Girls and their body image : sociopolitical issues in art education

The thesis is feminist action research based on girl's body image in art education with a small sample of eleven and twelve year old girls from an elementary school in Montreal, Canada. The purpose of the study was to discover if art can assist young girls in resisting cultural stereotypes of feminine beauty. Pre-adolescence was chosen as an age-group to investigate if feminist theory and art-making strategies could promote a positive self image in girls. Issues-based art education was determined to be an appropriate teaching method to explore sociopolitical issues by looking at art and making art. A secondary goal of the study was to understand the dynamics related to teaching and learning about gender oppression, to identify factors that facilitated, and barriers that impeded the successful implementation of the body image project. The results of the research indicate that the participants' body image dissatisfaction was influenced by media images, but that it originated in body-based harassment from boys at school. Also, the stereotype that 'girls are nice,' seen as an inherent feature of femininity, was a major stumbling block for the girls that necessitated self-silencing strategies. Nevertheless, it appeared that the girls used the body image workshops to practice their voices to address issues of gender inequity. Through analysis, what the participants said, in combination with their silence about significant life changes, offered insights into gaps where girls' self-esteem--and body image--can be enhanced through feminist education and ar