Resources

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Body Image []



**No Figure in My Utopian World by Bianca Gamble ** From No Body's Pefect: Stories by Teens About Body Image, Self-Acceptance, and the Search for Identity

In my utopian world there would be no perfect figure. Young women wouldn't strive to look like one another. Young souls wouldn't shatter in disappointment to look like the thin. Beauty would only be found from within. Supermodels in our society would be the Mother Tereasa types, so loving, beautiful, and gifted inside. Too fat... Too thin... Too short... Too tall... It's all a game, a game that we no longer have to play. If we lived in my utopian world human figures would be the last talk of the day. Wearing a bathing suit wouldn't be as hard as it is. Young girls wouldn't harm their bodies to please their peers. If we lived in my utopian world. There would be no perfect figure only perfect love.



Body image is on the minds of every teen across the country and across the globe. From books to magaiznes to movies, having the right body image is everywhere teens look.​

The Uglies Trilogy Vist the site for Scott Westerfeld at [] for a complete list.

[|The Smoke Lives Fansite] This site was designed for fans of The Uglies book. It contains an interview with the author, cool cover art, a link to a chat room and other cool stuff for fans.

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"Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong wit that? Tally is abut to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license--for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there. But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world--and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she an imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever." (Summary on the back of the book.)======

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"Georgeous. Popular. Perfect. Perfectly wrong. Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everythig she's ever wanted. But beneath all the fun--the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom--is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold. Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life--because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive." (Summary on the back of the book.)======

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"Special Circumstances. Tally thought they were a rumor, but now she's one of them. A Special. A super-amped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid. But maybe being perfectly programmed with strength and focus //isn't// better than anything shes ever known. Tally still has memories of something else. But it's easy for her to tune that out--until she's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same." (Summary on the back of the book.)======

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"Fame. It's a few years after rebel Tally Youngblood took down the uglies/pretties/specials regime. Without those strict roles and rules, the world is in a complete cultural renaissance. "Tech-heads" flaunt their latest gadgets, "kickers" spread gossip and trends, and "surge monkeys" are hooke on extreme plastic surgery. And it's all monitored on a bazillion different cameras. The world is like a gigantic game of //American Idol//. Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules. As if being fifteen doesn't suck enough, Aye Fuse's rank of 451,396 is so low, she's a total nobody. An extra. Her only chance to escape extra-land is to find a big story to kick--something wild and unexpected. Then Aya meets a clique of girls wo pull crazy tricks, yet are deeply secretive of it. But the Sly Girls are hiding something bigger--an explosive discovery that may change the face of the brave new world forever. If Aya kicks this story, she'll be propelled into the world of fame, celebrity...and extreme danger. A world she'snot prepared for." (Summary on inside of the book jacket.)======

Books About Body Image  [|I took dieting too far title page.pdf]

Youth Communication. (2005). //I Took Dieting Too Far: Teens Write About Obesity and Self Image//. New York: Youth Communication. "Six teens write about their struggles with obesity and body image. Several female writers face harassment from their peers because they don't have "ideal" body types. Other writers--including a male teen--develop eating disorders because of their obsession with being thin. These stories show the pressures teens face when they are confronted by unrealistic standards for physical appearance." (Introduction by Youth Communication.)

Visit thier website at [|www.youthcomm.org] for more stories and videos, and also other publications by Youth Communication.

 [] Kirberger, K. (2003). //No Body's Perfect: Stories by Teens About Body Image, Self-Acceptance, and the Search for Identity.// New York: Scholastic. "Do you love your body? That may seem like a pretty crazy question, given all the reasons you've been given //not// to love your body--pictures of stick-thin models everywhere you look, a million commercials for weightloss plans on TV, and tons of magazine articles telling you how to //Think Thin! Tweeze Those Brows! Trim That Tummy!// But what about learning to accept, appreciate, ad love your body just the way i is? Because it's a part of you, and when you love yourself, you love every part of yourself, you love every part of yourself. Even the parts that aren't "perfect." Accepting yourself just the way you are may seem like a pretty big challenge. It may even seem impossible. But it's not. You're about to read stories from real teens--and from Kimberly Kirberger, the best-selling coauthor of the //Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul// books--who have done it. You can do it, too. But why bother? Well, because once you learn to love yourself and make peace wih your body, dealing with other things like relationships, school, and family stuff gets a lot easier. If you want to find out more about how it's all connected, start reading. Begin your journey." (From the back of the book)

**Rutledge, J. Z. (2007).** //**Picture perfect: what you need to feel better about your body** //**. Florida: Health Communications, Inc.** "Do you ever wish you looked like someone else? Or that you could skip school because you feel self-conscious about your appearance? Do you think you're fat or ugly, even though everyone says you're fine? So many girls have these kinds of feelings from time to time. The important thing is to find ways of coping with them so they don't stop you from living your life. //Picture Perfect// will help you see how other girls who struggle with liking themselves have found solutions that //really help// them feel better about who they are--and their stories will show //you// ways to feel better too! Jill Zimmerman Rutledge counsels girls with body-image issues and understands that many girls feel they need to be a "perfect" all-around girl--including having a "perfect" appearance. Read other girls' stories about feeling unattractive, worrying about food and weight, finding a unique style, dealing with mean girls--and much more. You'll see how they use positive messages or Special Statements, like "A beautiful thing is //never// perfect," or "I'm a creative chick, not a carbon copy," to calm down their insecurities. Learn how to discover your own Special Statements and Action Plans so that you too can begin to see your own true beauty--and feel as //picture perfect// as you already are!" (From the back of the book.)

Visit Jill's website at http://jillzimmermanrutledge.com to find out more.

**Libal, A. (2005).** //**Can I change the way I look?: a teen's guide to the health implications of cosmetic surgery, makeovers, and beyond.** //**PA: Mason Crest Publishers.** "If you're like most people, you probably wish you could change at least one part of your body. Perhaps you think a makeover, a new you, will make all the difference in the world. Maybe you think that changing your looks will change your life. And if you believe the advertisements you see on television and in magazines, you might think it will be easy to achieve your beauty goals. But when it comes to makeovers, there's more to success than meets the eye. In this book, you'll learn about current trends in the makeover industry and the promises and risks that come with them. You'll also explore why we as a culture are so beauty-obsessed. Finally, you'll learn about the many options available that can help change the way you feel about yourself and others--not simply the way you look!" (From the back of the book.)

Videos, Music & Websites

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**Christopher, E. (2009).** //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**Teen truth: an inside look at body image.** //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**Mount Kisco, NY: Human Relations Media.** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> In this video, teens talk about what body image means and how it has effected them. Among the subtopics discussed are eating disorders and use of performance enhancers and anabolic steroids. One girl says that "the world is so shallow that it's taught me that my body is who I am. My appearance is who I am. But I don't like the me inside." Another girl talks about having surgery to shrink her stomach at 15 and still felt she was unaccepted after dropping over 100 pounds. One guy says that what teens think about body image is based on what the media says. Girls talk about the message that magazines send to teens. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> **National Eating Disorders Screening Program, Screening for Mental Health, Inc. & Castle Works, Inc. (2000s).** <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">//<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**How you look is not who you are: teens talk about eating disorders.** // <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> **In the mix. New York, NY: Castle Works.** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> In this DVD, teens talk about how the media effects body image. Also young women, and even young guys talk about eating disorders--trying to control body weight to have some control over their life. However, you loose control because you become obsessive about your weight. They also discuss the effects eating disorders have on you physically and mentally.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**Sunburst Visual Media. (2004).** //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**Real people. Have a healthy body image. Eat right!** //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**Plainview, NY: Sunburst Visual Media.** This DVD includes 11 parts with discussion questions for each part. Part one of this video is on body image and weight. In one segment of this video, teens talk about what body image means to them and also what they think when they hear the words, "fat" and "thin." The discussion questions at the end of this segment are:

"Do you think it's important to be thin? Why?" "Do you think teens are sometimes excluded socially because they are overweight? Why?"

[|Teen Truth: Body Image]

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<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Teens talk about about body image--what peers think, what they think of themselves, and what the media says what you should look like. Teens worry about body image and try to find ways to change themselves in unhealthy ways. ======

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This video uses snippets from beauty ads and includes images of women getting plastic surgery to show how the media influences young girls about thier body image. That they have to diet, purge themselves, and have surgery to look like the beautiful women portrayed in magazines, commericals, and movies.======

[|Teen Body Obsession]
This video showsyoung teenagers who are obssessed with thier body image. One girl's mom is perfectly fine with her daughter's obsession; in fact, she encourages it.

[|Building Confidence & Self-Esteem in Young Girls]
In this video clip, girls talk about body image and self-esteem. Girls talk about how important looks are to them because if you're not pretty you don't have friends. There is a need to feel accepted.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">[|More Beautiful You] This is a link to the lyrics for the song, "More Beautiful" You by Johnny Diaz, a popular Christian Music artist. The song talks about a fourteen-year-old girl who is unhappy about the way she looks. Check out this music video by Johnny Diaz at [].

[|Nova Online] This site by PBS is a companion to the film, "Dying to be Thin," which originally aired in December 2000. T​here is a link to the video, as well as other links, such as ask the experts and a teacher's guide. This is a source that could be used as part of a health unit. After watching the video, the link to "Body Needs" could be used to find out about nutritional needs and then have a class discussion on eating disorders.

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The Bulimia Nervosa Resource Guide at [] is a great resource for information on Bulimia. Among numerous links, there is a link for finding treatment centers.======

Anothr resource on body image and eating disorders is []. This pdf file includes a link to a utube video trailer for a video called "Beauty Mark." There is also list of other videos that can be great resources to inform viewers on eating disorders and the dangers of an unhealthy body image. Included in the list of other resources is a video on good food and bad food. This would be good for teens who are concerned about dieting. Instead of going on outrageous diets or taking pills, knowing how to eat a well balanced diet is very important way to develop a healhy body image.

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San Antonio College has a wellness week. Visit thier website, [] for links to videos discussingthe dangers of "fat talk"--the impact it has on a woman's self-esteem.======

PBS is a good resource to find information. Visit [] to find a video called "Food Smarts." Besides the video, there are links--body, school, emotions--that are also important in developing a healthy body image.

Teens and Body Image: Tips On Liking the Skin You're In is a site that discusses body image and gives signs of body image problems and how to improve your body image. Visit [] to find out more.

The website, [] is deadicated to giving teens advice about body image and self-esteem. There is a link to quizzes on eating disorders, and also other links like important things teens should know before starting a diet.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Uglies Blog <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Visit this Uglies blog to read a summary of the book and the plot. There are also links to other sites as well as a chat link. []

<span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 195%;">Reviews for //Uglies// Good Reads [] This link is to a book review of //Uglies// by Scott Westerfeld.

Teens Read [] This link is to a book review. It also includes links to other books by Scott Westerfeld and the option to become a reviewer.

<span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 195%;">Articles "Body Image: Teenagers and Cosmetic Surgery," an article published orignally in March 2005 of //Virtual Mentor//, discusses teenagers and plasic surgery. The article discusses one concern about teenagers getting plastic surgery is that teen bodies are still developing. It is important to be well-informed when it comes to augmenting the body. Having surgery should not be taken lightly--there are risks when it comes to surgery. Visit [] to read the full article.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Kelly AM, Wall M, Eisenberg ME, Story M, & Neumark-Sztainer D. (2005). Adolescent girls with high body satisfaction: who are they and what can they teach us? //The Journal of Adolescent Health : Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine.// 37 (5), 391-6. Adolescent Girls With High Body Satisfaction: Who Are They and What Can They Teach Us? published in th Journal of Adolescent Health in November 2005, discusses teen girls with high body satisfaction and the impact that things such as environment has on thier high body satisfaction.

<span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 195%;">Magazines <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> []

Lahman, D. (1997). The body trap. //Seventeen//, 56 (6), 138-141. Retrieved May 25, 2010, from Research Library. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=13148506&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=13225&RQT=309&VName=PQD "Many women struggle throughout their lives with //body image// and feel pressure from family members, peers and themselves to conform to societies' ideal of perfection seen in magazines and Hollywood. Several tips offered include exercise for health and energy, establish long-term goals, surround yourself with girlfriends who don't want to body-bash and accept your body for what it is." (Abstract)

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Shalmali, P. (2000). Who says you have to be a size 6 to be happy? //Seventeen//, 59 (1), 108-109. Retrieved May 25, 2010, from Research Library. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=47142090&sid=3&Fmt=2&clientId=13225&RQT=309&VName=PQD "Three young women who are proud not to be skinny are profiled. They have learned that some of their thinner friends aren't necessarily happy--or healthy." (Abstract)

Visit Seventeen magazine's website at [] for links on the latest news on your favorite topics. Seventeen online also offers a link on college and career, and also fun links for health/fitness, makeup, fashion, and dating.

<span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 195%;">Google Books //Bogus to Bubbly An Insider's Guide to the World of Uglies// is an accompaniment to the book, //Uglies//. Google books has a selection from this book you can read online. Go to [].

//Using Literature to Help Troubled Teens Cope With Identity Issues// is a good resource for understanding more about body image through literature. //Uglies// is on book that can help put things into perspective. [].

Levine, M. P.; Smolak, L. (2005). //The Prevention of Eating Problems and Eating Disorders: Theory, Research, and Practice//. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. [] This book includes information on eating disorder organizations and websites; references to other sources on body image and other materials.

<span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 195%;">Other Books by Scott Westerfeld <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">

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"Strange things happen at midnight in the town of Bixby, Oklahoma. Time freezes. Nobody moves. For one secret hour each night, the town belongs to the dark creatures that haunt the shadows. Only a small group of teenagers knows about the secret hour--only they are free to move about the midnight time. They call themselves Midnighters." (Summary on the back of the book.)======

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"Bixby, Oklahoma, is full of secrets. Some of them should stay hidden. As the Midnighters search for the truth about the secret hour, the uncover terrifying mysteries woven into the very fabric of Bixby's history and a conspiracy that touches the world of daylight. The Midnighters are now in mortal danger, an in great risk of losing one of thier own." (Summary on the back of the book.)======

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"After centuries of waiting, trapped in the midnight hour, the darklings will hunt once again. The Midnighters of Bixby, Okhahoma, thought they understood the secret midnight hour--until time freezes //in the middle of the day//. The noise of school stops. Cheerleaders are frozen in midair. Everything is the haunted blue color of the midnight hour." (Summary on the back of the book.)======

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"> []

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"Okay, let's clear up some myths about vampires. First of all, you won't see me using the v-word much. In night watch, we prefer the term //parasite positives//, or //peeps// for short. The main thing to remember is that there's no magic involved. No flying. No transforming into bats or rats either. We're talking about a disease.======

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After a chance encounter with a mysterious woman one night, Cal Thompson's life is changed forever. He's been infected with an insidious parasite. The good news: he's only a carrier--still sane, without the worst of the symptoms. The bad news: he's infected all his former girlfriends--and now they've turned into what Cal calls peeps. The rest of us call them vampires. And it's Cal's job to hunt them down befor they create even more of their kind..."======

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<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Crutcher, C. (1993). //Staying Fat for Sarah Byrns//. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell. ======

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"What do you get when you throw together one of the most hideous human beings outside a circus and the fattest boy in high school? Two kids with the "terminal uglis" who are inseperable best friends. When smart, sarcastic Sarah Byrnes was three years old, her face and hands were badly burned in a mysterious accident, and her father wouldn't allow her to have reconstructive surgery. High-school senior Eric "Moby" Calhoune's father left before he was born. Eric spent his early years on a steady diet of Oreos and Twinkies, and he has the girth to prove it. When Eric joins the swim team and begins to shed his extra pounds, he fears he might also lose the one friendship he treasures. The truth of Sarah Byrnes's horrific past finally catches up with her, and she stops speaking. It is Eric's mission to help find a way through the pain. But concovering the truth is dangerous--especially when someone else doesn't want it uncovered." (Summary on the back of the book.)======

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"> [] Flake, S. G. (1998). //The Skin I'm In//. New York: Scholastic. //When Miss Saunders asks, "What's my face say?" don't nobody say nothing.// //"Don't get all closed-mouth, now," she says. "I hear you whispering in the hall. Laughing at me." She walks the ailes again. She stops by me and sits on my desk. "Faces say more than you think. Even mine. Don't be shy, say what's on your mind." My hand goes up. I figure she's embarrassed me twice since she's been here this week. Now it's her turn. "Not to hurt your feelings...but...I think your face says you're a freak." Miss Saunders puts her hands to her chin like she's praying. She gets up and walks the room, pacing. We don't say nothing. We just listen to the clock tick. Shuffle our papers. Watch for some reaction from Miss Saunders. (From the back of the book.)//

"The voice of Maleeka Madison is endearing, honest, and powerful. She vocalizes authentic adolescent fears--of social acceptance, peer intimidation, and self-image. Slowly, Maleeka grows from seed to bloom as she gradually learns to love herself. Sharon Flake writes with the soul of her characters--a rare and wonderful talent." --Sharon Draper (Quote on back of the book.)

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