Body anxious teens avoid PE - do you?

Poll

Does your body insecurities make you avoid PE or exercise?

The Be Real Campaign says schools have a key role in combating body anxiety after a recent survey of 2000 students showed that young people want to bunk off PE to avoid feeling overweight; worried they're not perfect enough :frown:

Social media has been blamed, along with celebrity culture and plastic surgery.

According to the research reported in the BBC more than half (52%) of 11 to 16-year-olds regularly worry about their looks - 60% of girls and 43% of boys.

•

79% said their looks were important to them

•

63% said others' opinions of their looks were important

•

36% said they would do whatever it took to look good

•

57% would consider dieting to change their looks

•

10% would consider plastic surgery.

Despite these pressures, fewer than half (48%) of the young people surveyed said they had discussed body confidence in lessons.

•

43% said they were most likely to seek support from parents

•

32% said they would go to their friends

•

11% of boys felt unable to discuss the issue with friends, compared with 5% of girls.

****************************

For those of you no longer at school - do your body insecurities put you off going to the gym/ going for a run or just exercising generally?

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 1

Trinculo

21

Yeah, They're so body conscious that they're all at "Storage almost full" because they have 3000 photos of themselves on their phones.

Reply 2

Amusing Elk

18

Original post by Trinculo

Yeah, They're so body conscious that they're all at "Storage almost full" because they have 3000 photos of themselves on their phones.

That's a completely different kettle of fish. When people take photos of themselves, they tend to be a lot more in control of how they appear these days with filters and other means of embellishment. Compare this with how less-in-control they might feel when exposed in a PE class environment with several other people the same age.

Have you ever thought that perhaps some cases of people taking "3000 photos" might actually be linked to a personal insecurity with their appearance? Maybe some people take several photos to try and compensate for a low impression they might have of themselves. Maybe after taking a few pics people still might not feel they are good enough, still feeling unhappy with their bodies, so in turn they keep taking photos to try and capture themselves in a more positive light?

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 3

username2971108

13

It's PE. You're all bound to look shite when you're red-faced and sweating like pig and looking like a nonce in those stupid bibs they make you wear. Big whoop.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 4

username1738583

21

yes. even though i'm not overweight- more on the underweight side, i felt extremely self conscious when changing around others. to a point that i would avoid pe when i could.

Reply 5

CheeseIsVeg

22

I'm a little body anxious but that doesn't stop me from exercising because I'm determined to lose it...
... on the other hand what stops me from exercising is
1 - The money
2 - The faff
3 - 1 and 2 = CBA :colondollar:

Used to love PE a lot because none of the 3 were the problem.
Not saying I was any good but I put effort in taking part and it was a lot of fun, especially in year 10 and 11!

Reply 6

math42

20

I'm small and scrawny as f**k (well actually that implies more skinniness than I have; I've always been fairly skinny but the emphasis should be on lack of muscles) but I never really cared in P.E. about that so much. Cared more about being crap at P.E. lol.

Reply 7

username2705335

6

I'm sadly a part of the 79% and 63%

Reply 8

Popsiclez

21

I was anxious in PE not because of body issues or facial insecurities even though I look like a troll, I was only anxious whenndoing competitive sports like Football because obviously thsy weren't my forte.

But I swear like 95% of teens in school have Snapchat and Instagram.

Reply 9

Tanqueray91

22

Original post by CheeseIsVeg

I'm a little body anxious but that doesn't stop me from exercising because I'm determined to lose it...
... on the other hand what stops me from exercising is
1 - The money
2 - The faff
3 - 1 and 2 = CBA :colondollar:

Used to love PE a lot because none of the 3 were the problem.
Not saying I was any good but I put effort in taking part and it was a lot of fun, especially in year 10 and 11!

I so agree with you here about exercising now... I've stopped going to the gym recently, partly because paying the £5 for suspended membership is cheaper than the £16.99 per month when I haven't been going recently, and paying the £5 makes me constantly think that I'll quickly reactivate my membership soon and that I will go!

It is such a faff though... if I had some stuff in my house, I'd do it every morning, but having to drive 5-10 mins to the gym, which I used to do around 10.30pm was a pain in the ass, and the petrol then also adds up...

I actually didn't love PE, because I was fairly chubby up until 15/16, and so used to avoid it, and any other sports. But then when I got taller, I was less fat, so did football and stuff as we had to do some sport, and enjoyed doing it... Also, I think it depends who you're around. When I was 11-13, the people at that school would take the piss a lot about me being really white and not tanning. From 13-18 whilst yeh people laughed about it, it was never to the same extent as my school before, and not something that got to me so much. Similarly, at the gym now, I just find because I don't know anyone there, they aren't going to come up to me and laugh, and apart from if I'm there when they are, I'll probably not see them anywhere else...

I am also plagued by the love of doing exercise when extremely drunk, which never ends up well :/

Reply 10

Kvothe the Arcane

20

I avoided PE because I wasn't good at sports and didn't want to be embarrassed.

Reply 11

CheeseIsVeg

22

Original post by mobbsy91

I so agree with you here about exercising now... I've stopped going to the gym recently, partly because paying the £5 for suspended membership is cheaper than the £16.99 per month when I haven't been going recently, and paying the £5 makes me constantly think that I'll quickly reactivate my membership soon and that I will go!

It is such a faff though... if I had some stuff in my house, I'd do it every morning, but having to drive 5-10 mins to the gym, which I used to do around 10.30pm was a pain in the ass, and the petrol then also adds up...

I actually didn't love PE, because I was fairly chubby up until 15/16, and so used to avoid it, and any other sports. But then when I got taller, I was less fat, so did football and stuff as we had to do some sport, and enjoyed doing it... Also, I think it depends who you're around. When I was 11-13, the people at that school would take the piss a lot about me being really white and not tanning. From 13-18 whilst yeh people laughed about it, it was never to the same extent as my school before, and not something that got to me so much. Similarly, at the gym now, I just find because I don't know anyone there, they aren't going to come up to me and laugh, and apart from if I'm there when they are, I'll probably not see them anywhere else...

I am also plagued by the love of doing exercise when extremely drunk, which never ends up well :/

I was thinking of a membership but decided it was not worth it, my local gym is not really that nice anyway :s-smilie:

and the money and the time I'd have to sacrifice etc. etc. was just not worth it at all!

Uh that is pretty terrible :sadnod:

I was SO chubby lol. Like pictures of me when I was little are just -
Let us not go there :colondollar:

I think since year 9 I'd been losing weight dramatically as I finished ballet and started Tennis and had PE and was walking to school etc. but unfortunately since PE is now no more the reasons stated as 1,2 and 3 mean that only unless my friends want to go swimming or something, I have only my Tennis club membership and when it is rainy/cold I don't play :dontknow:

.

This is true! I don't massively feel self-conscious but I know people who go to the gym near me and I don't really like the idea of bumping into them after 3 years of not communicating :colondollar:

I had an old tennis pal, maybe I'll give them a call because I don't want to start Uni as the Marshmallow Woman :rofl:

[ghostbusters reference]
:hugs:

Hope you are well and not experiencing any more bullying of the sort, it is not humane

Erm ok :erm:

Reply 12

MrsSheldonCooper

20

I'm defo one of those people who avoid selfies when putting up pictures on social media. Instagram is the worst because it can destroy a girl's confidence. I've been told I'm not fat but even when I go swimming I hate having to get out of the pool because then my thighs and legs get exposed.

Having said that I would never consider plastic surgery.

Reply 13

username2324383

3

I used to hate P.E when I was at school for a different reason. I skipped it for nearly two years before anyone noticed and they called my parents to find out what was going on. It all worked out in the end though.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 14

Popsiclez

21

Original post by MrsSheldonCooper

I'm defo one of those people who avoid selfies when putting up pictures on social media. Instagram is the worst because it can destroy a girl's confidence. I've been told I'm not fat but even when I go swimming I hate having to get out of the pool because then my thighs and legs get exposed.

Having said that I would never consider plastic surgery.

Its odd I'm 15 and not really into Social Media because I don't feel the need of showing and having to prove to strangers that I'm having a good time. I only have a Twitter thats private so only friends can see, don't have a snapchat or Instagram. I mostly use Twitter and Whatsapp. I also avoid Selfies for the same reason, although don't consider plastic surgery as a NECESSITY but if I did have the money would I take it? Of course I would in a heartbeat.

Reply 15

ThePricklyOne

18

I had a sick note, so I never had to do it. :biggrin:

fat is beautiful

not if they identify as fat :angry:

Reply 18

retro_turtles

16

I've always felt very self conscious when doing PE but then again i never bunked off i'd either do something i liked such as dance or racket sports or do something else. However i have to admit i rarely did anything in yr11 since the teachers didn't care anymore so me and my friends would sit on the sports hall steps and just talk :rofl:

Reply 19