Abstract

A lot of research supports the theoretical notion that bodies are a site of turmoil for many adolescent girls. Numerous articles state that adolescent girls struggle with their weight and body image and that this discontentment can lead to serious problems such as lower self-esteem, depression, and eating disorders. However, there has been little research that documents how girls themselves talk about, relate to, experience and live in their bodies. The purpose of this study is to explore aspects of how, at the beginning of the 21 st century, a group of adolescent girls in a single sex school experience their bodies. Eleven grade 10 girls, age 15 and 16, volunteered to participate in this study. Data was collected using six in depth group interviews and individual drawings. Although the media does play an important role in the lives of these young women, results indicate that the participants' parents play just as equally critical a role and that they have a tremendous influence on how the girls experience their bodies. Moreover, issues like choosing their clothing, being labelled based on what they wore and the idea of feeling comfortable (both physically and psychologically) in their bodies were examined in order to try and obtain a clearer picture of how these young women experienced their bodies. It was discovered that although they often felt ill at ease with their bodies, it was not a permanent or ever lasting feeling