Director: Susie Mah
National Film Board of Canada. 1986. $39.95
Length: 21 minutes
Audience: Junior High, High School
Topics: self image, body image, media images
In this documentary, young women in high school explore the way they feel about their own bodies and comment on society's obsession with thinness. They know that their preoccupation with self-image, and particularly body image, is fuelled by what they see in the media. The film also contains three dramatic improvisations: one dealing with shopping, one with dieting, and one with dating and boyfriends. The discussions among the young women are lively and the dramatic sequences, created with their input, ring true. This production should be a useful catalyst for discussing eating disorders, self-esteem and media influences with students in junior high and high school.
Thin Dreams can be ordered online from the National Film Board.
