Blog #3

What role does the media play in how we feel about our bodies? How can health educators help to prepare effective messages that counter some of the negative images and ideas generated in the media? Do you think that the media is embracing more diversity in body shape, size and color than what was "acceptable" years ago?

The media plays a significant role of how women feel about their bodies. From a very young age, girls are bombarded with images, songs and movies telling them how should look. The media industry is very sexist and, in several advertisements women are objectified. There are rarely any media programs that promote a healthy body image, leading girls to have undeniable issues with self esteem and body image. According to the American Psychological Association, teens are estimated to be exposed to 14,000 sexual references per year on TV.(1) Here are a few examples of women in ads.

                                                

                           

          Health educators should create a large campaign on grand scale to combat the negative and objectified images of women portrayed in the images above. Something as big and impactful as Susan G. Komen, for breast cancer. Health educators can get celebrity endorsements and have celebrity spokespersons-male and female. Celebrities could take pledges to not allow themselves to be objectified and not objectify other women. The campaign should focus on promoting a healthy body image, a push for more active and diverse female characters, equal and healthy relationships, and an increased number of roles for women.

          However, compared to how accepting the media is about embracing diversity in women's shape, size and color from several years ago seems to have changed but then again it hasn't. I know that larger women in the 50's and 60's were considered more attractive. For example Marilyn Monroe was a US size 12.(2) Yet, today skinny or super skinny is considered beauty. But in regards to diversity in color, it seems everywhere you look or every commercial on TV has a skinny Caucasian woman as the object of beauty.

To end this blog I found a cool quote from Tina Fey :)

" Now every girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits. The person closest to actually achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was made by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes.”(3)

-Tina Fey

1. http://www.missrepresentation.org/about-us/resources/gender-resources/

2. http://jezebel.com/5299793/for-the-last-time-what-size-was-marilyn-monroe

3. http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/372993-but-i-think-the-first-real-change-in-women-s-body