The media plays a significant role in shaping cultural norms and attitudes, concomitantly reinforcing "body" and "beauty" ideals and gender stereotypes. Unrealistic, photoshopped and stereotyped images used by the media, advertising and fashion industries influence young people's body image and impact on their feelings of body satisfaction, self-esteem and confidence. Drawing on the findings of an evaluation of a school-based digital media literacy program, this paper argues that building media literacy skills in young people is crucial as they construct a sense of self within a social milieu that is characterised by pervasive and unrealistic media images delivered in a multiplicity of forms. The evaluation shows how an interactive online curriculum resource makes a considerable contribution to the media literacy outcomes for young people by encouraging them to critically analyse and deconstruct media images such that they can cultivate more realistic appraisals of their own bodies and thus resilience against the undermining influence of the media. The evaluation findings also highlight the benefits of young people's participation and leadership in a learning environment.