The Body Image Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help Girls Develop a Healthy Body Image in an Image-Obsessed World

by Julia V. Taylor

Like most teens, you want to feel good about the way you look. But what happens when the way you look just doesn’t feel good enough? Whether it’s online, on TV, or in magazines, images of impossibly perfect―and mostly Photoshopped―young women are everywhere.  As a result, you may feel an intense pressure to look a certain way.  Your friends feel the pressure too, which often creates a secret comparison competition that can make you feel worse about yourself.  So how can you start feeling good about who you are, as is?
 
In  The Body Image Workbook for Teens , you’ll find practical exercises and tips that address the most common factors that can lead to negative body image, comparison, negative self-talk, unrealistic media images, societal and family pressures, perfectionism, toxic friendships, and a fear of disappointing others. You’ll also learn powerful coping strategies to deal with the daily, intense pressures of being a teenage girl.
 
Being a teen girl in today’s world is hard, and no one knows that more than you. But if you are ready to stop comparing yourself to others, silence your inner critic, and build authentic, lasting self-confidence―this book is your go-to guide.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology

200 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2014

Reviews

[Roberta Frontini (Blogue FLAMES) · Rating 4 out of 5]

GREAT book! Great for teen, specially girls! I just wish there was a complementary book for a CBT psychologist. Nevertheless, I really recommend it! I love the exercises! Just great!

[Ellen Kunce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book in June after being told by my therapist I had body dysmorphia due to my mother, friends at school and social media (TikTok, I’m looking at you). I take my time with self-help books.

As much as we want to read quickly and fix things quickly these days- it’s just not possible for someone to fix their issues about their body or self esteem over night, in my opinion. So I think- if anyone judges me for how long it takes me to read a book or work in a work book- that’s just unkind. Anyway, overall this book helped me soo much. I did it at the same time as another book like this, and the repetitiveness of both seemed to really help! Now I see that people come in all different sizes and colors, and healthy isn’t a number on a scale, it’s how you feel.

Also, Lizzo helped me with that too! Anyway, I recommend this one to young girls to women- just because it says it’s for teens, doesn’t mean adults can’t work in this work book! Besides, who’s gunna know?

Also, I wish they had a version for this for boys and men too, because I know they get body image and body shamed too. Even though this book is titled the body image work book for teens, it’s mostly centered on teen girls- but it would be great if there was one out there for boys and men!

Overall 🍅💯⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Anna Schoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This workbook is targeted toward biologically female teens. This is a great resource for guiding teen girls through body image concerns and reframing faulty thoughts and beliefs around body image concerns. As a therapist I would definitely recommend this as a resource either for an individual to use on their own or to supplement therapy. I could also see how these activities could be of use as a part of a group setting. My main hangup is that it is not gender inclusive.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

The Body Image Workbook for Teens lives up to the title by guiding teen girls toward a more grounded and realistic view of themselves. It is a quick and easy read, mostly filled with strategic questionnaires for girls to answer.

The first set of questionnaires deal mostly with feelings vs. thought vs. judgements. Answers help differentiate between judgement and truth. It breaks down the various body parts and helps identify the areas a teen may have the most trouble with or should appreciate more (e.g., answering which parts come from which side of the family, and activities to treat a body with kindness). The next section goes into the changes of puberty and how they have affected the body. After that, the most common peer pressure issues, from being 'thin enough' to having a look that 'fits in', are explored. Solutions are given to help teens deal with the pressures (from peers, advertising, etc.), and slowing down to recognize that every person is distinct and unique - more than a number. Finally, topics such as conceit vs confidence, body language, and follow up thoughts after the books is completed.

Short vignettes from teens with similar examples are given throughout. Although there are many sections, each is only 1-2 pages long with a lot of room to write in answers. Because 75% of the book made up of questions, ideally this is a physical copy purchase rather than an e-book (though parents/daughters could perhaps do this together with an e device and separate notebook).

The book doesn't just identify problems - there are quite a few solutions with each section. This makes the book both proactive (involving ways to combat body issues) and reactive (using questions to subtly identify problems).

I have a twelve year old and chose this to have a starting point with her to help her develop positive body issues. She is young enough now that she is open to discussions with her parent. But the book is also written in a friendly enough manner that older teens can work through it on their own as well. Admittedly, there are several areas that felt like psychobabble (e.g., "How do you feel about this - write it down"). But as an adult, I am more jaded in a way a teen wouldn't be.

So yes, a useful book that is comprehensive enough to be effective and useful but not so dense as to be onerous or unusable.

Reviewed from an ARC.

[Gio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every teen wants to feel good about the way they look. But, sadly, very few do. Magazines, television, billboards, social media, and even the internet all promote an ideal of beauty that’s unachievable. As a result, girls as young as 9 go on diets to lose weight, develop eating disorders, and learn to compare their bodies to those of other, often photoshopped, women.

So, how can you stop hating your body and learn to love yourself as you are? It’s not an easy task, but a good starting point is The Body Image Workbook for Teens by Julia V Taylor. It’s a small book but it covers a wide range of issues, such as negative self-talk, pressure from society and friends to look a certain way, fat talk, gratitude, compliments, body language, and a lot more.

Each chapter is divided into three sections: “for you to know” explains the issue; “for you to explore” features examples of real girls who are experiencing the problem, and the negative impact it has on their lives; and “explore more”, where you are given a series of exercises to overcome the issue.

For instance, the “you are more than a number” chapter explains how society and the media are obsessed with numbers, such as calories, bra size, age, height, BMI, etc… Then, you are asked to reframe your thoughts in relation to these numbers, and make them more realistic. So, “I just hate a million fat grams. I’m so gross,” becomes “Fat grams don’t make you gross. And I probably didn’t eat a million.” Finally, readers are encouraged to list all the numbers they have used to define themselves, such as their jeans size, and add “I am more than” in front of them.

Each section is only 2 or 3 pages long, but features lots of questions to encourage young girls to think critically about they messages they are bombarded with on a daily basis. But don’t worry, there’s no preaching here. Taylor writes in a very friendly, compassionate, and encouraging manner.

My only concern is that, because the workbook asks you to be honest about your feelings and your problems, which can be quite painful to do, a lot of girls may abandon it too soon, thus depriving themselves of important tools they need to build a healthy body image and boost their confidence.

A solution would be for mothers to help their daughters with the workbook. Each chapter offers a wonderful opportunity for any mother (or father, or teacher, or caretaker) to start a discussion with her teen daughter about body image issues. And they may boost their own confidence too. Although the book is aimed at teens, its tips and tools are also useful for adults who are dealing with body image issues.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE BODY IMAGE WORKBOOK FOR TEENS is a guide, not just for girls with body image issues, but tackle universal subjects including self-esteem, communication, boundaries. I'm a child/teen psychologist. I'd recommend this to clients and I'd possibly organize a support group around the topics since body image is something most girls and women struggle with at some point in their lives. Adults would also benefit from this workbook, or with a little repackaging this could be converted to a book for adults.

Chapters consist of the issue, explanation/empathy, and exercises to overcome the issue. For instance, the chapter You Are More Than Your Body, first an explanation that sometimes girls blame their bodies for things that have nothing to do with appearances (I won't get elected to student council, I'm too fat). Next, examples of body blaming and reframing those thoughts into reality. After that, readers are asked to list positive traits and enjoyable activities that have nothing to do with appearances. Readers are then asked to think about how they've bashed their bodies and things they can do to be kind and celebrate their bodies. Other exercises examine who and what helped shape readers body images, creating a list of positive body experiences.

While I would recommend to clients struggling with these issues, I'm not sure how helpful or effective this workbook will be without professional or adult input. There are just so many heavy topics packed into these 184 pages that will be better integrated with dialogue and guidance. I would say thing about many adults using this and other workbooks.

I was given a free unedited ebook from Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review. Because my copy was unfinished and not formatted, I can't speak to the layout and usability of the workbook for doing activities, however I generally believe self-help workbooks are more effective in paperback than e-copies for completing exercises.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was well thought out. There are a lot of questions it asks to help girls think through WHY they feel a certain way about their bodies, and not just assure them with platitudes that "everyone is beautiful in their own way". The way a young woman feels about her body is very real. And while their feelings are not always the truth, they are real.

This workbook does an excellent job of bringing out opportunities for discussion between mother and daughter, or small group and leader. I have three teen/preteen girls at home and will be using this book to open up issues we may otherwise not discuss openly.
The real life experiences/stories from girls in this age range is also a nice part of the book. Girls will see that they are not alone in their feelings of inadequacy, and perhaps realize that their feelings are not always a reflection of truth.

This is a great resource for moms and daughters. I would recommend it to any mom of girls.

I received this book free from Annick Press in exchange for an honest review

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I would have had this book ten years ago when my oldest was a teenager. This is a wonderful resource for parents and teens. A lot of books seem to just tell the teens that they are beautiful and though it is an ego boost it doesn't explain why which leaves room for further doubt. This book dives into the whys and leaves little room for the doubt.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley

[Manal Marghalani · Rating 5 out of 5]

لااااااازم يترجموه للعربي...لاااازم

[Bree Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

40 activities designed to help improve body image. I couldn't find the "adult" book in the library so I got the teen one.

Well done and was a great workbook to use for the past couple of months.