Teenagers need body confidence!

Hi, my name is Milly and before I start I just want to thank you for taking an interest in my blog. In 2009 a survey was carried out on teenagers in England and it found that 70% are unhappy with their bodies. This is a shocking amount. I feel that all teenagers, boys and girls, need to be comfortable with themselves and that it why I am supporting TV style guru Gok Wan, who I’m sure you have heard of. I want to help him put Body Confidence lessons on the School Curriculum. I would like all teenagers to be able to see that they do have good qualities.

We are influenced by the media and most of the photos that you see in magazines and newspapers have been airbrushed. This means that they have been modified technologically using a computer. I want to help people who believe that they have no good qualities in their appearance realise that they do. I feel that we need to have Body Confidence Lessons for the following reasons;

• The lessons will teach us to be happy with the qualities that we have and to focus on the good points, not the bad points.
• The lessons, although they will be held only occasionally, will be fun and interactive and relative to a teenager’s problems.
• These lessons are not just for teenage girls, they are used for boys too, and with good reason. The same survey I mentioned before found that only 13% of boys are comfortable with the way they look.
• The lessons also teach teenagers how to dress for their shape and size, and to remember that the pictures of models and celebrities in the magazines may be airbrushed.
• The lessons will also teach teenagers about the dangers of cosmetic surgery and because 48% of teenage girls are considering cosmetic surgery.

I thank you again for reading and being interested in my advocacy to put Body Confidence on the School Curriculum. Please tell me what your opinion is by posting a comment. Or, you could even write a short response, which would be great and very useful for my coursework, to some of the following questions;

1. Had you heard of Gok Wan’s campaign before reading this blog, and if so do you support it?
2. After reading this blog, do you feel more informed an aware of the issue?
3. Have I changed your opinion about Body Confidence Lessons and if so, how?
4. Would you now be prepared to support Gok Wan and myself by raising awareness for our campaign?
5. Would you be prepared to tell your family and friends about the issue?

Thank you for your time,
Milly

(Gok Wan and his co-advocate Shona Collins (Miss Naked Beauty 2008) deliver their petition to Number 10.)