Our misplaced cultural values when it comes to physical appearance — that everyone ought to be young, thin and gorgeous — has a negative impact on kids who are just coming of age. These views are mostly presented to kids through the media or by their parents.

Kids are becoming aware of celebrities at an increasingly young age. And of course celebrities are almost always very attractive and very popular. To a young person with not much experience in the world, it can seem as if anybody who isn't somebody is nobody, and of course kids want to grow up to be somebody. As a result, they often want to emulate the appearances of celebrities without realizing what is beneath the surface of their lives. This often results in kids having poor body image and sometimes life-threatening eating disorders.

Parents can either compound this problem by thinking too much of celebrities themselves, or by passing on their own body image and weight obsessions, either consciously or unconsciously, to their kids. Parents who are constantly worried about their weight to the point that they fail to enjoy a well-rounded life are sending a message to their children that what your body looks like is more important than your health, how you feel, how you present yourself, and other qualities that are rarely found in magazines. Some parents worry that their children are or will be overweight, so they introduce unhealthy and unnecessary anxieties in them.

So what's the solution? We need to shift our values away from gorgeous celebrities and on to things that don't have body image attached to them at all like science, art, and literature. We need to turn our kids focus towards eating for good health, not body image, and encourage them to develop their brains and natural gifts, not their figures.

I. Word List

gorgeous: really beautiful

emulate: to copy

figures: body shapes

II. Answer the following questions.

1. Why is it unhealthy to be obsessed about body image?

___________________________________________________________.

2. How do kids often get poor body images?

___________________________________________________________.

3. What are healthier things for kids to focus on rather than body image?

___________________________________________________________.

4. Can you think of some other ways to help kids feel better about themselves?

___________________________________________________________.

5. Do you think celebrities have a responsibility help kids develop better body images? Why or why not?

___________________________________________________________.

III. Word Groups—Complete the following word groups with words from the reading.

1. famous people, stars, c _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

2. pretty, gorgeous, a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3. books, pamphlets, m _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4. not successful, can't do, f _ _ _

5. sickness, illness, d _ _ _ _ _ _ _

IV. True, False, or Not Given—Read these sentences carefully. Write T (true), F (false), or NG (not given) for each one.

___ 1. Most celebrities present good body images.

___ 2. Some children get a poor body image from their parents.

___ 3. All teenagers have an eating disorder.

___ 4. Parents should teach their children how to eat in a healthy way.

___ 5. Many magazines are responsible for sending children negative messages.