It has never been easy to be a hormone-ravaged teenager in a body image-obsessed, fat-phobic, Eurocentric-feature-obsessed world. Add social media to the mix, which has been proven to make teens even more insecure about their looks, and this yields a lot of teens who are critical of their bodies at best and engage in self-harm and disordered eating behaviors at worst.
No matter how much parents may tell their kids how amazing they are or no matter how many body image quotes they share, it's a journey teenagers need to wade through themselves. But as parents, we can help. We found some books that can help teens see themselves a little differently, or see their struggles represented in general. We have 18 here that we think can help.
'Body Positive Power' by Megan Jayne Crabbe
Celebrities for teens look different than they did when you were growing up. Teens still care about singers and actors, but they follow social media influencers now, too, and that's how body positive Instagram creator Megan Crabbe got her start. She has a book that teens will find is an extension of her motivational body image IG captions.
Just As You Are: A Teen’s Guide to Self-Acceptance and Lasting Self-Esteem by Michelle Skeen PsyD
Just As You Are: A Teen’s Guide to Self-Acceptance and Lasting Self-Esteem (The Instant Help Solutions Series) by Michelle Skeen PsyD is a self-help style book addressing teens that will "offer simple tips to help you overcome feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness, stop comparing yourself to others, and be more open and accepting of all aspects of who you are."
'Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body' by Rebekah Taussig
Body image is more than just weight, it's also about ableism and how teenagers who have a disability view themselves. This book speaks from the personal experience of disabled author Rebekah Taussig, who "reflects on everything from the complications of kindness and charity, living both independently and dependently, experiencing intimacy, and how the pervasiveness of ableism in our everyday media directly translates to everyday life."
'Body Brilliant: A Teenage Guide to a Positive Body Image' by Nicola Morgan
For a straightforward and to-the-point exploration of body issues from both personal experience and psychological standpoint, this book may be a good choice. Reviewers say it teaches teen readers to treat their body well but also to avoid putting so much focus on what they eat or what they look like. One parent wrote, "It has 14 chapters and they range from understanding body image, adolescence, puberty, and eating disorders to self-harm, best brilliant body, self-expression and self-respect."
'Holding Up the Universe' by Jennifer Niven
Holding Up the Universe is an almost five-star rated fiction book available on Amazon that tackles the hard body topics. It follows teenager Libby Strout, "the girl once dubbed 'America’s Fattest Teen' and a future love interest Jack Masselin, who is biracial." According to Bookish, "the true heart of the tale lies in personal growth and learning to love yourself."
'The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl' by Christina De Witte
Kids have enough reading to do, especially in high school. If it's not their style, they might enjoy this illustrated book titled The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl: On Love, Body Image, School, and Making It Through Life by Christina De Witte that, according to Amazon, "provides humorous and highly relatable guidelines for all of the struggles young girls face."
'Being You: The Body Image Book for Boys' by Charlotte Markey, Daniel Hart, & Douglas Zacher
While girls bear the brunt of body issues in society, boys have body issues, too. And it's something few people talk about. Being You: The Body Image Book for Boys, which is written by doctors and a psychology professor, tackles topics like puberty, bullying, eating, and mental health and "translates research and terminology into understandable concepts, along with quotes from professionals and stories from older adolescents."
'Only Ever Yours' by Louise O'Neill
Only Ever Yours is a dystopian fiction book that some compare to a more adult version of the book, The Handmaid's Tale. In it, "women are no longer born naturally, girls (called 'eves') are raised in Schools and trained in the arts of pleasing men until they come of age." Appearance is literally all that matters and it sounds so terrible we can't help but think teens will re-think why they are so critical of their own bodies.
'Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat: A Story of Bulimia' by Stephanie Covington Armstrong
Eating disorders tend to be whitewashed when presented to teens, or pretty much everyone. This can mean mental health issues and eating disorders for those from Black or Brown communities aren't taken seriously enough. But this book by Stephanie Covington Armstrong works to challenge that concept, describing "her struggle as a black woman with a disorder consistently portrayed as a white woman’s problem."
'Wintergirls' by Laurie Halse Anderson
Wintergirls is a fiction book that follows two friends, Lia and Cassie, who are very sick, so much that one of them dies because of her eating disorder. After Cassie's death, the book "explores Lia's struggle, her painful path to recovery, and her desperate attempts to hold on to the most important thing of all: hope."
'Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource by and for Transgender Communities' edited by Laura Erickson-Schroth
Trans teenagers have a lot on their plates when it comes to body image. No matter that body they're in, having guidance on navigating their bodies in the context of their community is important. That's where this book comes in. According to Bookshop, Trans Bodies, Trans Selves is a "a comprehensive, reader-friendly guide for transgender people, with each chapter written by transgender and gender expansive authors"
'45 Pounds (More or Less)' by Kelly Barson
The realistic story told in 45 Pounds is fiction, but it portrays a common struggle among teenagers. There's body comparisons, major diet culture, and a 16-year-old trying to lose weight because of poor body image. Readers say that the main character, Ann, is also extremely relatable in her words and actions, like: "buying incentive clothing. Finding something cute in your size, but walking away because you’re ashamed to try it on. Wanting to try on an item of clothing, despite knowing it won’t fit. Wondering, just for a second, if that infomercial is for real. Knowing you’re fat, hating it, but wanting to eat when stressed."
'The Skin I'm In' by Sharon Flake
Being intersectional when it comes to body image means understanding that on top of the struggles with body image related to weight that teens may face, Black (and Brown) teens may struggle with their skin color, too. Skin color is about body image, and how we see ourselves, but prejudices can make it really hard to love bodies and features that aren't white. This is told through Mika in the fiction book The Skin I'm In by Sharon Flake.
'My Eyes Are Up Here' by Laura Zimmermann
My Eyes Are Up Here by Laura Zimmermann is sadly a statement all women, not just teenagers with breasts, can relate to. This debut novel follows the experience of a teenager who isn't totally comfortable in her skin. More than one reviewer said it's funny, too, specifically, "charming, relatable and laugh-out-loud hilarious."
'The Body Image Workbook for Teens' by Julia V. Taylor PhD
For teens who actually like homework, or having a task to work on to find acceptance or self-love, we recommend The Body Image Workbook for Teens. It includes "practical exercises and tips that address the most common factors that can lead to negative body image, including: comparison, negative self-talk, unrealistic media images, societal and family pressures, perfectionism, toxic friendships, and a fear of disappointing others." And it includes coping strategies to help deal with these issues.
'Love Your Body: Your Body Can Do Amazing Things…' by Jessica Sanders
This book is a celebration of all bodies. Don't believe us? It's in the title! Love Your Body is great for younger teens and "introduces the language of self-love and self-care to help build resilience, while representing and celebrating diverse bodies, encouraging you to appreciate your uniqueness." The pictures help, too, and may be the first place young people see themselves represented.
'No Weigh!' by Shelley Aggarwal, Wendy Sterling, & Signe Darpinian
$13
from
Thrift Books
This straightforward self-help workbook is ideal for teens who are looking for guidance in navigating a body-image obsessed world with a focus on eating and weight. Specifically, the book "will help you stay well informed about how bodies change emotionally and physically in the teen years, and why good nutrition is critical for growth and development. It debunks any myths about diets and 'forbidden' foods and also gives you the tools and strategies to avoid potential triggers of disordered eating."
'Dumplin'' by Julie Murphy
The movie adaptation of Dumplin' came out on Netflix and stars Jennifer Aniston and Danielle Macdonald. The story follows teenager Willowdean, who gets the nickname 'Dumplin’' from her former beauty queen mom. And despite not fitting into the size 2 pageant girl body type, Willowdean decides to become one anyway. It starts out as a joke, but it becomes much deeper than that.
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