title: Senses of body image in adolescents in elementary school.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To comprehend the perception of body image in adolescence.
  
  
  METHODS
  A qualitative study was conducted with eight focus groups with 96 students of both sexes attending four public elementary school institutions in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil, in 2013. An interview guide with questions about the adolescents' feelings in relation to: their bodies, standards of idealized beauty, practice of physical exercise and sociocultural influences on self-image. In the data analysis we sought to understand and interpret the meanings and contradictions of narratives, understanding the subjects' context and reasons and the internal logic of the group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three thematic categories were identified. The influence of media on body image showed the difficulty of achieving the perfect body and is viewed with suspicion in face of standards of beauty broadcast; the importance of a healthy body was observed as standards of beauty and good looks were closely linked to good physical condition and result from having a healthy body; the relationship between the standard of beauty and prejudice, as people who are not considered attractive, having small physical imperfections, are discriminated against and can be rejected or even excluded from society.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The standard of perfect body propagated by media influences adolescents' self-image and, consequently, self-esteem and is considered an unattainable goal, corresponding to a standard of beauty described as artificial and unreal. However, it causes great suffering and discrimination against those who do not feel they are attractive, which can lead to health problems resulting from low self-esteem.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Cirurgia Geral, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria Lídia de Abreu
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Interna, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Stella Regina
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Taquette
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Epidemiologia, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Evandro Silva Freire
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Coutinho
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012649:Self Concept; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data