Evaluation of the Impact of a Comic-based Programme to Promote Body Confidence Among Adolescents in India

The comics were co-created with the expertise of four stakeholders: the investigators, UNICEF, BBC Media Action, and the Dove Self-Esteem Project. There are six different comics, which target issues relating to gender stereotypes and appearance concerns amongst adolescents in rural India. Based on 'Dove Confident Me', each comic tells a story which targets a specific established risk factor for body dissatisfaction. Specifically, they focus on gender prejudice (Comic 1), societal appearance ideals (Comic 2), media literacy (Comic 3), appearance comparisons (Comic 4), appearance-related conversations and teasing (Comic 5), and promoting 'body activism' (Comic 6). In each session, students will read the respective comic as a class. At the end of each comic, the teacher will facilitate one or two activities with the students based on the key learnings from the comics. These activities will encourage students to think critically about what they have read and consolidate their learning.