Body Image & Media - DVD segment 3
by Sabreena Bola
In this segment we take a look at the power of the media on our body image, and some things we might do to reduce the negative effects.
Everyday we are bombarded with numerous messages from the media. The media is a huge part of our lives and exists in many different forms. Whether we look through magazines, watch music videos or even our favourite ‘reality’ television shows, we are constantly being shown an ideal with the message that if we don’t look a certain way, then we should strive to do so.
The Media’s Message and its Impact
When we think about the media and body image, what is the message that we receive? One common message is that we should follow the media and what we see is the way we should look. In other words, the media is seen as being right. Some of us even see the media as an authority figure.
The media doesn’t represent all women. We don’t see women of all different shapes and sizes. We may not see women who are ethnically different or who have different characteristics. Kat mentions in the video that she was happy and excited to see a woman with freckles because she herself has freckles. It doesn’t seem to be the norm and when we do see women who are larger or who look different, we might even be surprised.
The media also tends to focus on outer beauty rather than inner beauty. We see many pictures of women who are flawless when it comes to their hair, face and body. This process may start at an early age with fairytales, comics and even Barbie as a role model. We learn that beauty is what others value.
We don’t see realistic images in the media. We wouldn’t see the women in magazines walking down the street on a regular basis. We also don’t see women looking natural in magazines or music videos. They always tend to look glamorous. The media also shows women competing against each other. There is a dynamic between women where we try to outdo each other. It seems that each woman is trying to be better than the next one. The media has a powerful impact in that we also try to do the things that we see and hear. Many of us may use the media as a source of information. Karen mentions in the video “that there is competition to be something that’s not real. We are following the media as a guide, trying to fit in and falling into a trap.”
Internalizing the Thin Ideal
One thing that almost all women in the media have in common is the fact that they are thin or have what we have come to know as the ‘perfect’ body. It is interesting that women in the media represent what we think of as the perfect body. Is there such a thing as a perfect body? There definitely won’t be one perfect body that will be right for all women. We each need to look at our own individual selves and decide what is perfect for us individually. We are all different shapes and sizes and these factors impact our bodies. Thus, each person has their own perfect body that is based on many factors of which the media is not one.
The thin ideal in the media emphasize the thin female form. Being thin is linked to finding love, being happy and achieving success. Internalizing the thin ideal is striving to be thin. The thin ideal has been known to place pressure on women to be thin. Perhaps at one time or another, we have looked at models in magazines or even our favourite celebrities and wanted to look as they do.
Internalizing the thin ideal has many effects on women. Women may feel many negative emotions in response to the thin ideal. As Kat thinks about her experience, she felt sad, upset and angry. She felt that women presented in the media and the thin ideal had a hold on her, she aspired to be like them. Internalizing the thin ideal can also affect our behaviour; we may act in certain ways in response to what we see in the media. Nikki mentions that ”people take things in whether they want to or not, making comparisons with magazines, messing with our minds and how we view our bodies.”
Sometimes even though we don’t want to fall into the trap of the thin ideal, it seems as if it is out of our control. We may start to change our behaviour for the wrong reasons. Katherine talks about her reaction to a music video with a celebrity she wanted to look like. She said that she started to cut back on eating and working out more to be like the woman in the music video. It isn’t fair to say that making changes in how we feel, eat, exercise or view our body image is wrong, but we should be more aware of the reasons why we decide to make these changes. We should ultimately make changes for ourselves and not because we compare ourselves to the media and internalize the thin ideal.
Being ‘Media Aware’
Being media aware doesn’t mean that you abandon the media, disown your favourite celebrity, or stop looking through your favourite magazines. It simply means being aware of the facts, knowing what is real and what is not. Katherine talks about this and says, “I’ll watch music videos and think to myself, that’s not how they really look. A perfect size isn’t a size 0. As long as you feel good, you’re active and healthy, that’s all that counts.” At times, we notice that women who don’t fit the ideal, whether they are larger or older, tend to be made fun of or are the punch line of jokes. By being media aware, you can make informed decisions.
Media Facts:
· 90% of all girls ages 3-11
have a
Barbie doll, an early role model with a figure that
is unattainable in
real life.
· 69% of female television characters are
thin, only 5% are overweight.
· The tendency to compare
oneself to models that are portrayed by the media, increases with
age.
· The average person sees between 400 and 600 ads
PER DAY-that is 40 million to 50 million by the time he or she is 60
years old. One of every 11 commercials has a direct message about
beauty (this isn't counting the indirect ones).
· When
ten of the most popular magazines most commonly read by men and women were reviewed
for ads and articles related to weight loss, the women’s
magazines contained 10.5 times more articles
related to
dieting and
weight loss than did the men's magazines.
For more interesting media
facts, visit: http://www.about-face.org/r/facts/media.shtml
Source:
Dittrich, L. (1996) About-face facts on the media.
Retrieved October 11, 2005, from About- Face website:
http://www.about-face.org
Check it out: Try this on your own or with a
group of friends. Go to the following websites to see the extent of
airbrushing and the neat things that can be done digitally to alter
images:
What’s your reaction?
Empower Yourself - It’s Your Choice
We have the ability to think and express ourselves freely; this is part of the uniqueness of being human. Tina points out in the video that we have our own filters, we can let these messages (from the media) in or reject them, and we do have the power.
There are two key points here. The first is that the media has a filter through which it sends messages and we each have our own filter through which we receive messages. The second point is that we have the power to accept or reject messages. We do not have to accept everything that we see or hear. We can make changes in how we view our body image, but this should be based on our own feelings and thought processes rather than because we are comparing ourselves to what we see in the media. By being media aware, we can use that knowledge to decide whether we choose to internalize the thin ideal or the beauty ideals put forth by the media. As Amanda says, maybe we should make people in the media look like us rather than us trying to look like them.
It is important to note that not everything we receive from the media has to be taken in negatively. We also don’t have to criticize the models or celebrities for how they look. Their bodies may be perfect for them and that’s okay. The key point is that the media shouldn’t make you feel bad about yourself and in the same breath, you shouldn’t need the media to make you feel good about yourself either. How you feel about yourself (your self-esteem) and body image along with any changes that you may want to make should come from within, only you should hold this power.
Tips for Taking Small Steps
The media is a large and powerful part of society, so it is easier said than done to make changes to how you receive messages from the media. Keeping that in mind, it may be best to take small steps. Kat speaks of her personal experience and says, “It’s a struggle to not be taken in by the media. It took a long time to get out of that way of thinking, and I’m still not completely out of it. I’m slowly realizing that it’s not all that it is cracked up to be.” She continues to talk about how striving to be like those in the media is not the way to achieve happiness.
Some tips regarding the media:
· Be media aware, know what’s real and what’s not and use this information to make decisions that are good for you.
· Focus on the good and bad; consider both the negative and positive messages filtered through the media.
· Choose which messages you wish to accept, and reject all others.
· Allow your body image to develop and/or change based on your own self rather than others (including the media).
· Talk with others, whether it be friends, family or in groups such as Turning Points. Others may share your views or you can always use it as a learning experience.
Finally, as Kat mentions, “have a sense of humour about some of the things you see and hear.” When you receive contradictory messages from the media about yourself, rather than feel bad about yourself or question your appearance or body image, hold your head up high, be satisfied with yourself and just smile.
Exercise 3.1: What do you see and how do you feel about media images of women?
Get your favourite magazine or even a few of the
most popular magazines and look through them for images of women. As
you are looking at these images, ask yourself the following
questions:
· Are these images real or have they
been altered in any way?
· What message do you get
about body image in general from the images?
· Do you
compare yourself to these images? If so, how do they make you feel
about your own body image?
· Do the images represent
all women in society?
· Do you enjoy looking at these
images?
Try this with a group of friends, how do they feel?