once the participant has given a response, invite
the rest of the group to come up with ideas of what
they could say before moving on to the next person.
Tips:
Saying their text message replies out loud puts
participants in the lead, and is great for their
body confidence.
If you are able to use mobile phones, it could
be fun to send and receive the messages as
real-life texts or emails!
You may feel it’s appropriate to remind
participants that if they or someone they
know ever receives messages about them or
other people that are negative or abusive, they
should always tell an adult, and if it’s on a
website, report it on the site too.
Session three
10 mins
1
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 29
What to do
This mission is your chance to speak out against the
Image Myth and take the lead by sharing your message
with the world!
You have the chance to create your very own short
written message that you want to share with other
young people around the world about why the Image
Myth is a waste of time, and why life is not all about
looks.
Ask everyone to draw and cut out their own large
speech bubble, and write in big letters their challenge
to the Image Myth that they want to shout out to
other young people around the world.
When they are finished, each person should hold up
their speech bubble and read out what it says to the
rest of the group. Why not take photographs or videos
of each participant with her speech bubble?
Share it!
You can share your speech bubbles
www.free-being-me.com so you really can give
your advice to girls around the world.
Take your bubble message home and share it as
many ways/times as you can.
At a glance
On giant speech bubbles, participants
write their own messages persuading
other children and young people around
the world not to focus on the Image
Myth.
You will need
Large pieces of thick paper or card,
scissors, thick pens.
Mission 2 –
Beauty Bubbles
2
Session three
10 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 30
What to do
Talking with other people about our thoughts
and feelings is really important. Sometimes though,
we focus on looks rather than on people’s qualities
and who they really are. This keeps the Image Myth
going! This mission is a chance for us to practise what
we would say and do to stop the Image Myth from
spreading.
Lay out the statements face down on the ground,
spaced out.
Your mission is to challenge the statements with
a quick comeback that would stop someone talking in
a way that supports the Image Myth and make them
think about what they were saying.
For example, if someone said, “Don’t you think that girl
looks too fat to be wearing a swimsuit?”, what could
you say to her to show that you don’t agree with the
Image Myth? What could you say to tell her that you
think she is great just the way she is and it’s not nice to
criticise the way other people look?
Get a few responses from your participants.
Example responses could include: “I think she’s great
just the way she is”; “Swimming is about having fun
and enjoying the water, not the way you look”; “it’s a
waste of time worrying about how other people look
and I don’t agree with putting others down”
Now we want you to practice this, so each of
you will take turns throwing a token onto one of the
statements. I will read out the statement it lands on.
The person who’s thrown the token should have a go at
saying a quick comeback to their statement. Then the
rest of your group can help out with additional ideas of
what you could say.
Each comeback you make should include something
that shows you don’t agree with the Image Myth!
Participants take turns to throw the token to land on
one of the statements. The leader should read out the
statement the participant’s token landed on.
Encourage everyone to help each other out – explain
that their goal as a team is to try to hit all the numbers
on the board and respond to as many statements as
possible in the time they have.
Mission 3 –
Quick Comebacks
At a glance
When participants land their token on
a statement, their challenge is to think
of a quick comeback to challenge the
statement – practising ideas for quick
comebacks to things they hear in real-life
conversations!
You will need
Statements, token to throw e.g. bean-bag,
plastic coin, small stone, etc.
3
Session three
xx mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 31
What to do
One of the downsides of following the Image Myth
is that everyone feels they need to look the same,
which stops them realising and enjoying that they are
unique and special just as they are!
Help remind your friends of this by making them an
‘I’m unique’ badge – or come up with your own idea to
help your friends remember how special they are.
Ask participants to draw around the circle template
and cut out a circle of card. Draw or paint the ‘I’m
unique’ slogan on the badge and decorate it, then tape
on the safety pin.
Give your badge to someone you feel needs this
message. Remember to tell them why you’re giving it –
because it’s a bad idea to try hard to follow the Image
Myth! It’s impossible, and your friend is fantastic as
they are!
At a glance
Participants create a badge for a
friend to remind them how special
and unique they are.
You will need
Thick card, circle templates (e.g. a glass),
safety pins, pens or paints and other
decorative materials, strong sticky tape.
Optional Mission 4 –
Badge it!
Tip:
Tell participants that if they haven’t finished,
they can take their badge away from the
session to complete their design.
I’m
unique
4
Session three
10 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 32
What to do
Who in your life do you respect and want to try to
act more like? It might be your friend, your mum or
sister, a teacher, someone in our community, or maybe
someone famous. You might respect them because
they make life better for other people, or because they
have made the most of the opportunities they’ve had
in life.
Once everyone has someone in their mind, give out
the paper. Ask participants to write down three of
the best things about that person. Remind everyone
that they are thinking about who the person is and
what they do, not what they look like. They should
keep their pieces of paper secret.
Ideas for the list: Brave, fun, cares about others, is
amazing at singing, always smiling…
Now choose one of these games to play:
Role model tag:
Play a game of tag. Nominate one person who is ‘it’,
who runs after the rest of the group, trying to tag
them by touching them on the shoulder.
When someone is tagged, they shout “FREEZE!” and
everyone stops still. The person who was tagged
then reads out one of the characteristics on her role
model list. Anyone else, whose role model shares that
characteristic, should race each other and touch the
wall (or another object you set up.) The last person to
touch the wall is the next person who is ‘it’! If no-one’s
role model shared the characteristic, then the original
person tagged is ‘it’.
The game then starts again with the new ‘it’.
Role model circle game:
Everyone stands in a circle, spaced quite far apart. Ask
everyone in turn to say once thing from their list.
As soon as someone hears a characteristic spoken that
is also on their list, they should shout “ME TOO!” The
speaker and the people who had the match should
then immediately leave their places in the circle and
run around the outside to jump into a free space in
the circle. The last person to find a space is the next
person to speak.
Thank you for sharing your ideas of a good model
– remember, role models are important and fantastic,
not because they follow the Image Myth, but because
of who they are on the inside!
Optional Mission 5 –
Role Model Games
At a glance
Play a fun group game to think about
characteristics role models have, and
the importance of having a role model
because of who they are, not what they
look like.
You will need
Small piece of paper and a pen per
participant.
5
Session three
10 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 33
Outcome
Participants practise saying positive things about
themselves and learn that using a mirror can be a
positive experience instead of a negative one.
What to do
According to the Image Myth the mirror is your
enemy, the place where you look at all the bits that
are wrong with the way you look. But we know that the
Image Myth is actually impossible, and there are all
sorts of reasons why it’s a bad idea to try to look like
it. So, between this and the next session, we’ll practise
making the mirror our friend.
Give each participant a copy of Sheet 3.3. The
template asks them to come to come up with at
least…
Three things you like about your character.
Three parts of your body that you like because of what
they can do.
Three parts of your body you like the look of.
For instance, you may like the shape of your arms,
the strength of your legs, your curly dark hair, the
sound of your laugh, or the fact that you are a good
friend. This is a great way of building confidence in
yourself!
The sheet then asks participants to go to a mirror, to
smile at themselves and say, “I love my XXX” – out
loud using the list of features they came up with.
Encourage participants to add more to their list while
they are looking in the mirror and in particular to
practise saying they things they like about the way
their body looks and what it can do!
Ensure everyone understands their Personal Challenge,
and remind them to bring along their lists to the next
session.
At a glance
Participants are challenged to list
features they like about themselves
and repeat out loud to themselves
while standing on their own in front
of a mirror.
You will need
Sheet 3.3 – one copy per participant.
Personal Challenge
brief: Mirror Mirror
Tip:
We don’t get many opportunities in society
today to be positive about our bodies, and it
really improves body confidence to practise
this – encourage your group to give some time
to this challenge.
Session three
05 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 34
Free Being Me
Session Four
The Image Myth isn’t just something we hear about
and see around us – we talk about it too, all the time,
even when we don’t realise we’re doing it! Every time
we compare ourselves or someone else with the
Image Myth, even when complimenting someone, this
keeps the Image Myth going, and makes the person
and those around feel they need to ‘live up to it’. This
session helps participants recognise this ‘Body Talk’,
and learn ways they can stop using it themselves, and
challenge other people too.
Session map
Session four
ACTIVITY
Take Part Pledge
Share: Mirror Mirror
Personal Challenge
No More Body Talk!
- Introduce Body Talk
- Spot Body Talk
- Real compliments
Personal Challenge:
Spread the word
TIME
2 mins
15 mins
5 mins
20 mins
15 mins
10 mins
YOU WILL NEED
N/A
Mirror Mirror hand-outs
(completed)
Sheet 4.1 – role play
scenarios, a large piece
of paper and a pen
Sticky notes or small
pieces of paper,
Sheet 4.2 – pledge cards
SKILLS
Speaking out
Teamwork, speaking
in front of others
Listening, speaking
out, quick thinking,
positive attitude
towards others
Reliability (doing the
pledge you promised),
speaking out, leading
others – being an
example
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 35
02 mins
Session four
Outcome
Every participant agrees out loud to actively take part
and have fun in this session of Free Being Me. This
verbal commitment helps participants to contribute
more openly, resulting in a bigger impact on their body
confidence.
What to do
Bring the group together into a circle. Thank everyone
for attending and ask them to shout their enthusiasm
and willingness to participate in the fourth session of
Free Being Me.
Are you ready to get excited and contribute to this
session of Free Being Me, and have fun along the way?
If so, shout
At a glance
As a whole group, lead the
participants to share their
excitement about taking part in
Free Being Me
.
You will need
No materials needed.
Welcome to Session Four
Take Part Pledge
“YES I AM!”
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 36
Outcome
By sharing their Mirror Mirror challenge, participants
raise their body confidence by practising saying
out loud the things they like about themselves and
creating a culture of girls being proud of their bodies
and who they are.
What to do
Well done to everyone for doing your Mirror Mirror
activity and thinking about the things you like about
yourselves and your bodies. Now we’re going to share
these with each other!
Remember that thinking positively about your bodies
is really important and we want to create a revolution
where girls feel confident to speak out about what
they like about their bodies and who they are. It takes
practice, but reminding yourself about the things you
like about yourself and your body is a great way to help
beat the Image Myth.
Play a grouping game. Ask everyone to move quickly
around the meeting place.
The aim is for participants to get into groups as quickly
as possible when they hear a leader shout out a
number – for instance, a leader shouts “three!” and
everyone gets into groups of three people.
In these groups, participants should share one of the
things they like about themselves from their Mirror
Mirror list. Encourage them to say it as: “I like my…”
Each time new groups are formed, before they start
sharing, tell them what you would like them to share –
something they like about…
Their personality.
The part of their body that lets them do things
they like.
The part of their body they like the look of.
Have at least three rounds of grouping, so everyone
can share at least one feature from each list.
The grouping game sometimes leaves people
remaining once the groups are formed – their job is to
run to any group, and say their favourite thing first!
Participants should just say the feature they like – they
don’t need to give reasons why!
Well done, it’s great to hear so many positive things
from you!
Share: Mirror Mirror
Personal Challenge
Tip:
If you work with a co-educational group, it
may work best for the boys and girls to work in
separate groups. Ensure everyone is positive and
supportive of each other, recognising it’s not
always an easy activity.
At a glance
Participants play a grouping
game to share their Mirror
Mirror ideas.
You will need
Participants’ completed Mirror
Mirror sheets.
Questions
How did it feel to be positive about yourself?
Why is it good to practise thinking about and
saying what you like about yourself?
Session four
15 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 37
Outcome
Participants learn about and practise challenging
Body Talk, which is language used in day-to-day
conversations that keeps the Image Myth going.
What to do
Introduce Body Talk (5 mins)
We found out in the last session that there are
lots of things we can do as friends and community
members to let people know what the Image Myth is,
and persuade them not to follow it so that we have a
body-confident community.
But sometimes, without even realising it, we can keep
the Image Myth going in the way we talk. Every time
we make a comment that compares the way people
look with the Image Myth, we keep the Myth going.
This is called Body Talk.
To check everyone understands what we mean by
Body Talk, ask participants:
Participants may suggest ‘teasing’ or ‘saying mean
things’. Encourage them to think about less obvious
kinds of Body Talk too, like compliments, which
compare someone’s appearance with the Image Myth
– for example, “You look great! Have you lost weight?”
No More
Body Talk!
Tip:
Sometimes this is difficult for participants to
understand at first. The activities here will help
them to practise identifying Body Talk, and
coming up with alternatives.
At a glance
Through fun role play and compliment-
giving activities, participants find out
what Body Talk is and practise talking in
a different way, and leading others to do
the same.
You will need
Sheet 4.1 – role play scenarios, a large
piece of paper, pen.
Question
In our everyday conversations, can you think of
any ways we might keep the Image Myth going by
using Body Talk?
Session four
40 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 38
1) Spot Body Talk (20 mins)
Using the scenarios from Sheet 4.1, ask two leaders to
perform a role play.
Reminder: The role plays should be performed
by leaders (or volunteer helpers) not participants,
because it’s important participants are not using
Body Talk themselves because we don’t want them to
practice reinforcing the Image Myth.
We are going to act out some different scenes that
you might experience in your every-day lives. Your job
is to listen carefully to see if you can hear Body Talk in
the conversations.
You will all sit in the ‘audience’ divided into two teams.
When you hear an example of Body Talk, you should
shout “Body Talk!” and jump up on the spot. Each team
should try to be the quickest to spot the Body Talk. Your
team will get a point each time you successfully spot
the Body Talk in each scenario.
The leaders should immediately stop performing the
scenario when a participant correctly identifies an
example of Body Talk. Try to explain why it was Body
Talk, for example:
This type of conversation keeps the Image Myth
going because…. (e.g., they are comparing someone
to the Image Myth by saying she is fat)”. This can be
really hurtful to the person receiving the comment and
it’s not helpful for anyone because it keeps the Image
Myth going.
You should ask participants what the people in the
scenario could say without using Body Talk.
Now that you’ve spotted an example of Body Talk,
let’s think about what you could say to stop it. Can
someone share how they would stop the Body Talk?
Encourage participants to share different ways to stop
Body Talk. The three main ways to stop Body Talk are:
Change the topic.
Don’t respond or take part in the Body Talk.
Challenge it by identifying it as keeping the Image
Myth going – say you don’t agree and are not going
to talk about it.
Repeat the activity so that participants get a chance to
work through at least three of the scenarios.
To conclude, give a round of applause to the
participants that stand up, and the leaders who’ve
been acting.
Well done everyone, you’re really good at spotting
Body Talk!
Questions
Why is it a bad idea to use Body Talk when you’re
talking to your friends and family?
(Because it keeps the Image Myth going. By comparing
people to the Image Myth in a positive or negative
way, it makes them feel they should try to look like it,
even though it’s a bad idea!)
How can we stop Body Talk?
(Use the list of three ways above)
No more Body Talk!
(continued)
Session four
40 mins
Tip:
If participants don’t spot the body talk in your
sketch straightaway, keep acting the scene and
use body talk again. If it’s still not spotted, stop
the scene and explain where the body talk was,
then start a new scene.
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 39
2) Real compliments (15 mins)
Now you’ve had a chance to spot Body Talk in other
people and think about ways to challenge it or stop it,
it’s time to have a go for yourselves.
Ask the group to wander around the room, stopping
when they see a new person to talk to.
Give the other person a compliment or greeting
that is not Body Talk; that does not compare the other
person to the Image Myth. We want your compliments
to be about what you most like about that person, and
what they are good at, rather than the way they look.
Say thank you for each compliment you’re given.
Encourage the participants to help each other by
stopping someone if they accidentally use Body Talk!
Afterwards, bring the group together and ask the
participants to shout out one of the compliments they
were given. Write them all up on a big piece of paper
as they’re shouted out – thank the participant and say
the compliment back to them – e.g. “Thanks Sonia,
you are a great soccer player!”
Tips:
This feedback time is a chance for you to check
the message has got through and point out any
examples of Body Talk that might come up.
It’s ok to talk about appearance, but it can
take practice to learn how to do this without
reinforcing the Image Myth because it’s often
something we aren’t used to. Because of this,
at this stage ask participants try greetings and
compliments that don’t focus on appearance.
Ask afterwards:
How does it feel to receive a compliment?
(Participants might feel uncomfortable receiving
compliments – it’s important for them to practise
accepting them as well as giving them, as it makes a
big difference to their body confidence. It’s not wrong
to accept a compliment!)
Why is it a good thing to give a compliment that
isn’t about what the person looks like?
(You can build up your friends’ self-esteem, without
keeping the Image Myth going!)
No more Body Talk!
(continued)
Session four
40 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 40
Outcome
Participants take the lead by sharing messages about
the Image Myth with other people.
What to do
So far we’ve found out what the Image Myth is, why
it’s impossible and not worth trying to look like, and
practised arguing against it.
Our Personal Challenge this session will be to take what
we’ve learned out into our own community!
Ask everyone to get into small groups, and give each
group a block of sticky notes or small pieces of paper.
How could you challenge the Image Myth in your
own lives? Write down your ideas. Think about what
you could do to stop yourself believing in the Image
Myth, and what you could do for your friends, family
and community.
Ask the groups to put up their notes, so you have a
huge wall of ideas!
Bring everyone back together and read out all the
ideas, grouping them into
Ideas for me – personal ideas of how to keep
yourselves free of the Image Myth.
Ideas for others – ways participants can pass on the
message to others and stop the Image Myth in their
community.
If groups are struggling, here are some ideas:
Ideas for me
Go and do an activity you were not sure about doing
because of worries about the way you look.
Don’t buy magazines or watch TV programmes that
keep the Image Myth going.
Practice the Mirror Mirror challenge.
Practice receiving compliments.
Ideas for others
Make your home/school/playground a Body Talk-
free zone.
Tell a friend about the Image Myth and why you
don’t believe in it.
Write a letter to a younger girl you know about why
she shouldn’t follow the Image Myth.
Stick up positive body-confidence messages
somewhere that your friends and family can see.
them, for instance on all mirrors in school/at home,
or why not toilet doors or even in friends’ books.
Practise giving compliments that have nothing to do
with how people look.
Ask participants to look at all the ideas on the wall,
and choose two – one ‘idea for me’ and one ‘idea for
others’, then write those ideas down on a Spread the
Word pledge card.
Do you all agree to try your best to do your pledges
before the next session?
Encourage everyone to shout a big “YES!” before
ending the session.
Personal Challenge:
Spread the Word
At a glance
Work together to plan ways to spread
the word and take what the group
has learned into real life, to make a
difference both for themselves and for
others. Pledge to do two of the ideas.
You will need
Sticky notes or small pieces of paper,
Spread the Word pledge cards on
sheet 4.2.
Session four
10 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 41
Free Being Me
Session Five
In this session, work through four easy steps to plan an
exciting Take Action project which shares what you’ve
learned during Free Being Me. Take the lead and make
a difference to your friends and community!
Session map
Session ve
ACTIVITY
Take Part Pledge
Plan your take action
project
- See the change
- Plan the change:
- Our message
- T-shirt message
- Action plan
TIME
2 mins
20 mins
5 mins
10 mins
30 mins
YOU WILL NEED
N/A
Notepaper, large paper
and pens, planning
template sheet 5.1
SKILLS
Speaking out
Planning, teamwork,
creativity, advocacy,
leadership
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 42
02 mins
In this session, work through four easy steps to plan an
exciting Take Action project which shares what you’ve
learned during Free Being Me. Take the lead and make
a difference to your friends and community!
Outcome
Every participant agrees out loud to actively take part
and have fun in this session of Free Being Me. Saying
it out loud means participants will contribute more
openly, resulting in a bigger impact on their body
confidence.
What to do
Once you have introduced Free Being Me, thank
everyone for attending and ask them to shout their
enthusiasm and willingness to participate in the first
session of Free Being Me.
Are you ready to challenge the Image Myth in this
last session of Free Being Me, and prepared to start a
body confidence revolution in your community?
Shout
Welcome to Session Five
Take Part Pledge
At a glance
As a whole group, lead the
participants to share their
excitement about taking part in
Free Being Me
.
You will need
No materials needed.
“YES I AM!”
Session ve
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 43
Outcome
Participants take the lead, using what they have
learned during Free Being Me to challenge the
Image Myth and share it with others to start a body
confidence revolution.
Important note:
The aim of Free Being Me is to spread the body
confidence message as far as we can, beyond
those who have the opportunity to enjoy the whole
programme.
So, for each participant to earn their Free Being Me
badge, they should:
Reach at least two other people aged between
7-14.
Spend at least one hour with the people being
reached with the action.
What to do
This is the most exciting session yet, because we
are planning how we can take action, and spread the
messages we’ve learned from Free Being Me far and
wide!
Explain the four main steps to making change happen:
See the Change: We will understand the difference
we’re trying to make, and what it can mean for the
people we reach
Plan the Change: We’ll work out exactly what message
we want to give, and what our action will look like. We
need to spend at least an hour with the children and
young people we reach.
Make the Change: We’ll put our plan into action!
Share the Change: We won’t stop there – we will think
about what we can do to keep our action going, and
share what we’ve been doing with other Girl Guides and
Girl Scouts around the world.
This session is all about the first two steps: See the
Change and Plan the Change. We’ll then put our plan
into action to Make the Change, and spend a little time
afterwards thinking about Sharing the Change.
Plan your Take
Action Project
At a glance
Plan together how your group will
take action, to spread the
Free Being
Me message in a fun and exciting
way!
You will need
Notepaper, large paper and pens,
planning template sheet 5.1.
Session ve
60 mins
See the Change
Plan the Change
Make the Change
Share the Change
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 44
Plan your Take Action Project
(continued)
Groups spend ten minutes creating a large drawing
or mind-map to represent their ideas.
Then give each group a minute to explain their ideas
to the whole group. Make sure each participant has
a chance to say an idea.
Well done, those are fantastic ideas. If we work
together, along with all the other Girl Guides and Girl
Scouts around the world who are taking part in Free
Being Me, we really could make a huge difference!
Questions
What would it mean to each individual to have
more body confidence?
What would it mean to our community or society
as a whole if everyone had more body confidence?
See the Change – 20 mins
This is our chance to think big. What if every young
person in our country, or even the world, had better
body confidence because they understood, as you do
now, that the Image Myth is impossible, and that there
are so many downsides if you try to look like it?
Ask small groups to discuss these questions
together:
Individuals:
Feel happier, more
condent, more
willing to do
activities that use
their body like
swimming, will enjoy
themselves more, won’t
worry about what
people think, proud of
themselves.
Communities and the world:
More equality, people treated with
respect, less bullying, people appreciated
for who they are not what they look
like, more people achieving great things
in society because they aren’t held back
by worries about the way they look.
Here are some ideas to help:
Session ve
60 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 45
Plan your take Action Project
(continued)
Tip:
The planners at the beginning of each session
should help jog your memory too, as will the
activity outcomes.
Questions
What did we do?
What did we discover or find out more about?
Write down their answers on a large sheet of paper
– use one colour pen for what they did and another
colour for what they learned.
The group should begin to identify a few simple
messages they learned:
There is an Image Myth in your society (and other
societies worldwide have them too, though they
might have different features).
The Image Myth’s definition is so long and specific,
that it’s impossible to achieve (even models are
airbrushed).
There are lots of costs to following the Image Myth
for us and our community.
There is an alternative to the Image Myth! We can
all challenge the Image Myth wherever we go and
be body confident, and there are lots of different
ways we can challenge both the media and our
friends and family.
Make these messages clear to the group from all the
suggestions given.
T-shirt message – 10 mins
A great way to start a conversation is to share
your message on a T-shirt for everyone to see! If you
wanted to get someone talking about the messages
we’ve just discussed, what would your T-shirt say?
Ask participants to work in pairs and spend five
minutes designing their own T-shirt message.
They may need a leaders’ support in developing
the messages.
Then ask each pair to shout out their slogans to the
rest of the group, in quick succession.
Well done, they are all great messages!
Put the T-shirt messages up on the wall for everyone
to see. They can be used to help create the group’s
action plan, and come in useful during the Action
itself, perhaps to use as part of an invitation or poster.
Plan the Change:
Now we have a big picture of what we want to
achieve, we can think about how to make it happen.
Our message – 5 mins
First of all, let’s work together to come up with the
main things we’ve discovered from Free Being Me that
we want to share with other people to improve their
body confidence.
Ask the group to think back to each Free Being Me
session:
Session ve
60 mins
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 46
Plan your take Action Project
(continued)
Get planning:
If small groups want to work on their own Take
Action projects, this is where they can start plan-
ning. If you’re planning a whole-group Take Action
project, small groups could come up with different
ideas then hold a vote to decide the final project.
Use or adapt the planning template on sheet 5.1
to help participants think through what they want
to achieve and how to make it happen.
Try to have the planning chart completed by the end
of the session, and a list of the practical details that
need working out.
If you have small groups working separately, take
the time to go through their plans and check they
have the support they need. Ask them to share
their plans with the other groups before you finish
the session.
If your whole group is working together, encourage
as many participants as possible to practise their
leadership skills by taking responsibility for different
parts of the project.
Well done everyone, we’re so excited about this
Take Action project, and we can’t wait to start our very
own body confidence revolution!
Don’t forget:
You need to engage the people you’re reaching
with your take action project for at least an hour.
Those reached should be children and young
people of a similar age to the participants.
There should be two people reached per
participant.
You should be passing on the messages you’ve
learned from Free Being Me.
You could all run an event together, plan different
events in groups or individually.
Action plan – 30 mins
Now you have your vision of a world free of worries
about looks, you know the messages you want to
give, and you’ve thought about how we can get the
conversation started. It’s time to decide what action
you will take to spread that message. Let’s work out
what our Take Action project will look like and who we
would like to reach from our community.
This is the really fun bit, where you get to let your
imaginations go wild!
Encourage participants to take the lead, and make
their Take Action project their own.
Session ve
60 mins
Tip:
Think about how the issue of low body
confidence is likely to affect those you are
reaching with your Take Action project. For
example, it may be a trend for young people to
airbrush their own photos before putting them
up on social media, or perhaps it is a concern
for your group that the images they see in the
media are not promoting diversity. Encourage
participants to bring those issues into their take
Action project, to engage those they reach and
make a difference!
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 47
Make the Change
It’s time to put your plan into action!
Discuss it:
Beforehand, you might like to discuss with the group:
Record it:
Take photos or film your event.
Ask people you reach for feedback on their experience.
Count the number of people who took part.
Tell the world all about your Take Action project at
www.free-being-me.com! What did you do? How
many people did you reach?
Share the Change
Great work! The Take Action project(s) has happened,
and you’ve reached children and young people in your
community with your Free Being Me message; that the
Image Myth is impossible, costs us far too much, and
that being free of it is amazing!
We are sure your group doesn’t want to stop there…
Look back
Make a little time to evaluate Free Being Me – the
activities and your Take Action project. Here’s one way
you could do this:
River journey: Participants describe their journey from
Session One to Session Five of the Free Being Me as a
river journey, starting near the source and travelling
towards the sea.
In small groups, draw out the river and the journey
they took, labeling it if they like. Where did the river
flow fast i.e. when did they enjoy themselves and
learn a lot? Were there any trees blocking their way?
Did they reach forks in the river where they had to
take decisions? Did the way they looked at the world
around them change on their journey?
Ask participants to share their journey, talking it
through with the whole group or in small groups.
Let’s celebrate!
Award your group members with their Free Being Me
badge! Why not plan a celebration at the same time,
to congratulate yourselves on all you’ve achieved for
your own body confidence, and for others?
Next Steps…
What to do now!
Questions
How will you know your Take Action project has
been a success?
What are you most excited about?
Do you have any worries? (Work together to solve
those before you start).
Session ve
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 48
Next Steps…
What to do now!
Look forward… My pledge
How can you keep your campaign going, and connect
with Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world?
Share what you’ve done: Share the plans, pictures
and quotes from your Take Action project with
others all around the world on www.free-being-
me.com. Inspire others, and be inspired!
We’ve all learned a lot from Free Being Me – we’ve
worked out that there is an Image Myth in our society,
and defined what it looks like. We know why following
the Image Myth is a bad idea, because it is impossible
to achieve, and makes people’s lives really difficult. We
also learned how we can challenge the Image Myth
ourselves.
So, what is your pledge? What will you keep doing, or
maybe start doing, now we’ve finished Free Being Me?
Ask participants to fill in their own pledge card,
decorate it and take it away with them, to remind
them what they pledged to do. They could continue
with the pledge they made at the end of Session Four
– or they might like to take it further or try something
different.
Why not remind them of their pledges in a month’s
time and find out how they’re going?
Well done!
Thank you for taking part in Free Being Me. We
hope your group has enjoyed it, learned a lot and feel
empowered to take their messages out to everyone
they meet.
Don’t forget to share what you’ve done
on the www.free-being-me.com, and
join the worldwide body confidence
revolution!!
Session ve
free
being
me
How did it go?
Go to www.free-being-me.com to fill in the online
global survey – your chance to feed back your group’s
experience of Free Being Me. Your thoughts and
opinions will be taken into consideration for future
versions of this curriculum.
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 49
…it is considered that big women are beautiful.
In Mauritania in Africa, it’s desirable for women to be
as big as possible. Unfortunately sometimes girls are
even force-fed to make them more attractive.
…people think it’s beautiful to have a very long neck,
and women make their necks longer with metal rings.
There are communities in Thailand and Myanmar
where women and girls stretch their necks to be
considered beautiful and show they belong to their
community.
… very high hairlines and big foreheads were thought
very attractive – and people would pluck their hairline
to make it higher.
In 16
th
century England, the ideal beauty was the
Queen, and she shaved her hairline to create a big
forehead. Whatever she did, her people wanted to
copy.
…people with tanned skin are considered more beautiful,
so women and men will sit under big lamps, spray paint
their bodies or rub lotion into their skin to tan it.
In countries like Australia, the UK and the USA, many
people want to look like they have been in the sun and
have tanned skin, so they tan themselves with lotion
or sunbeds or spend a long time in the sun. This can be
dangerous and bad for your skin.
…people feel it’s more beautiful to have a lighter skin
tone, and women and men will rub lotion into their skin
to whiten it and avoid going in the sun.
In many places in Asia, such as India, China and
Pakistan, lighter skin is often considered more
attractive. Some people believe they will be more
successful with whiter skin.
…tall is beautiful, and some people have surgery to
make their legs made longer.
In some parts of Asia, such as South Korea, people
have increased their height by having leg-lengthening
surgery.
…people say a beautiful woman has a very curvy figure.
In Brazil, curvy women are the most admired –
although this is starting to change because of the
influence of other countries; people in Brazil are
starting to see being thin as beautiful.
… people have thought it beautiful for women to have
very tiny feet, and girls had their feet bandaged to stop
them growing.
In China, foot binding was very popular until the early
20
th
century. The way it made women walk was seen
as attractive.
…a uni-brow – where both eyebrows join in the middle
– is seen as beautiful in women
In Tajikistan, women feel very lucky if their eyebrows
grow across their foreheads. If they don’t, they use a
herbal mixture to draw a line and join their eyebrows
together.
…having a plump curvy bottom is the most beautiful
way to be.
In Jamaica, dancing is very important. Women with
bigger bottoms can wiggle them a lot when they’re
dancing, which people find beautiful.
… dyed black teeth were thought to be very beautiful in
women.
This teeth-dying practice is called Ohaguro, and was
popular with married women, and sometimes men, in
Japan until the 1900s. It followed an ancient tradition
that black things were seen as beautiful. The dye
actually protected their teeth from decay!
Somewhere in the world…
Beauty around
the World Facts
Read out the facts in
blue. Once the game
is over, or as you go
along, tell the group
the information under
each fact!
Sheet 1.1
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 50
Before and after
airbrushing
Sheet 1.2
Original
Original
Retouched
Retouched
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 51
Media Detectives
The Image Myth exposed!
My example:
The Image Myth is fake because…
It’s not worth trying to look like this Image Myth because…
Sheet 1.3
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 52
Breaking News
on Body Confidence
How to say it:
Ways you could put your message across. Be creative!
Hi, we are…. (say all your names)…. coming to you live from _________________
and we have a question for you! Do you want to learn how to love and
respect your body? Listen closely and learn how.
First, girls should nd out about the Image Myth.
The Image Myth says all girls should look one way. According to the Image Myth,
she should be… (Everyone could take turns saying something from the Image Myth list
– make sure you show how ridiculous it is!)
Now that we know what it is, let’s talk about where the Image Myth comes from.
We hear about it and are encouraged to look like it by… (airbrushing, TV shows,
advertisements, diet industry, talking with friends…).
It’s not good to try to look like the Image Myth, because _________________
(each group member could say one downside each – use the body outlines
you made last session).
One way you can ght against the Image Myth is by…
Our last piece of advice is to always remember:
Love and respect your body and yourself!!
What to say:
Talk about these three things during your press statement:
Tell other participants
what the Image
Myth is and how it’s
promoted to us.
Talk about the downsides
that come from trying to
match the Image Myth and
why you’ve decided to leave
Gloss magazine.
Give participants advice
about what they could say or
do to fight the pressure to look
like the Image Myth to boost
their body confidence.
Sheet 2.1
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 53
Friendship Note
Your challenge is to write
your friend a note to say…
Why you think trying to
look like the Image
Myth has lots of
downsides.
Why you think looking
like the Image Myth is
impossible (remember,
no-one can look like
this!).
What your friend could
say or do to fight the
pressure to look like the
Image Myth.
Don’t forget to bring your note to the next session to share with your group!
Dear ...
From ...
Sheet 2.2
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 54
The Message
Oh my goodness, I just
saw pictures of me in that
dress… I have completely the
wrong body shape for it -
what a mistake!!
I’m not going to go to the
school dance, I’m feeling
really fat today.
I feel so self-conscious
about my massive ears, I
wish I hadn’t had my hair
cut short.
Just got told I have to
wear braces on my teeth…
end of the world! See you
in a year!
Nobody at school is going
to like me if I can’t get
into these tight t jeans,
I better lose some weight.
Summer’s round the corner!
Can’t wait for the sun,
CAN wait to get my horrible
fat legs out.
My feet are huge!! They
look ridiculous in my
summer shoes.
OMG I’m so at-chested,
there’s no way I’m going
to wear a bikini to the
beach.
OK I have to lose weight,
and fast. I am never
going to get a boyfriend/
girlfriend looking like this.
She could have the body of
a supermodel if she really
wanted it.
SHEET 3.1
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 55
Statement for
Quick Comebacks
“I wish I could look
more like my friend
Alina, she’s got amazing
long slim legs.”
“He will never get a
girlfriend, he’s far
too short.”
“Did you see that person
who walked past? She was
so skinny you could almost
see through her!”
“That celebrity has really
let herself go, it’s such
a shame - she used to be
so thin.”
“Her [could insert name
of celebrity here] hair is so
long and straight and
smooth, I wish mine
looked like that too.”
“Oh I love that dress,
but it would look much
better on you than me –
my bottom is too big for it.”
“All the photos of me at the
party all show off the braces
on my teeth – I just don’t want
anyone to see the pictures.”
“She needs to be
careful – she’s starting
to get massive shoulders
from all the swimming
she does.”
“I feel sorry for her,
I think she’d be really pretty
if she didn’t have those spots
all over her face.”
Sheet 3.2
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 56
Mirror Mirror
Step 1) I like…
Write down here:
Three things you like about your personality (e.g. kindness).
Three parts of your body that you like because
of what they can do (e.g., legs because they let me run).
Three parts of your body you like the look of
(e.g. arms or stomach).
(Can you name any more? Amazing! Keep going!)
Step 2) Look at me – I am fantastic!
Stand in front of a mirror, smile at your reflection and say
“I love my XXX” – using the list you’ve just come up with.
How does it feel? Practise doing this as much as you can.
How many more things can you add to your list while looking in the mirror?
Don’t forget! Bring along your list to the next Free Being Me session.
Sheet 3.2
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 57
Two girls walk into a clothes shop and start
talking about the outfits they will buy for a
party they are both going to. Talk about colours and
styles, and introduce the sentence, “I love this dress,
it’s beautiful. I think you should try this on – you will
look great in it because you’re so skinny and have such
great legs.”
Two girls are going swimming. They haven’t
been swimming for a long time and are looking
forward to it and talking about jumping into the pool
and so on. They get into their swimwear and one girl
comes out of the changing room, saying, “Do I look fat
in this?”
Two girls are looking over photos from a recent
trip they had. They laugh at the funny faces
they pull in one picture, then as they look at the next
picture one girl says she’s doesn’t like that photo
because it makes her look fat. Her friend replies, “You
think you look fat? Look at me!”
Two girls are looking at make-up in a store.
One of the girls says, “Even this make-up won’t
fix my skin and it’s certainly not going to do anything
about my glasses and braces!”
For leaders to act out.
Have fun with these; this activity should be lighthearted!
A girl is waiting for her friend. They haven’t
seen each other for a while and greet each
other in a really excited way. Then one girl stands
back and says, “Wow, you look great! Have you lost
weight?”
Two girls are standing in a corridor at school,
talking about their homework. They both watch
someone walk past, then one whispers to the other,
“Did you SEE how big her bum [/butt] is?”
Two girls are flicking through magazines. They
talk about one of the stories and start talking
about the photos of the people. At some point, one girl
should say, “Honestly, you would look as pretty as [the
celebrity] if you were a bit thinner”.
Body Talk
Scenarios
1
5
6
7
2
3
4
Sheet 4.1
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 58
Spread the Word
Pledge Cards
Signed Date
One thing I will do to challenge
the Image Myth for me is…
Signed Date
One thing I will do to challenge
the Image Myth for other people is…
Sheet 4.2
My
Spread the
Word pledge
My
Spread the
Word pledge
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 59
Take Action
Planner
Sheet 5.1
Take
Action stage
Take Action stage
What is our
message?
Use the messages you came up
with as a whole group.
Where will our
Take Action project
happen?
Your meeting space, school,
community space, outdoors, your
house…
How can we get
people involved?
Use your T-shirt slogan to get
them interested to hear more.
Do we need any
help?
Think about who you might need
help or permission from.
Who from our
community do we
want to reach?
School pupils, friends, family,
other youth groups, people
coming to community events.
Who will do what?
Give each person a job and make
sure everyone is included.
What will our Take
Action project look
like?
Run a café, stage a show, have a
sleepover, run a special Girl Guide/
Girl Scout meeting, have a party,
hold a community event, take over
a school assembly or break-time…
What resources do
we need?
Pens, paper, food, drink, chairs,
tables, music, laptop…
Ideas
Our notes
Free Being Me | Activities for 11–14 year olds page 60
My
Free Being Me
Pledge
I will help create a world free of the Image Myth, where everyone
is condent in their bodies, and feels free to be themselves!
I will
Signed Date
I will help create a world free of the Image Myth, where everyone
is condent in their bodies, and feels free to be themselves!
I will
Signed Date
Sheet 5.2
