Unit 5 Health and Beauty Name: ____________________ ( Class: _________ 1 of 4 ) Reading You and Jamie host a popular school podcast. Jamie emails you an article and an excerpt from a graphic novel to help you prepare for a forthcoming show. Every day, we see images of beautiful men and women on magazine covers and in advertisements. The models in these images are often slim and have picture-perfect looks. Advertisers love using beauty to sell their products, because they know that consumers are more likely to 5 buy products associated with it. Indeed, studies have shown that these images can make people more self-conscious about the way they look. Some become so preoccupied as a result that they feel compelled to buy the product being promoted, be it a ‘miracle’ face cream, special health drink, or a beauty salon treatment, to look better. Nowadays, people’s standards of beauty are heavily influenced 10 by the images they see in magazines, on TV and on the Internet. By favouring ultra-slim models and celebrities, the media is spreading the message that ‘thin is beautiful’. In recent years, digital image editing has taken this even further. This computer technique is frequently used to make 15 already-thin models look ‘perfect’, i.e. make them even thinner, their hair shinier and their skin smoother. Indeed, most images in the media are edited in one way or another. Guess what? I'm planning on auditioning for the lead role in the Annual Drama Production. She is? She’ll definitely get the part, then. Betty looks so pretty and slim. Everyone likes her. That’s great. I also heard Betty Yip, our Head Girl, is going to try out for the lead role. Look – there she is now. I wish I could look like those famous stars on TV. I feel so fat and ugly. If I was a 'size zero', maybe I'd be noticed and get the lead role. Have confidence in yourself! You're a better actress than she is. Unit 5 Health and Beauty Name: ____________________ ( Class: _________ 2 of 4 ) These images of ‘perfection’ lead people to take extreme measures, such as going ‘under the knife’ or signing up for other painful treatments, to live up to modern beauty ideals set by the media. People who already have low self-esteem and body image issues, such as teenagers who have yet to develop a healthy self-image, are a particularly vulnerable group. According to the Hong Kong Eating Disorders Association (HKEDA), 80% of Hong Kong teenagers are scared of being fat. Surprisingly, there are a growing number of boys among them, a considerable proportion of whom show signs of an eating disorder. 20 25 To address this issue at school level, body image workshops should be held in order to teach students how to feel confident about their looks. Students should also be encouraged to develop independent thinking so that unrealistic images from the media do not affect how they 30 see themselves. You need to seek help from a doctor or a counsellor if you or someone you know is: overeating or undereating over-exercising 35 having frequent mood swings related to looks being over-anxious about body weight and frequently checking it trying to lose weight in an unhealthy way, e.g. smoking, taking diet pills or vomiting on purpose You've been acting strange lately, Mary. You weigh yourself so often that it's starting to worry me. And you hardly eat anything. Is there anything you want to talk about? But Mary, eating only one apple a day isn’t enough for you to stay healthy! We'll need to work together to help you get over this. I hope you'll learn in time that there's beauty in every one of us, no matter what our size is. You need to love yourself and have a healthy relationship with food. No, Dad! I’m not eating because I don’t feel hungry, and this food is too fatty. You were fantastic in the play last night! Your acting was SUPERB! It was wise of you to go to Doctor Mo for help. Look how upbeat and positive you are now! Thanks, Jay! It was amazing being on stage. I guess I owe it to everyone who supported me in my struggle with food. I’m happy to have regained my confidence and health. Phew. All that acting has made me hungry! Let's eat! Unit 5 Health and Beauty Name: ____________________ ( Class: _________ 3 of 4 ) Comprehension Jamie has designed a quiz to go with the podcast. He asks you to try it out. Answer the questions below with information from Reading. For multiple-choice questions, circle the best answer. 1 What would be an appropriate name for the forthcoming show? A B 2 ‘How to lose more weight’ ‘Beauty products review’ C D ‘How to edit images’ ‘Finding real beauty’ The article includes information about different forms of media. Can you name three forms of media that are mentioned? ___________________________________________________________________________ 3 Complete the summary below about the article by circling the correct options. Digital image editing is ( a common / an unusual ) computer technique used by the media to create an ( accurate / unrealistic ) standard of beauty. People lacking ( family / confidence ) can be easily influenced, leading them to try ( inexpensive ways / extreme measures ) to look like these edited images. 4 Look at the word ‘vulnerable’ in line 22 of the article. Which of the definitions below is closest to it in meaning? A B 5 6 easily influenced feeling shy C D enthusiastic adventurous Decide whether the statements below are true, false or not stated. Tick (✓) one box only for each statement. True False Not stated a. Jay thinks Mary has better acting skills than Betty. b. There are no telltale signs of eating disorders. c. Surveys show that 80% of Hong Kong males are scared of being fat. d. The HKEDA believes the media is responsible for the fat scare among teenagers in Hong Kong. Look at the expression ‘going under the knife’ (Text 1/line 19-20) and decide which of the definitions below is closest to it in meaning. A B 7 to cut yourself accidentally to have plastic surgery C D to cook your own food to go to a beauty salon Did Mary get the lead role in the school play? Quote a phrase from the text to justify your answer. ___________________________________________________________________________ Unit 5 Health and Beauty Name: ____________________ ( Class: _________ 8 4 of 4 ) Do you agree that ‘thin is beautiful’? Why/Why not? ___________________________________________________________________________ Following the podcast, you receive some questions from other students on the show’s online forum. Answer the questions below based on what you have learned from Reading. Use complete sentences. 1 Most fashion magazines are filled with images of impossibly perfect-looking models. How do – Cindy these advertisements impact on readers? __________________________________________________________________________________ 2 – Pat The media is very powerful. How can I avoid being influenced by it? __________________________________________________________________________________ 3 My friend has started popping diet pills and vomiting on purpose to lose weight. Should I be worried? What should I do? – Joyce __________________________________________________________________________________ Your classmates enjoyed your podcast so much that they wrote a play based on Text 2. However, the characters’ names/roles are missing. Write them in the spaces under the speech bubbles. 1 Stop worrying, Mary. Believe in You just have to believe in yourself. Put your best foot yourself and you’ll get the part. forward during the audition, and you’ll get the part. Mary, do you know your dad 3 is very worried about you? I hope after this talk, you’ll realise that your apple diet is ruining your health. 4 As Head Girl, I feel a lot 2 of pressure on me to get the lead role in the Annual Production. Dr Mo, I’m worried about my daughter. I noticed she hardly touched her food when we had dinner together. Actually, this has been going on the for matter? quite some What’s time! Mary’s strange Why don’t you want behaviour is getting me your dinner, Mary? worried. 5 I need to lose five kilos before the audition, or I’ll surely be sidelined by Betty Yip!
