Teachers as healthy role models:
Tips for teachers and educators about how to be a good role model from Levine and Smolak (2006), p. 373, Table 15.2:
- Eliminate jokes, stories, pictures, self-disparaging remarks, and so forth that glorify slenderness and vilify fat and fat people.
- Promote safety and respect for females and males of all ages and shapes. In particular, take girls and women seriously, regardless of their size, shape, weight, age, and such.
- Refuse to play the "body disparagement game". Do not engage in calorie restrictive dieting and in making negative remarks about your own body.
- Bring in and eat - and share - healthy and fun snacks.
- Exercise for fun, fitness, and friendship - not to compensate for calories eaten or other forms of "being bad." Take advantage of opportunities for physical activities at school: stretch, take walks, participate in (and maybe organize) teacher events at track and field days.
- Exercise your right to dance, swim, play, and dress with your own style, regardless of body weight and shape.
- Compliment other adults - in their presence and when they are not there-about things they do well. It is fine to compliment appearance occasionally but include compliments for people who look differently than the societal ideal.
- Encourage others to say and think positive things about themselves. Help them to recognize their own skills and strengths.
- Show respect for the concerns people express (e.g., about prejudice, teasing, limitations due to gender roles). Try to help them find active solutions rather then just telling them to ignore and tolerate the problem.
- Study culture, cultures, history, gender, resistance and change. Share (and create) stories of resistance to unhealthy cultural influences and in doing so doing try to provide alternative images of pride, competence, care and respect.
