News-based English language activities from the global newspaper

June 2010
Level ≥ Lower intermediate
Style ≥ Lesson plan
Welcome to the Guardian Weekly’s special news-based materials to support learners and teachers of English.
Each month, the Guardian Weekly newspaper selects topical news articles that can be used to practise English
language skills. The materials are graded for two levels: advanced and lower intermediate. These worksheets
can be downloaded free from guardianweekly.co.uk/learningenglish/. You can also find more advice for
teachers and learners from the Guardian Weekly’s Learning English section on the site.

Skinny male mannequins raise body fears

Materials prepared by Janet Hardy-Gould

Instructions
Lesson focus: reading, discussion
Materials sheet: copies of the article, magazine pages, bilingual dictionaries
Time: 50 minutes

1 In pairs students look at magazine adverts/photos showing
women’s and men’s fashions. Ask: “What are the current
fashion trends? What is popular, fashionable, ‘in’ or ‘out’?”
out
out’?”
Brainstorm ideas as a class. Revise clothes vocabulary and
opposite adjectives such as: skinny/baggy jeans, slim-line/
loose tailoring chest 12 mins
tailoring. Cover waist and chest.
g Arpino thinks the mannequins will/won’t make men
have eating problems.
h The company made the mannequins because of the
fashion for tight/low clothes.
Answers a thin b Rootstein c a lot d teenagers e men f
unrealistic g won’t h tight

2 Ask: What can you see in the windows of clothes
shops? Mannequins. Check pronunciation. Ask: “Do
the mannequins look the same from year to year?”
They change with fashion. “Who do they look like?”
Sometimes celebrities. 4 mins
3 Write up the following questions. Check vocabulary.
Students read article and choose the correct word. Class
feedback. 12 mins
a People don’t like the new mannequins because they
look too thin/young
thin/young.
b The company that made the mannequins is called
Beat/Rootstein.
Beat/Rootstein
c The average British man is a bit/a lot bigger than the
new mannequins.
d The company used teenagers/celebrities as models
for the mannequins.
e Beat says more men/models now have eating
problems.
f Beat is worried about images of men that are too
realistic/unrealistic.
4 Write the more detailed questions below on the board.
Check the meaning and pronunciation of key words.
In pairs students take it in turns to ask each other the
questions/find the answers in the text. Class feedback.
12 mins
a What is the name of the new mannequin collection?
b How big is the waist of one of the mannequins?
c How big is the waist of the average British man?
d What percentage of people with eating problems are
male?
e What type of jeans are now in fashion?
f What age was the oldest model for the mannequins?
Answers a Young and Restless b 69cm c 97cm d 10% e
skinny jeans f 20
5 Ask: “What do you think about the new models?”
Students note down ideas referring to bilingual
dictionaries. Elicit opinions as a class and generate
discussion. 10 mins
News-based English language activities from the global newspaper
Materials sheet
Good fit? Rootstein’s new models Chrisjepson.com
Student tasks
1 Read the article and choose the correct word.
a People don’t like the new mannequins because they
look too thin/young.
b The company that made the mannequins is called
Beat/Rootstein.
c The average British man is a bit/a lot bigger than the
new mannequins.
d The company used teenagers/celebrities as models
for the mannequins.
e Beat says more men/models now have eating
problems.
f Beat is worried about images of men that are too
realistic/unrealistic.
g Arpino thinks the mannequins will/won’t make men
have eating problems.
h The company made the mannequins because of the
fashion for tight/low clothes.
2 Student A ask your partner these questions. Student B
find answers in the article and respond.
a What is the name of the new mannequin collection?
b How big is the waist of one of the mannequins?
c How big is the waist of the average British man?
d What percentage of people with eating problems
are male?
e What type of jeans are now in fashion?
f What age was the oldest model for the mannequins?
June 2010
Article: Skinny male
mannequins raise body fears
1 Campaigners have criticised a British mannequin
company for introducing a super-skinny male model.
They say that the new mannequins give an unrealistic
image to young men.
2 This month Rootstein, a British firm, brings out its Young
and Restless collection, which includes a mannequin
with an 89cm chest and a 69cm waist. Recent statistics
show that the average British man has a waist of 97cm –
28cm larger than the mannequins.
3 The company says the mannequins were modelled on
slim teenage boys who were perfect for showing the
skinny jeans and slim-line tailoring that is the current
fashion.
4 But eating disorder charity Beat said more men were
suffering from eating problems and the mannequins
show an unattainable image for most men.
Approximately 10% of people with eating disorders are
now male.
5 It said: “We are certainly aware of more males seeking help
for their eating problems and it is recognised that they
are more likely to develop an eating disorder as a result of
trying to achieve a certain body shape and size.
6 “Unrealistic images in the fashion world – such as these
mannequins … can lead to low self-esteem in often young
and vulnerable people.”
7 Kevin Arpino, creative director at Rootstein, who designed
the Young and Restless collection, rejected the idea that
his mannequins could start eating disorders. He said
there was an increasing demand for smaller models from
shops.
8 “It is a collection dictated by current fashion trends for
skinny jeans and very tight tailoring as seen everywhere …
in the fashion magazines.
9 “None of the boys we used [as models for the
mannequins] were anorexic. They were just teenagers –
the oldest one was 20, I think. It’s a trend that you can see
in celebrities and rock stars.”
Original article by Helen Pidd, rewritten by
Janet Hardy-Gould