It’s easy to look at celebrities in magazines and wish you looked more like them. But they are usually exceptionally good-looking people! Also, did you know that magazines change their pictures to make them look even better? You are handsome in your own way and what makes you attractive to others is not just your body but all of you.

Your basic body parts are here to stay. When you’re born, you inherit some of your mom and your dad’s features and your body grows to be like no other body! Maybe you’re short, have big shoulders, wide eyes and thin lips. Good eating and exercise can change a few things, but the rest is yours to accept.

The most important thing to know is you are you and that’s what makes you great. Body shape and looks are not the only things that make you handsome – your personality and your self-esteem (how you feel about yourself) play a big part too.

There are three types of basic body shapes. Can you spot yours?

• Endomorph: short, round and sturdy with a short thick neck and more fat
• Ectomorph: thin and narrow with long, stringy muscles
• Mesomorph: muscular, with wide chest and wide shoulders with little body fat

No body shape is perfect and we all have something we don’t like about ourselves. But it’s learning to love what we’ve got that is important. Remember, your body is made so that you can run and think and eat and enjoy life. Instead of comparing how you look to others, be glad that you’re you – someone who is special and unique!

You may want to read more about the changes in your body.