The paper analyzes the way adolescent girls view their body. The girls hold poor perception of their physical functionality and activity, and don’t appreciate their own bodies. The study verified the hypothesis that increasing physical activity to develop functional physical condition without weight control would make the idea of the body more positive and realistic. The study has found that promoting a positive body image is necessary indeed to view one’s own body in the light of its functionality rather than appearance. The girls practicing fencing for nine months had the body appreciation increased; they evaluated their functionality and activity higher, the gap between sensible and real body proportions decreased: the adolescents thought their body and limbs much longer then it was but during the training session the body ideas became more realistic.

Belogai Ksenia Nikolaevna, Candidate of Sciences (Psychology), Associate Professor, Department of Acmeology and Developmental Psychology, Kemerovo State University, 6, Krasnaya st., Kemerovo, 650000, Russian Federation, e-mail: Belogi@mail.ru 

Osipova Daria Anatolievna, Undergraduate, Department of Acmeology and Developmental Psychology, Kemerovo State University 6, Krasnaya st., Kemerovo, 650000, Russian Federation, e-mail: 79049982409@ya.ru

Belogai K. N., Osipova D. A. Adolescent Girls’ Vision of Their Body Having Various Levels  of Physical Activity. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Psychology, 2019, vol. 27, pp. 3-15. https://doi.org/10.26516/2304-1226.2019.27.3 (in Russian)

Belogai K.N., Morozova I.S., Psikhologiia telesnosti: problemy stanovleniia, napravleniia issledovaniĭ, tekhnologii psikhologicheskoĭ pomoshchi: uchebnoe posobie [Psychology of corporeality: problems of formation, directions of research, technology of psychological help]. Kemerovo, Kemerovo State University Publ., 2018. (in Russian)

Morozova I.S., Belogay K.N. Kagan E.S. Soderzhatelnyye kharakteristiki obraza tela devochek-podrostkov zanimayushchikhsya figurnym kataniyem [Сharacteristics of body image in teenage girls engaged in figure skating]. Vestnik Kemerovskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta [Bulletin of Kemerovo State University], 2018, no. 1, pp. 147-152. http://doi.org/10.21603/2078-8975-2018-1-147-152 (in Russian)

Solovyeva I. Kto my na samom dele? O bessoznatelnom obraze tela [Who is my real? About unconscious body image]. Moscow, Institut konsul'tirovanija i sistemnyh reshenij Publ.,  2017, 216 p. (in Russian)

Abbott B.D., Barber B.L. Differences in functional and aesthetic body image between sedentary girls and girls involved in sports and physical activity: Does sport type make a difference? Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2011, vol. 12, pp. 333–342. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2010.10.005

Burgess G., Grogan S., Burwitz L. Effects of a 6-week aerobic dance intervention on body image and physical self-perceptions in adolescent girls. Body Image, 2006, vol. 3, pp. 57–66. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2005.10.005 

Cook-Cottone C.P. Incorporating positive body image into the treatment of eating disorders: A model for attunement and mindful self-care. Body Image, 2015, vol. 14, pp. 158–167. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2015.03.004 

Frisén A., Holmqvist K. What characterizes early adolescents with a positive body image? A qualitative investigation of Swedish girls and boys. Body Image, 2010, vol. 7, pp. 205–212. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2010.04.001 

Holmqvist Gattario K. Body image in adolescence: through the lenses of culture, gender and positive psychology. Sweden, University of Gothenburg, 2013, 97 p. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/2077/34266 

McHugh T.L., Coppola A.M., Sabiston C.M. «I’m thankful for being Native and my body is part of that»: The body pride experiences of young Aboriginal women in Canada. Body Image, 2014, vol. 11, pp. 318–327. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim

Ng S.K., Barron D., Swami V. Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Body Appreciation Scale among adults in Hong Kong. Body Image, 2015, vol. 13, pp. 1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.10.009 

Piran N., Teall T. The Developmental Theory of Embodiment. Preventing eating-related and weight-related disorders: Collaborative Research, Advocacy, and Policy Change. Waterloo ON, Wilfred Laurier Press, 2012, pp. 171-199.

Pope M., Corona R., Belgrave F.Z. Nobody’s perfect: A qualitative examination of African American maternal caregivers’ and their adolescent girls’ perceptions of body image. Body Image, 2014, vol. 11, pp. 307–317. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.04.005 

Prichard I., Tiggemann M. Relations among exercise type, self-objectification, and body image in the fitness centre environment: The role of reasons for exercise. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2008, vol. 9(6), pp. 855–866. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2007.10.005 

Seligman M.E.P. Positive psychology, positive prevention, and positive therapy. The handbook of positive psychology. New York, Oxford Press, 2002, pp. 3-12.

Smolak L., Cash T.F. Future challenges for body image science, practice and prevention, Body image: A handbook of science, practice, and prevention. New York, Guilford Press, 2011, pp. 471-478.

Swami V., Airs N., Chouhan B., Leon M.A.P., Towell, T. Are there ethnic differences in positive body image among female British undergraduates? European Psychologist, 2009, vol. 14, pp. 288–296. http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040.14.4 

Swami V., Mada R., Tovée M.J. Weight discrepancy and body appreciation of Zimbabwean women in Zimbabwe and Britain. Body Image, 2012, vol. 9, pp. 559-562. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2012.05.006 

Tylka T.L. Positive psychology perspectives on body image. Encyklopedia of body image and human appearance. London, UK, Academic Press, 2012, pp. 657-663.