Running head: DELIVERY OF THE MESSAGE CONCERNING BODY IMAGE

Delivery of the Message Concerning Body Image

Halil Rodriguez
University of Texas at El Paso

DELIVERY OF THE MESSAGE CONCERNING BODY IMAGE

Delivery of the Message Concerning Body Image

The perception of body image differs between people due to how it is presented. Some
people may be pleased with how they look and others not so much. The music video of "Try" by
Colbie Caillat and the article "What is body image?" by Christian Nordqvist help examine the
issue concerning body image by targeting their own specific audiences. Two genres are
examples of iconography and typography which each use different rhetorical issues in order to be
able to deliver their message to the targeted audiences. These examples of iconography and
typography will inform their chosen audiences about body image .
Purpose of Genre
The purpose of this particular iconography is to capture a wide variety of audiences. In
the music video the genre is trying to raise awareness of body image and is trying to make people
feel they are fine just the way they are. The selected audience is aimed towards women in
general who feel self conscious about themselves. Along with being entertaining it is trying to
leave a message and get audiences thinking and make them realize they don't have to please
anyone but themselves. As it is stated throughout the song, "You don't have to try." (Caillat,
2014). Which is saying people don't have to change for anyone just to please them.
The purpose of this typography is to inform. The article by Christian Nordqvist is trying
to help the audience understand what exactly body image is. This genre uses many credible
sources to impart a sense of trust within the audience. Along with giving both negative and
positive views on body image it opens up to impart wisdom on the real meaning of body image.

DELIVERY OF THE MESSAGE CONCERNING BODY IMAGE

Audience and Purpose

This music video is aimed towards women who don't feel comfortable in their own skin.
This is revealed in the video by showing a variety of women who seem displeased and reveals
them changing into a more comfortable and pleased state. The audience ties into the purpose by
changing their mindset into being comfortable in their own skin. "You don't have to try so
hard."(Caillat, 2014). These lyrics reflect the idea that no girl should have to try to impress
anyone. These lyrics are repeated throughout the song and are trying to make each woman know
that they should be happy just the way they are. The language given is informal in order to
establish a state of comfort in the audience. Specialized vocabulary is used throughout the song
in order to create a boost of confidence within the target audience. Reaction from the audience
proved that the vocabulary did input a sense of confidence towards body image within women.
The intended audience for this typography is people who want to know what body image
is. The article on the website gives various interpretations on what body image actually is and
provides examples on how body image is shaped. The purpose of the article is to inform people
about body image, this lets the audience get a better understanding about body image and how it
affects people. This is shown throughout the article through explanations on body image. "Body
Image reflects how you feel your body is esthetically and how attractive you perceive yourself."
(Nordqvist, 2014). The language shown is formal in order to establish a professional perspective
upon the audiences. This is due to the fact that the website the article comes from is a medical
website. Since the website language is formal the vocabulary is formal as well in order to let the
audience be able to trust the article.

DELIVERY OF THE MESSAGE CONCERNING BODY IMAGE

Significant differences between the two genres are that the iconography targets an
audience really subjective to women, while typography targets anyone with interest to gain more
knowledge on body image such as up and coming doctors and psychologists. The typography
also has a purpose to inform its audience. The iconography has a purpose to inform but by
entertaining the audience simultaneously as well. These genres also are mainly used to influence
their audiences by using different approaches of body image.
Rhetorical Issues: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
All the rhetorical issues are used within this iconography of a music video. Ethos is used
effectively because it targeted a major issue within the world. Colbie Caillat is not to be
considered as a credible source due to her just being artist to the song. Although the artist is not
credible the song used ethos by being able to target a large audience that understand the issue
behind body image. This genre used pathos more effectively than the other rhetorical devices.
The lyrics within the song itself establish a deep sense of emotion for the intended audience. The
video displays women of all different ages and ethnicity that have probably faced issues
concerning body image in the past. "Do they like you?"(Caillat, 2014). The women are shown
taking off make-up, undoing their hair, and singing these lyrics to the song. Just by connecting
the actions in the video and the lyrics helps establish a strong sense of emotion within the
audience. This appeals to the audience greatly by having them relate to the lyrics and women of
the music video, which provoked an emotional response. No use of logos is evident within this
genre. Although this is not shown, a generalized set population of women with body image
concerns was probably used.

DELIVERY OF THE MESSAGE CONCERNING BODY IMAGE

This typography uses ethos by establishing a professional point of view in order to

establish credibility among the target audience. Paul Ferdinand Schilder, a student of Sigmund
Freud, was the first to use the phrase "body image" in his own book, The Image and Appearance
of the Human body (Nordqvist, 2014). This article is a credible source because it comes from a
professional within the medical field and provides facts from many credible authors such as Paul
Ferdinand Schilder. The author uses the sources: Medical News Today archives, Planned
Parenthood, National Health Service, and National Institutes of Health. His use of these sources
is able to increase the credibility of the article. This typography use of ethos helps its credibility
immensely because it uses so many credible sources from within the medical field. The
typography uses pathos by providing insight to the impact media may cause towards a persons'
body image. "Throughout history, art, poetry, literature, fashion, and other societal factors have
had an impact on how people have perceive human beauty." (Nordqvist, 2014). This quote
shows how various media factors impact body image. No special language is used besides
speaking formally to insure trust within the audience. Within the article a photo is shown of a
woman wearing a corset, this was used to make women waists' look extremely thin. Bold and
blue lettering is used within the article to highlight important terms that contribute toward
positive and negative body image. Logos is used within the typography by providing definitions
and studies conducted concerning body image. The University of Florida said that the act of
exercising can convince people that they look better without being physically fit (Nordqvist,
2014). Studies from the University of Illinois, University of Arizona, and Northwestern
University are also provided along with examples.
Different rhetorical issues are used in a variety ways for each genre in order to produce a
different effect on the audience. The iconography utilizes pathos greatly through the video by

DELIVERY OF THE MESSAGE CONCERNING BODY IMAGE

showing women getting comfortable with themselves along with the lyrics of the song.
Although the video does not utilize logos and ethos much, using pathos proved effectively for
this genre to speak about the troubles concerning body image. The rhetorical issues used in the
typography are different compared to the iconography. The typography mainly uses ethos and
logos throughout the article. The use of ethos and logos helped the genre be able to create a
sense of credibility within itself. Unlike the iconography, pathos wasn't used as much in the
typography. The differences in rhetorical issues between the two different genres help each one
convey their message effectively.
Structure and Delivery
The information is limited to the amount of people that will actually listen to the song.
The audience will be able to listen to it if they are interested into that specific type of music, but
if this is not the case it becomes difficult to deliver the message to the audience as a whole. Even
though it has limitations the music video is really straight forward to the message by having
Colbie Caillat sing it straight to the point. The video was structured strategically in order to
deliver the message my presenting several women that the main audience could relate to. "Why
should you care, what they think of you."(Caillat, 2014). These lyrics let the message get a
deeper feeling to the women watching the video and made them be able to think more about the
actual message being portrayed, which contributes to the purpose of the genre.
The information within the typography has limitations by being difficult to find as well as
not being too long of an article. This article explains what body image is, how we see body
image, and how society affects body image. The bold and blue lettering within the article help
the audience understand body image more. By providing the image of the woman wearing the

DELIVERY OF THE MESSAGE CONCERNING BODY IMAGE

corset, the audience can get more of a glimpse as to how the media can affect people physically
by having them live up to unreal expectations. "Body image refers to the overall perception, not
just certain parts of your body."(Nordqvist, 2014). These elements demonstrate the articles main
points as well as emphasizing the importance of body image.
Similarities between the structure of the genres are that they are set up in their own
unique way to effectively deliver their message to their audience. The structures for both genres
are set up in a way to change the views of body image. Differences between the genres take
place within the visual effects within them. The iconography uses more visuals to contribute to
the message. The use of the visuals include women singing the song and changing their
appearance to where they're comfortable. The typography takes a different approach by
changing the cover of the text in order to mark important points and words. These effects add to
the effectiveness of the genre delivering its message on body image.
The genre more effective in delivering its message was the iconography. By using a
music video, Colbie Caillat was able to provide easier access to having the message be heard,
such as having the song be played on the radio or on television. This genre also provided more
of pathos which was portrayed effectively in the lyrics. The effective use of pathos let the
audience gain a sense of attachment to the song by relating it to themselves. Unlike the
iconography, the typography was effective on a credible point of view but it was not simple to
find. These individual genres have an impact on their discourse depending on who the audience
is and how they are shown.

DELIVERY OF THE MESSAGE CONCERNING BODY IMAGE

References

Colbie Caillat - Try [Video file]. Retrieved from

v=GXoZLPSw8U8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Nordqvist, C. (2014, September 17). "What is body image?." Medical News Today. Retrieved
from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249190.php.