Body Positivity with Dove: Empowering students to handle the pressure at the intersection of sports and body image
Content warning: This article contains content that may be sensitive to students. Please review the content of this post before sharing it with your students.
Be sure to check out the suggested Huddle question at the bottom of this article to discuss this important topic with your students in class, if you feel it is appropriate.
In February, we celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day, a day meant to bring awareness to the positive impact of sports, celebrate women’s sports, and honor their achievements in athletics. But did you know that 45% of girls drop out of sports by age 14 because of body image issues? Maybe you caught the Super Bowl commercial by Dove that highlighted this fact after featuring a light-hearted montage of young girls playing various sports, including gymnastics, soccer, basketball, softball, and football.
The Super Bowl has long been known for its entertaining commercials, but some advertisements go beyond the laughs and product placements to address important issues. Dove’s Super Bowl commercial is an example of this, shedding light on body image in sports and its potential impact on students. Because self-esteem can impact academic performance, educators play an important role in helping students understand how media and brands can influence how they see themselves. Read on to discover how to empower students to handle the pressure regarding their self-esteem.
Unpacking Dove’s Super Bowl commercial and what it means for students
Dove’s commercial, aired during the Super Bowl, starts with a positive look at girls in sports, like a clip of a young girl falling from a high bar and smiling at the camera. Then, it shows the fact that almost half of girls quit sports by the age of 14, as well as a shot of a young girl looking at herself in the mirror, and ends with the tag #KeepHerConfident. This ad is part of Dove’s Body Confident Sports program, an initiative by Dove and Nike that provides positive role models for students and coaches them on body positivity and self-esteem. The program is aimed at girls, who make up 43% of high school athletes, according to EducationWeek. The Super Bowl may have passed, but this campaign remains open into March, Women’s History Month, and the program is available for schools to use to coach their athletes on being confident in their bodies.
Participating in physical activity through sports has many benefits, especially for students. Along with helping to develop positive attitudes and a sense of community, sports play a role in stress management and increased concentration and memory. Because of this, sports can positively affect students’ performance in school, which is why it’s important for educators to address body image issues and help decrease the number of students who drop sports because of it. Educators can use examples like Dove’s campaign to empower students to handle body image pressures and keep playing sports to inspire them to be happy and healthy.
It’s important to encourage students not to let body image influence their passions and hobbies. When we huddled with some student ambassadors, one student said, “I do sports because it makes me feel good as a person, not because it makes me look a certain way.” Dove’s body positive campaign is important because it highlights how significant sports can be to students’ self-esteem and positively affect their view of themselves rather than harming it.
Handling the pressure and maintaining students’ self-esteem
Many athletes, regardless of gender or age, experience body image issues, and this can easily trickle down to student-athletes who may look up to these same athletes. One study found that over half of students surveyed often worry about their appearance. Dove found these body image issues to be the reason behind the 45% of girls that drop out of sports, making body positivity an important topic for educators to tackle with their students.
Social media can often be a place of positivity for students because it can provide them with a community and connection with others who share their interests or identities. However, some students have also expressed that social media can sometimes harm their body image and self-esteem. Brands, using social media, TV commercials, and other mediums, have the platform to empower students and promote body positivity online. Educators can use these brands as a positive example and find resources to empower students, like Dove’s Body Confident Sports program.
The Dove commercial is a powerful conversation starter educators can use to huddle with their students about body image and self-esteem. Educators can connect brands online and students by bringing examples like this up in the classroom.
Here are some more tips on how to empower students to handle the pressure of body image:
- Diverse Role Models: Introduce students to various athletes as role models. Showcase individuals who excel in their sports based on skill, determination, and passion rather than conforming to beauty standards.
- Open Discussions: Create a safe space for discussing body image and self-esteem. Encourage students to share their thoughts and feelings, fostering a supportive environment where they can express themselves without judgment.
- Promote Inclusivity: Emphasize the importance of inclusivity in sports and physical activities. Celebrate each student’s unique strengths and abilities, promoting a culture that values diversity.
Dove’s Super Bowl commercial provides a valuable opportunity for educators to address the critical issue of body image in sports. By fostering a positive and inclusive classroom environment, we can empower our students to embrace their uniqueness and handle the pressure they may feel about their bodies. To learn more tips on empowering your students, check out our new #WinAtSocial Lesson on Women’s History Month and the importance of handling the pressure, Breaking down the matchup between body image and sports during Women’s History Month.
#WinAtSocial Huddle Question
Huddle with your students
Do you have someone you see as a role model that promotes body positivity? This could be anyone from a star athlete to a friend at school. What do they do to promote positive body image and the importance of self-worth?
The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in empowering students by understanding students. Through #WinAtSocial, our gamified, peer-to-peer learning platform, we equip students, educators, and families to navigate their social world – in the classroom and beyond, online and offline – in healthy, high-character ways. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips, rather than scares and restricts. We incorporate timely topics about social media, tech use, and current events that are impacting student well-being and learning. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach life skills for the modern day, capture student voice, and provide school leaders with actionable insights. Through these insights, students play an essential role in school efforts to support their own health, happiness, and future success as we enable high-impact teaching, meaningful family conversations, and a healthy school culture.