Psychology of Adjustment

Semester III

Unit 1: Internals

Community Mental Health Awareness Programme

Title: What is Body Positivity?

Co-ordinators: Anuja Koli and Gayatri Mavlankar

Participant demographic details:

The awareness program will be conducted at Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Home for

Children, Matunga, with children of 9 to 13 years of age. These children are studying in 4 th to
8th standard.

Layout of the Programme:

Introduction via photos and videos:

The awareness program will begin by showing the children (participants) images of
celebrities that have undergone weight change for different types of roles. This will also
include videos of movies in which the actors have depicted roles of different body wights or
skin colours. The participants will be asked to describe the celebrities in the pictures. Based
on the words (mostly adjectives) used by the participants to describe the pictures, we will
introduce the topic of body image and body positivity.

Explanation of Concepts:

The participants will be explained in detail about what is body image and what is
body positivity, and will be further explained how it is linked to teasing. Here the participants
will be explained what is teasing, and will be asked to share any experiences if they have
faced any kind of teasing either at the institute or at school. While sharing their experiences
the participants will also be asked to share what they had felt when they were teased based on
their body.
 Tags and slang terms:

The participants will be asked to list all the words that they have used or have heard
others use to describe how someone looks. They will be then asked where they have heard
these words or whom they have seen using these words. The group of words that will be
focused upon will be related to body sizing like short, tall, thin, fat, fair, dark, having
spectacles. The participants will be explained that it is not okay to tag people using these
terms, as these are merely physical features which are subjective to change.

Creating a safe space for experience sharing:

This small exchange of experiences will facilitate everyone to know, that if they are
going to something similar, they are not alone and that it is a safe space to discuss such
topics. Another motive is that, for those of our participants who may have previously teased
others, or continue doing so, will be able to see how their teasing affects the other person.

Role play:

The experience sharing session will be ended with an impromptu role play, which will
include the impact of teasing on individual as well as how being body positive can help
individuals overcome teasing remarks.

The session will end with the co-ordinators re-emphasising the importance of body
positivity and effects of teasing.