Interviewer:
Hi Naomi, can you tell me a little bit about yourself? How old are you and what grade are you in?
Naomi:
My name is Naomi. I’m 12 years old, and I’m in seventh grade.
Interviewer:
So, being in seventh grade, how do you think body image plays a role in middle school? I know that a lot of that comes into play, especially during middle school. How do you think body image pressures different people?
Naomi:
I feel like a lot of people have this standard of being kind of accepted in middle school, right? And I feel like image is one really big part of it. Sometimes, people may not feel like they can be accepted if they don’t have a good image, and I feel like that can really harm somebody’s mental and emotional health and distort the opinion of different people.
Interviewer:
Yeah, exactly. Do you think you’ve personally experienced any hardships with that? And of course, if you’re not comfortable answering, you don’t have to.
Naomi:
Personally, I have. Yeah. It’s definitely a little bit of a struggle.
Interviewer:
Yeah. I completely get where you’re coming from. I remember when I was in middle school, I was very conscious about my hair. I used to feel like I had so much hair, and it made me feel insecure. Do you have any specific examples that you want to share, or maybe do you know of any of your friends who have faced something similar? Of course, you don’t have to share if you don’t want to.
Naomi:
Yeah, a lot of my friends face a lot more issues with their body and their face, like what you said about hair on the face. That’s something they also struggle with.
Interviewer:
Are there any particular comments that your friends have heard? Not necessarily in person, but maybe online?
Naomi:
I haven’t heard a lot of things in person, but online, there’s definitely that kind of negativity that you can sometimes see.
Interviewer:
Yeah, exactly. No, I get that. Especially with social media becoming so prevalent now, it’s really in-your-face and everywhere. So do you think there’s anything teachers or your school could do? Maybe your principal or society in general?
Naomi:
I feel like it’s good to spread awareness and encourage being active and healthy, but not judging somebody or defining someone based on how they look.
Interviewer:
Right. Exactly. That’s a great point. Now, you mentioned something about being fit, and also, like, people your age working out. Do you know why people work out, or do you work out yourself?
Naomi:
It’s kind of a motivation. Of course, having that ideal body, yeah, that ideal figure, and also having good health and being able to do things that I should be able to do when I’m older. I don’t want to have to rely on someone to walk up the stairs when I’m older. It would be an achievement if I could do that independently.
Interviewer:
That’s great. You also mentioned that people use really negative terms, like calling bigger people “horizontally challenged.”
Naomi:
Yeah, I don’t engage in that. I do try to stand up for people as much as I can and try to dissociate from it.
Interviewer:
Yeah, that’s really great. It’s important to stand up whenever you can, even though it’s not always easy. I also really like what you said about working out; not just for achieving a certain body, but for maintaining your health. Do you think more people should work out for health rather than just to achieve a certain body?
Naomi:
Yeah, definitely.
Interviewer:
Right. It’s about the health benefits and how working out can help you in the long run.
Naomi:
Exactly, because that’s really what working out is for, which is what a lot of people miss.
Interviewer:
Well, it was really great hearing your perspective, especially since you’re in middle school. Thank you so much for sharing.
Naomi:
Thank you for interviewing me. It was insightful.
Interviewer:
Oh, one last question! What would you like to tell other middle schoolers who might be facing body image issues?
Naomi:
You should start being yourself because, in middle school, everybody has insecurities, and people don’t realize that they care more about themselves than what you’re doing. So, honestly, just love yourself the way you are because it won’t matter in like five years. I heard this really good piece of advice once: “If it doesn’t matter in five years, don’t think about it for five minutes.” I think that’s really good advice. And just develop healthy habits. That’s really important.
Interviewer:
That’s great advice. Thank you again for sharing your insights, Naomi!