Body image: An exploration of a group of Girlguides' thoughts and feelings about their appearance

The study was designed to explore body image in a group of adolescent females, who were all members of the Girlguiding community. The study used two focus groups, with a total of seven participants between the ages of twelve and seventeen, to conduct an exploratory thematic analysis of the participants’ body image and the factors that they felt influenced it. Four themes were identified: “Emotions and Feelings”, “Conversations and Critiques”, “Weight and Size” and “Influences on Body Image”. The results of the study found that on the whole, the participants reported having positive body image and feeling positively about their bodies, however they also identified areas that made them feel more negatively about their appearance, for example social media and the media in general. Implications include the need for further education in schools and at home about body image and appearance.