Young Women and Body Image: Using linguistic analysis to co-create a media literacy toolkit

This pilot project will gather and analyse narratives of how 14-16 year old girls navigate media content relating to body image, working with The Girls’ Network in Portsmouth (which supports the development of girls from the least advantaged backgrounds). Using this information, we will work with participants to co-create a media literacy toolkit that equips girls with the linguistic analysis skills and knowledge to negotiate potentially harmful content. By introducing participants to historical media content about body image, we will encourage participants to situate current issues around body image in their social, cultural and historical context, and assess the impact of such contextualisation: does it alter the language girls use to discuss media imagery?