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Students will do the following: 
                                  |                                         1.                                      |                                   Explore what is involved in body piercing, tattoos, and cosmetic surgery |                                 
                                  |                                         2.                                      |                                   Discuss why people engage in these activities |                                 
                                  |                                         3.                                      |                                   Research the health risks associated with these activities |                                 
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The class will need the following: 
                                     | • |                                      paper and pencils |                                    
                                     | • |                                      newsprint and markers |                                    
                                     | • |                                      computer with Internet access (optional but very helpful) |                                    
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                                     |                                            1.                                         |                                      Open the  lesson with a discussion about current fashion trends that involve minor  alterations to a part of the body. What trends are students attracted  to? What trends do they think improve their appearance? List their ideas  on a piece of newsprint. Their thoughts may include the following:- Dyeing their hair
 
- Wearing tight pants
 
- Wearing makeup
 
- Piercing their ears
 
- Wearing black
 
- Wearing nail polish on their fingers and toes
 
- Getting their hair styled
 
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                                     |                                            2.                                         |                                      Tell  students that during this lesson, they will examine three extreme  fashion trends that involve altering the body and are difficult or  impossible to undo. The trends are permanent tattoos, body piercing, and  cosmetic surgery. To make each of these changes, people must either  undergo a procedure or an operation. |                                    
                                     |                                            3.                                         |                                      Write each  of these terms on the chalkboard or on a piece of newsprint. Discuss  with the class what each one means; explanations follow:-                                                  Tattoos.Created  by an electric instrument made of needles, tattoos are permanent ink  marks or designs. The needles penetrate the first two layers of the  skin. A professional tattoo artist must have a permit from the local  health department to operate a tattoo parlor.
 
-                                                  Body piercings.Piercings  are holes put in the ears, nose, navel, eyebrows, lips, tongue, or  other parts of the body for the purpose of putting jewelry in them. They  must be done according to proper sanitary procedures. The area  surrounding a piercing must be washed twice a day with antibacterial  soap.
 
-                                                  Cosmetic surgery.Several  forms of cosmetic surgery are discussed in this lesson: liposuction,  breast enhancement, and rhinoplasty, often known as a nose job.  Liposuction is a surgical procedure that removes fatty tissue in the  legs, buttocks, abdomen, back, arms, face, neck, or other area of the  body. Done properly, the procedure is safe and leaves only tiny scars.  Breast enhancement involves inserting implants, usually bags filled with  saltwater, into the breasts. Some risks are associated with this  procedure, including rippling of the skin and the possibility of other  health problems from an implant. Rhinoplasty is a surgical procedure  that alters the nose’s size or shape. As with any operation, there are  some risks involved, including a possibility that narrowing a nasal  passage could result in breathing difficulties.
 
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                                     |                                            4.                                         |                                      Divide  students into pairs. Have each pair select one of the three procedures  described in step 3 to research. After they’ve done the research, have  each pair answer the questions that follow. Related Web sites are also  listed.                                              Questions for Each Group                                            
- What is involved in  getting a tattoo, having a body piercing done, or having cosmetic  surgery performed? Describe how each is done.
 
- What are the benefits of engaging in this activity?
 
- What are the short-term health risks?
 
- What are the long-term health risks?
 
- Why do people engage in these activities? What is the attraction?
 
- Based on what you have learned, would you engage in this activity now or when you get older? Give reasons to support your ideas.
 
 Web Sites                                            
Tattoos and Body Piercing 
Gen Xers lead piercing and tattoo fad                                            
Learn about body piercing                                            
Tattoos and Body Piercings, Lasting Impressions with Long-term Effects                                           Cosmetic Surgery 
Liposuction                                               
Your Interactive Resource on Liposuction                                               
Information regarding Liposuction                                               
Surgery of the Nose - Rhinoplasty                                               
AAFPRS - Understanding Rhinoplasty                                            
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                                     |                                            5.                                         |                                      Give the  students the rest of the class period to complete their research and  answer the questions. During the next class period, have the pairs give a  brief oral presentation to the class. Presentations should answer all  the questions in step 4. |                                    
                                     |                                            6.                                         |                                      Discuss  with students the findings of each pair of students. Ask students why  they think young people are attracted to these activities, especially  when so many health risks are involved. If one reason is so that young  people can assert themselves as individuals, ask students to think of  safer alternatives. How can young people make a statement about their  individuality without hurting their bodies? |                                    
                                     |                                            7.                                         |                                      Conclude  the lesson by discussing with the class what they learned about making  good choices regarding their bodies. Help students understand that the  key to making healthful choices is to have information that can be  applied to their own lives. All the activities discussed in this lesson  pose some health risks. Ask students whether learning about those risks  changed their thinking about the activities. Knowing what they know now,  would they engage in them? |                                    
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                                     |                                            1.                                         |                                      What role  does peer pressure play in encouraging young people to get tattoos and  body piercings? Do young people feel they must do these things to be  “cool”? Give reasons to support your ideas. |                                    
                                     |                                            2.                                         |                                      Imagine  that you are with a group of friends who decide to get some tattoos. How  would you handle the situation? Would you go along with your friends or  refuse to go? Give reasons to support your ideas. |                                    
                                     |                                            3.                                         |                                      What  current fashion trends do you think best express who you are? For  example, would dyeing your hair red project the right image? Try to  think of an activity that carries as few health risks as possible.  Alternatively, think of other things you do that also express who you  are. Consider what activities you enjoy or avoid, as well as what you  talk about with friends and family. |                                    
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Use  the following three-point rubric to evaluate how well students can  research different topics and answer assigned questions, apply what they  learned to their own lives, and participate in class discussions on  sensitive topics:-                                   Three points:demonstrated strong  research skills, above-average ability to answer questions accurately  and sensitively, strong ability to apply what was learned to the  student’s own life, and maturity and insight in discussing sensitive  topics.
 
-                                   Two points:demonstrated  on-grade-level research skills, average ability to answer questions  accurately and sensitively, average ability to apply what was learned to  the student’s own life, and some maturity and insight in discussing  sensitive topics.
 
-                                   One point:demonstrated weak  research skills, slightly below-average ability to answer questions  accurately and sensitively, difficulty applying what was learned to the  student’s own life, and difficulty discussing sensitive topics with the  class.
 
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                                                           Fashion Trends of the Past                                
Have students research fashion trends  of the past. Students can select any time period (for example, the  flappers of the 1920s or the hippies of the 1960s). Have them answer the  following questions:- What kinds of clothes did people wear during the time period you selected?
 
- How did women wear their hair? How did men wear their hair?
 
- Did people engage in any behaviors  that presented health risks? If so, were they aware of those risks? Did  they change their behavior if they became aware of the risks?
 
- What do you think of the fashion  trends from the time period you selected? Do you think they are  attractive? Why or why not? Give reasons to support your ideas.
 
- Why do you think people may not find former fashion trends attractive? Why do you think fashion trends change?
 
- Did people do anything during the time you selected to permanently alter their bodies? If so, what?
 
 Students can begin their research by  visiting the Web sites listed here. After they’ve conducted their  research, have students present their findings as a visual display. Make  sure the display includes when the fashion was in style, what it looked  like, and how long it was popular.                                  20th-Century Fashion History                                   
 
Hairstyle History                                
Beauty World: Fashion                                   
 
 
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                                                           Am I Thin Enough Yet?: The Cult of Thinness and the Commercialization of Identity                                
Sharlene Hesse-Biber. Oxford University Press, 1997. 
Many  women and girls, some as young as six years old, struggle with an  obsession to control their weight and stay as thin as possible. Today  men are feeling the effects of this obsession as well. This book  explains how the forces of society, popular culture, and the health and  fitness industry have contributed to a “cult of thinness.” Many case  studies help illustrate the points made. Extensive notes for each  chapter are included. 
 
                                  Vanity Rules: A History of American Fashion and Beauty                                   
Dorothy Hoobler and Thomas Hoobler. Twenty-First Century Books, 2000. 
We  tend to think that the desire to have a “perfect” body and to look a  certain way is a recent development in our culture, but it isn't. In  Vanity Rules, we can follow fashion and its influence on the body, from  colonial days to the present. Describing trends that are at times  humorous (such as the stuffing of cork into one’s cheeks to achieve a  plump look) and at times painful (such as the wearing of corsets tight  enough to displace internal organs), this book reveals it all.  Illustrations and photographs enrich the text. 
 
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                                                           body piercing                                
Definition:Putting a hole for jewelry in the ears, nose, navel, eyebrow, lips, tongue, or other part of the body. 
Context:After getting abody piercing, make sure you clean the area twice a day with antibacterial soap. 
 
                                  breast enhancement                                   
Definition:A surgical procedure in which an incision is made in the breast and implants, usually bags filled with saltwater, are inserted. 
Context:Although it carries some risk,breast enhancementis one of the more popular forms of cosmetic surgery. 
 
                                     liposuction                                      
Definition:A surgical  procedure that removes fatty tissue in the legs, buttocks, abdomen,  back, arms, face, neck, or other part of the body. 
Context:Forliposuctionto be effective, an individual should be of average weight and have extra fat in specific areas. 
 
                                        rhinoplasty                                         
Definition:A surgical procedure designed to change the size or shape of the nose for either cosmetic or health purposes. 
Context:The techniques ofrhinoplastyhave been perfected so that the incisions are well hidden. 
 
                                           tattoo                                            
Definition:A permanent design created on the skin by an electric instrument made of needles. 
Context:Before getting atattoo, it is important to know that it will be expensive and difficult to remove in the future. 
 
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The following standards are from the American Association for Health Education for students in grades six through eight:- Students will analyze the influence of culture, media, technology, and other factors on health.
 
- Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family, and community health.
 
- Students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting and decision-making skills to enhance health.
 
 This lesson plan adheres to the standards set forth in theNational Science Education Standards,in particular the category Science in Personal and Social Perspectives. 
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Marilyn Fenichel, freelance writer and curriculum developer.This lesson was created in consultation with Shauna Felton, middle school health teacher. 
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