CLC Meeting Guide: “Body Image”
Facilitator Notes
Quick Facts about “body image”:
1. "Body image" is the way that someone perceives their body and assumes that others perceive them. This
image is often affected by family, friends, social pressure and the media.
2. People who are unhappy with their bodies and don't seek healthy nutrition information may develop eating
disorders. "Eating disorders" are unhealthy relationships with food that may include fasting, constant dieting,
or binging and purging.
3. Body image is closely linked to self-esteem. Low self-esteem in young people can lead to eating disorders,
early sexual activity, substance use and suicidal thoughts.
4. Approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting to achieve their ideal body
shape. Unfortunately, only 5% of women naturally possess the body type often portrayed by Americans in
the media.
5. 58% of college-aged girls feel pressured to be a certain weight.
6. Studies show that the more reality television a young girl watches, the more likely she is to find appearance
important.
7. More than 1/3 of the people who admit to “normal dieting,” will merge into pathological dieting. Roughly
1/4 of those will suffer from a partial or full-on eating disorder.
8. In a survey, more than 40% of women and about 20% of men agreed they would consider cosmetic surgery
in the future. The statistics remain relatively constant across gender, age, marital status, and race.
9. Students, especially women, who consume more mainstream media, place a greater importance on sexiness
and overall appearance than those who do not consume as much.
10. 95% of people with eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25.
11. Only 10% of people suffering from an eating disorder will seek professional help.
Opening Prayer
Ask for the grace to see ourselves, others and all of Creation as God does.
Lord my God, when Your love spilled over
into creation
You thought of me.
I am
From love…of love…for love.
Let my heart, O God, always
Recognize
Cherish,
and enjoy Your goodness in all of creation.
Direct all that is me toward Your praise.
Teach me reverence for every person, all things.
Energize me in your service.
Lord God
may nothing ever distract me from Your
love…
neither health nor sickness
wealth nor poverty
honor nor dishonor
long life nor short life.
May I never seek nor choose to be other
than You intend or wish.
Amen.
Check-In
Describe a moment from the last week when you felt good about yourself.
Focus Exercise
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What are 5 things you like about yourself?
What are 5 things you appreciate about your body that have nothing to do with appearance?
How do you think others perceive you?
How do you perceive yourself?
How do you tend to talk about yours and other people’s bodies?
How does the college environment impact your body image?
Listening
1. Share your responses to the questions above.
2. How challenging is it to open up about your body image?
3. How did this exercise surprise, challenge and/or console you?
[As always, if the exercise did not speak to group members, create the space for anything else that is stirring
within their hearts at this time to be shared.]
Listening Deeper
1. What has struck you as you have been listening to others share? Do you notice any patterns or commonalities?
2. How have you been feeling throughout the meeting? Comfortable? Anxious? Curious?
3. Is there anything you would like to share after listening to another person share?
Moving Forward
What can you do this week to be more positive and affirming of yourself and the people around you?
Closing Prayer
Take a moment to rest in God’s accepting love and lift up burdens, anxieties and struggles.
Ignatian Roots
The opening prayer is a modern adaptation of Ignatius’ “First Principle and Foundation,” which is his vision of life
and love expressed at the beginning of the Spiritual Exercises. His hope is that nothing will ever distract us from
God’s love, and from our generous response to that love. He wants us to be free from those burdens and chains that
limit our faith, hope and love.
Additional Scripture
“What matters is not your outward appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your
clothes—but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in.” Peter
3:3-4
“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re
breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside
and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from
nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life
were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.” Psalm 139