Mrs Inkson (Head of Year 6)

As part of their Primary Years Programme (PYP) Unit of Inquiry on the changes we go through growing up and how this impacts our sense of self, Year 6 have been thinking about the question What is beauty? We are surround by images in magazines, on the television and in social media of what it is to be beautiful. Photo editing and filters means that we no longer see what people actually look like, rather a heavily manipulated version of them. If we compare ourselves to these images, it can lead to feelings of inadequacy and negative self-worth.

The students investigated how beauty is perceived around the world. They watched a very powerful video showing how Photoshop experts from around the world ‘improved’ a photo of a lady to make her beautiful in their country. The video can be seen here. Everyone agreed that the original photo was the best – you could actually see the ‘real’ person. 

Year 6 firmly believe that what is inside you makes you beautiful. You can wear make-up or change your clothes or hair, which will change how you look, but it won’t make you more beautiful. We would like to see the media use natural photos of people in their magazines and on the television. By doing this, they will have a positive impact on young people and their well-being.

To finish the assembly, we looked at a video which we think shows real beauty – we hope you enjoy it! View it HERE.