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Brittani Luke

English 1010

Professor Fernley

04 March, 2016

The Insecure, The Confident, and The susceptible

We live in a world surrounded by beauty. Whether its as obvious as the colors of a

summer sunset or hidden like a pearl inside an oyster; it is within our nature to be easily drawn to

things that catch our eye. We have the ability to individually recognize and define beauty all

around us, but in some cases, how we define beauty can turn this gift into a psychological roller

coaster.

According to social Media Director for TED Conferences, Nadia Goodman, believes that

unrealistic images being published and exposed to viewers through social media can contribute

to body dissatisfaction among men and women all around the world. Convinced that the realities

behind distorted media and its ability to fuel body dissatisfaction, Goodman take matters into her

own hands and focuses her attention on creating awareness to those who are currently affected by

the medias distorted images, and those who are susceptible. Through endless research, thriving

off of passion and determination, Goodman discovers she isnt the only person taking action on

this growing issue.

As part of a new curriculum at an all-girls private school known as Hathaway Brown,

Media Literacy is being introduced to students as a required coarse along with the teachings on

body image. The class itself would reflect on a variety of topics within the media, including
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advertisements and the art behind photo-shopping. More importantly, the intent behind these

media literacy classes is to allow female students to deconstruct the way girls are presented in the

media, and focus on what it means to be a girl. Although, it cannot be justified that media

distortion is the leading cause of psychological eating disorders and body dissatisfaction; there is

however, a substantial amount of evidence that links to the unrealistic images distributed by the

Media Industry and the message being displayed to men and women which consists of

unattainable and unrealistic standards.

After Two European models were pronounced dead from anorexia related causes-

Fashion industries around the globe including Spain, Italy, and Israel have begun monitoring

models thinness through Body Max Index calculations. Israel took this issue one step further by

implementing laws and regulations that require a model to have a BMI of at least 18.5, and

requires photo-shopped images to be labeled as such.

In other news, The Girl Scouts of the USA conducted a recent study which discovered

that 89% of teenage girls feel the fashion industry pressures them to be thin. Other statistics have

also shown that 42% of girls in grades 1-3 want to be thinner, 53% of 13 year old girls are

unhappy with their bodies, 30 % of high school girls and 16% of high school boys suffer from

eating disorders. While some have considered Media Literacy to be a possible solution in efforts

to prevent self-esteem issues and eating disorders, others continue to take different approaches to

help raise awareness, including Policy Director of Eating Disorders Coalition Kathleen

MacDonald, who continues to fight with congress to pass bills; calling for Eating Disorder

Education and Prevention.

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Every day, people are becoming more aware of this ongoing issue, in fears that our

younger generation will be the ones to truly suffer from the physiological consequences,

especially the female population. For most girls, we have been struggling to meet the standards

of body image since weve been playing with Barbies. Whether it is our clothes, shoes, hair,

make-up, skin complexion, curve, or weight. In reality, women have been fighting through this

psychological battle from the time we started wearing our mothers heels, and covering our face

with blush and lipstick.

In efforts to get a better understanding of this behavior and why, Dove Beauty

commissioned a global study (The Real Truth about Beauty) which involved 3,200 female

subjects from around the world, between the ages 18-64. The study reviled that only 2% of

women claim to be beautiful and a minority of the female subjects considered themselves to be

above average in appearance. As a response, Dove has been determined to re-define beauty;

encouraging other media adverts to stop airbrushing models, and promotes body-image

awareness to consumers all around the world.

Much like Hathway Browns mission to protect young girls self-image, The Dove

Campaign, created a video that was displayed through social media and brought awareness to

millions all around the world. Known as Evolution this video displayed the process and

progression of a model getting a makeover, showing the lengths and measures put into photo-

shopping and image alterations. This video provided great visuals on how much the media

distorts the way an average person looks and has shown a positive impact on young girls, and

changing the way they view beauty.

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Unfortunately, not all media adverts or consumers agree with Doves Campaign. Some

have questioned DOVEs true intent- believing the campaign to be another way to gain the

upper hand in retail. However, studies continue to be researched focusing on body

dissatisfaction, providing enough evidence that Media images have a severe effect of ones

perception of body image that can lead to low self-esteem , including psychological and eating

disorders. Over the years, many retailers like Madcloth, Seventeen Magazine, and Aerie have

joined Doves campaign and continue to stand against media distortion.

Despite the efforts and awareness being brought to light, the media continues to alter

natural beauty within the advertising industry. And women, continue to follow the latest trends,

and fashion, purchasing endless products to cover up our true beauty, while developing

unhealthy eating patterns all to look good in a pair of skinny jeans? This behavior is ongoing in

most women all around the world, and is being taught to our younger generation of females

without even knowing.

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Work Cited

Goodman, Nadia; Research Debate, Do You Feel Better Knowing Shes Airbrushed, Real Beauty,

fitness, December 19, 2011.

Goodman, Nadia; LinkedIn, Professional Network