Scotts Valley Unified School
District
4444 Scotts Valley Drive, Suite 5B
Scotts Valley, California, 95066
To whom it may concern,
My name is
Michelle Mayfield, I have attended schools within the Scotts Valley
Unified
School district from grades K-12 and I am fairly acquainted with the
social
proceedings. Having seen, and lived through the difficult years of
adolescence I have first hand experience and insight into an important
matter. I wish to bring to your attention an issue of national
proportion
that is affecting the schools within this district. Not only as a whole
but
most predominately the adolescent females attending your institutions of
learning. The matter being negative body image due to the impact of the media which affects all young women, society makes it inescapable for us.
Motivation, or desperation no matter what you may call it there is always a
driving force pushing us forward towards a goal. Despite the variance of goals
amongst people, society itself places a goal for us all. Intertwined into the
messages we perceive, embedded into our subconscious this goal we strive for
that forever eludes us: perfection. The Merriam-Webster dictionary’s definition
for perfection is, "being entirely without fault or
defect" and "corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract
concept"(merriam-webster.com). The constant goal of perfection whether
conscious or subconscious shapes our actions and presentation of
ourselves. Perfection is defined by society in the images it shows to us,
and portrayal of such images as 'normal' and beyond that: social acceptable.
Exposure to this starts at a young age but does not fully manifest fully until
our developmental years. An example of the effect this has not only of the
public as a whole but specifically those in adolescence or freshly out of such
is body image. This topic is now gaining awareness due to mental and physical
disorders directly correlating to one’s exposure to society's standards of body
image. Society today has erected unachievable standards for body image through
various types of media resulting in negative body image most prevalently in
adolescent females resulting in mental and physical disorders. These various
types of media psychologically have dire results on the impressionable mind.
Exposure to this idealistic body image promoted by the media and stemming from
society starts at a younger age then most might think and in the most innocent
of forms. When you see a young girl playing with her dolls, perhaps a Barbie
doll, most think little of it. But to that small child, Barbie is beautiful and
perfect. So why wouldn't she want to look like her? Especially if that means
looking like Barbie gets you a dream house, hunky husband and pink VW bug. What
these little girls do not realize is that no one could ever look like Barbie.
Huffington Post released an article addressing the topic back in 2011 stating,
"If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5'9" tall, have
a 39" bust, an 18" waist, 33" hips and a size 3 shoe"
(Huffingtonpost.com). These impossible measurements are what little girls grow
up thinking is 'perfect'. This image of perfection becomes imbedded into their
impressionable minds and will continue to stay there for many years to come.
The image of perfection does not recede as time goes on, but in fact grows more
engrained as they grow older and enter a whole new world of societal
expectations.
The influences of media are
everywhere, from the commercials you see on TV to the magazine covers you pass
at the grocery store; there is no escaping it. Perhaps one of the most
prominent sources of this influence is from images shown on television.
Professor and PHD holder Marika Tiggemann of Finders University published a
study she conducted that was composed of placing 310 adolescent girls ranging
from ages 13-17 in front of a TV screen to watch fifteen commercials with
actresses that fit the social norm of perfection, or 15 commercials containing
none of these idealistic images. Tiggemann found that, "The result for
adolescent girls show that viewing thin ideal commercials led to increased body
dissatisfaction, and that this effect was partly mediated by the appearance
comparison and schema activation processes"(Journal of communications).
This study gives evidence to the overwhelming number of adolescent females that
suffer from negative body image and or low self-esteem due to the influences of
the media. Repetition is a common mode of learning to allow for information to
pass from our short-term memory to our long-term memory. By adolescent girls
seeing these images of what a 'perfect' woman looks like over and over,
everywhere they look, there is such a degree of repetition that it becomes
deeply rooted into their minds. Despite this repetition not being a conscious
effort the effects are no different. Seeing these images so frequently cements
this idea of perfection, translating it into unhealthy expectations towards
their own bodies. The unhealthiness of these expectations, and the mental repercussions
for not meeting such standards can have detrimental effects on their health.
Striving for
an unrealistic body image often results in health issues due to adolescent
females turning to unhealthy means to lose weight once realizing conventional
methods wont be enough. These unhealthy methods include Anorexia and
Bulimia. Anorexia, also called Anorexia Nervosa, is described by WebMD, a
popular online medical site, as being, "...a potentially life-threatening
eating disorder that is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight
loss"(WebMD.com) The other common eating disorder, Bulimia, is described
by the same source as being, "an eating disorder that involves bingeing on
food followed by purging"(WebMD.com). Both of these eating disorders can
be life threatening causing those afflicted to be malnourished which in turn
leads to other health problems that include but are not limited to kidney
disease, and heart disease. These disorders are directly correlated to negative
body image. Adolescent females strive to attain the body that they see
constantly in the media. These tall models with legs that appear to go on
forever, wasp thin waists and flawless skin appear to them as being society's
version of perfection. If that is what society wants, must they look like such
to be considered 'pretty'? According to American Academy of Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) in a study done back in 2008, "In the United
States, as many as 10 in 100 young women suffer from an eating disorder"(AACAP.org).
This number continues to rise as these idealistic women get thinner and
thinner. The AACAP states that this is due to 'distortion of body image’ which
is caused by societal expectations through the influence of the media.
With
so many dire effects due to the media one might think why has nothing been done
to stop this? Though this continues at large there are those who wish to combat
this by instead of portraying the perfect woman as thin and gangly, replace her
with someone who is physically fit and lives a healthy lifestyle. One such
supporter of the fit woman is Shape magazine, which is dedicated to encouraging
women to be fit and healthy, and through safe means achieve the body they
desire. Cover models for this magazine show obvious amounts one muscle mass.
Shape Magazine posted on their website back in 2010 stating, "While I
don't believe it's possible to look at someone and tell how healthy they are
based off their size, I do believe that glorifying images of underfed bodies is
harmful"(Shape.com). Shape Magazine is not the only contributor to the
efforts of healthy body images many companies now are incorporating plus size
models to show that all sizes are beautiful. Not everyone is in support of a societal
image; many high fashion brands see nothing wrong with the sizes of their
models and show no inclination to change. Iconic brand name Chanel, and the
famous owner of the label Karl Lagerfeld said while in an interview with
England's Channel 4 News that, "The models are skinny, but they're not
that skinny"(Huffington Post.com) Where there is progress there are also
set backs and this is very much so true when it comes to promoting a healthy
body image to adolescent females. For such a goal to be achieved there must be
unification of the media and this sadly is very unlikely. Though with
forces campaigning for healthy body image there is still hope for a future of
self-loving adolescent females. However there is something that can be done
about this on a smaller scale that when coupled with other equating efforts can
make a difference. This effort is awareness. By raising awareness about this
topic, and bringing it to the attention of the media, and furthermore all of
society this could initiate the change that could diminish the large amounts of
adolescent females dissatisfied with their body's.
These unachievable standards
for woman's bodies depicted by the media and backed by societal influences are
causing an epidemic of adolescent girls with negative body images, which often
later develop into mental and or physical disorders. Though efforts are being
made by some figures in the media there is still not enough influence at
present to give convincing evidence to these girls that a malnourished
appearance portrayed in the media isn't the right one. However raising
awareness about this issue may be beneficial to speeding the process along.
Taking action against unhealthy body images in the media will do more than
simply make adolescent girls feel better about themselves it will save lives.
Sincerely,
Michelle
Monday, May 27, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Revised Paper
-->
Scotts Valley Unified School
District
4444 Scotts Valley Drive, Suite 5B
Scotts Valley, California, 95066
To whom it may concern,
My name is Michelle Mayfield, I have attended schools within the Scotts Valley Unified School district from grades K-12 and I am fairly acquainted with the social proceedings. Having seen, and lived through the difficult years of adolescence I have first hand experience and insight into an important matter. I wish to bring to your attention an issue of national proportion that is affecting the schools within this district. Not only as a whole but most predominately the adolescent females attending your institutions of learning.
Motivation, or desperation no matter what you may call it there is always a driving force pushing us forward towards a goal. Despite the variance of goals amongst people, society itself places a goal for us all. Intertwined into the messages we perceive, embedded into our subconscious this goal we strive for that forever eludes us: perfection. The Merriam-Webster dictionary’s definition for perfection is, "being entirely without fault or defect" and "corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract concept"(merriam-webster.com). The constant goal of perfection whether conscious or subconscious shapes our actions and presentation of ourselves. Perfection is defined by society in the images it shows to us, and portrayal of such images as 'normal' and beyond that: social acceptable. Exposure to this starts at a young age but does not fully manifest fully until our developmental years. An example of the effect this has not only of the public as a whole but specifically those in adolescence or freshly out of such is body image. This topic is now gaining awareness due to mental and physical disorders directly correlating to one’s exposure to society's standards of body image. Society today has erected unachievable standards for body image through various types of media resulting in negative body image most prevalently in adolescent females resulting in mental and physical disorders. These various types of media psychologically have dire results on the impressionable mind.
Exposure to this idealistic body image promoted by the media and stemming from society starts at a younger age then most might think and in the most innocent of forms. When you see a young girl playing with her dolls, perhaps a Barbie doll, most think little of it. But to that small child, Barbie is beautiful and perfect. So why wouldn't she want to look like her? Especially if that means looking like Barbie gets you a dream house, hunky husband and pink VW bug. What these little girls do not realize is that no one could ever look like Barbie. Huffington Post released an article addressing the topic back in 2011 stating, "If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5'9" tall, have a 39" bust, an 18" waist, 33" hips and a size 3 shoe" (Huffingtonpost.com). These impossible measurements are what little girls grow up thinking is 'perfect'. This image of perfection becomes imbedded into their impressionable minds and will continue to stay there for many years to come. The image of perfection does not recede as time goes on, but in fact grows more engrained as they grow older and enter a whole new world of societal expectations.
The influences of media are everywhere, from the commercials you see on TV to the magazine covers you pass at the grocery store; there is no escaping it. Perhaps one of the most prominent sources of this influence is from images shown on television. Professor and PHD holder Marika Tiggemann of Finders University published a study she conducted that was composed of placing 310 adolescent girls ranging from ages 13-17 in front of a TV screen to watch fifteen commercials with actresses that fit the social norm of perfection, or 15 commercials containing none of these idealistic images. Tiggemann found that, "The result for adolescent girls show that viewing thin ideal commercials led to increased body dissatisfaction, and that this effect was partly mediated by the appearance comparison and schema activation processes"(Journal of communications). This study gives evidence to the overwhelming number of adolescent females that suffer from negative body image and or low self-esteem due to the influences of the media. Repetition is a common mode of learning to allow for information to pass from our short-term memory to our long-term memory. By adolescent girls seeing these images of what a 'perfect' woman looks like over and over, everywhere they look, there is such a degree of repetition that it becomes deeply rooted into their minds. Despite this repetition not being a conscious effort the effects are no different. Seeing these images so frequently cements this idea of perfection, translating it into unhealthy expectations towards their own bodies. The unhealthiness of these expectations, and the mental repercussions for not meeting such standards can have detrimental effects on their health.
Striving for an unrealistic body image often results in health issues due to adolescent females turning to unhealthy means to lose weight once realizing conventional methods wont be enough. These unhealthy methods include Anorexia and Bulimia. Anorexia, also called Anorexia Nervosa, is described by WebMD, a popular online medical site, as being, "...a potentially life-threatening eating disorder that is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss"(WebMD.com) The other common eating disorder, Bulimia, is described by the same source as being, "an eating disorder that involves bingeing on food followed by purging"(WebMD.com). Both of these eating disorders can be life threatening causing those afflicted to be malnourished which in turn leads to other health problems that include but are not limited to kidney disease, and heart disease. These disorders are directly correlated to negative body image. Adolescent females strive to attain the body that they see constantly in the media. These tall models with legs that appear to go on forever, wasp thin waists and flawless skin appear to them as being society's version of perfection. If that is what society wants, must they look like such to be considered 'pretty'? According to American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) in a study done back in 2008, "In the United States, as many as 10 in 100 young women suffer from an eating disorder"(AACAP.org). This number continues to rise as these idealistic women get thinner and thinner. The AACAP states that this is due to 'distortion of body image’ which is caused by societal expectations through the influence of the media.
With so many dire effects due to the media one might think why has nothing been done to stop this? Though this continues at large there are those who wish to combat this by instead of portraying the perfect woman as thin and gangly, replace her with someone who is physically fit and lives a healthy lifestyle. One such supporter of the fit woman is Shape magazine, which is dedicated to encouraging women to be fit and healthy, and through safe means achieve the body they desire. Cover models for this magazine show obvious amounts one muscle mass. Shape Magazine posted on their website back in 2010 stating, "While I don't believe it's possible to look at someone and tell how healthy they are based off their size, I do believe that glorifying images of underfed bodies is harmful"(Shape.com). Shape Magazine is not the only contributor to the efforts of healthy body images many companies now are incorporating plus size models to show that all sizes are beautiful. Not everyone is in support of a societal image; many high fashion brands see nothing wrong with the sizes of their models and show no inclination to change. Iconic brand name Chanel, and the famous owner of the label Karl Lagerfeld said while in an interview with England's Channel 4 News that, "The models are skinny, but they're not that skinny"(Huffington Post.com) Where there is progress there are also set backs and this is very much so true when it comes to promoting a healthy body image to adolescent females. For such a goal to be achieved there must be unification of the media and this sadly is very unlikely. Though with forces campaigning for healthy body image there is still hope for a future of self-loving adolescent females. However there is something that can be done about this on a smaller scale that when coupled with other equating efforts can make a difference. This effort is awareness. By raising awareness about this topic, and bringing it to the attention of the media, and furthermore all of society this could initiate the change that could diminish the large amounts of adolescent females dissatisfied with their body's.
These unachievable standards for woman's bodies depicted by the media and backed by societal influences are causing an epidemic of adolescent girls with negative body images, which often later develop into mental and or physical disorders. Though efforts are being made by some figures in the media there is still not enough influence at present to give convincing evidence to these girls that a malnourished appearance portrayed in the media isn't the right one. However raising awareness about this issue may be beneficial to speeding the process along. Taking action against unhealthy body images in the media will do more than simply make adolescent girls feel better about themselves it will save lives.
Sincerely,
Michelle
4444 Scotts Valley Drive, Suite 5B
Scotts Valley, California, 95066
To whom it may concern,
My name is Michelle Mayfield, I have attended schools within the Scotts Valley Unified School district from grades K-12 and I am fairly acquainted with the social proceedings. Having seen, and lived through the difficult years of adolescence I have first hand experience and insight into an important matter. I wish to bring to your attention an issue of national proportion that is affecting the schools within this district. Not only as a whole but most predominately the adolescent females attending your institutions of learning.
Motivation, or desperation no matter what you may call it there is always a driving force pushing us forward towards a goal. Despite the variance of goals amongst people, society itself places a goal for us all. Intertwined into the messages we perceive, embedded into our subconscious this goal we strive for that forever eludes us: perfection. The Merriam-Webster dictionary’s definition for perfection is, "being entirely without fault or defect" and "corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract concept"(merriam-webster.com). The constant goal of perfection whether conscious or subconscious shapes our actions and presentation of ourselves. Perfection is defined by society in the images it shows to us, and portrayal of such images as 'normal' and beyond that: social acceptable. Exposure to this starts at a young age but does not fully manifest fully until our developmental years. An example of the effect this has not only of the public as a whole but specifically those in adolescence or freshly out of such is body image. This topic is now gaining awareness due to mental and physical disorders directly correlating to one’s exposure to society's standards of body image. Society today has erected unachievable standards for body image through various types of media resulting in negative body image most prevalently in adolescent females resulting in mental and physical disorders. These various types of media psychologically have dire results on the impressionable mind.
Exposure to this idealistic body image promoted by the media and stemming from society starts at a younger age then most might think and in the most innocent of forms. When you see a young girl playing with her dolls, perhaps a Barbie doll, most think little of it. But to that small child, Barbie is beautiful and perfect. So why wouldn't she want to look like her? Especially if that means looking like Barbie gets you a dream house, hunky husband and pink VW bug. What these little girls do not realize is that no one could ever look like Barbie. Huffington Post released an article addressing the topic back in 2011 stating, "If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5'9" tall, have a 39" bust, an 18" waist, 33" hips and a size 3 shoe" (Huffingtonpost.com). These impossible measurements are what little girls grow up thinking is 'perfect'. This image of perfection becomes imbedded into their impressionable minds and will continue to stay there for many years to come. The image of perfection does not recede as time goes on, but in fact grows more engrained as they grow older and enter a whole new world of societal expectations.
The influences of media are everywhere, from the commercials you see on TV to the magazine covers you pass at the grocery store; there is no escaping it. Perhaps one of the most prominent sources of this influence is from images shown on television. Professor and PHD holder Marika Tiggemann of Finders University published a study she conducted that was composed of placing 310 adolescent girls ranging from ages 13-17 in front of a TV screen to watch fifteen commercials with actresses that fit the social norm of perfection, or 15 commercials containing none of these idealistic images. Tiggemann found that, "The result for adolescent girls show that viewing thin ideal commercials led to increased body dissatisfaction, and that this effect was partly mediated by the appearance comparison and schema activation processes"(Journal of communications). This study gives evidence to the overwhelming number of adolescent females that suffer from negative body image and or low self-esteem due to the influences of the media. Repetition is a common mode of learning to allow for information to pass from our short-term memory to our long-term memory. By adolescent girls seeing these images of what a 'perfect' woman looks like over and over, everywhere they look, there is such a degree of repetition that it becomes deeply rooted into their minds. Despite this repetition not being a conscious effort the effects are no different. Seeing these images so frequently cements this idea of perfection, translating it into unhealthy expectations towards their own bodies. The unhealthiness of these expectations, and the mental repercussions for not meeting such standards can have detrimental effects on their health.
Striving for an unrealistic body image often results in health issues due to adolescent females turning to unhealthy means to lose weight once realizing conventional methods wont be enough. These unhealthy methods include Anorexia and Bulimia. Anorexia, also called Anorexia Nervosa, is described by WebMD, a popular online medical site, as being, "...a potentially life-threatening eating disorder that is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss"(WebMD.com) The other common eating disorder, Bulimia, is described by the same source as being, "an eating disorder that involves bingeing on food followed by purging"(WebMD.com). Both of these eating disorders can be life threatening causing those afflicted to be malnourished which in turn leads to other health problems that include but are not limited to kidney disease, and heart disease. These disorders are directly correlated to negative body image. Adolescent females strive to attain the body that they see constantly in the media. These tall models with legs that appear to go on forever, wasp thin waists and flawless skin appear to them as being society's version of perfection. If that is what society wants, must they look like such to be considered 'pretty'? According to American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) in a study done back in 2008, "In the United States, as many as 10 in 100 young women suffer from an eating disorder"(AACAP.org). This number continues to rise as these idealistic women get thinner and thinner. The AACAP states that this is due to 'distortion of body image’ which is caused by societal expectations through the influence of the media.
With so many dire effects due to the media one might think why has nothing been done to stop this? Though this continues at large there are those who wish to combat this by instead of portraying the perfect woman as thin and gangly, replace her with someone who is physically fit and lives a healthy lifestyle. One such supporter of the fit woman is Shape magazine, which is dedicated to encouraging women to be fit and healthy, and through safe means achieve the body they desire. Cover models for this magazine show obvious amounts one muscle mass. Shape Magazine posted on their website back in 2010 stating, "While I don't believe it's possible to look at someone and tell how healthy they are based off their size, I do believe that glorifying images of underfed bodies is harmful"(Shape.com). Shape Magazine is not the only contributor to the efforts of healthy body images many companies now are incorporating plus size models to show that all sizes are beautiful. Not everyone is in support of a societal image; many high fashion brands see nothing wrong with the sizes of their models and show no inclination to change. Iconic brand name Chanel, and the famous owner of the label Karl Lagerfeld said while in an interview with England's Channel 4 News that, "The models are skinny, but they're not that skinny"(Huffington Post.com) Where there is progress there are also set backs and this is very much so true when it comes to promoting a healthy body image to adolescent females. For such a goal to be achieved there must be unification of the media and this sadly is very unlikely. Though with forces campaigning for healthy body image there is still hope for a future of self-loving adolescent females. However there is something that can be done about this on a smaller scale that when coupled with other equating efforts can make a difference. This effort is awareness. By raising awareness about this topic, and bringing it to the attention of the media, and furthermore all of society this could initiate the change that could diminish the large amounts of adolescent females dissatisfied with their body's.
These unachievable standards for woman's bodies depicted by the media and backed by societal influences are causing an epidemic of adolescent girls with negative body images, which often later develop into mental and or physical disorders. Though efforts are being made by some figures in the media there is still not enough influence at present to give convincing evidence to these girls that a malnourished appearance portrayed in the media isn't the right one. However raising awareness about this issue may be beneficial to speeding the process along. Taking action against unhealthy body images in the media will do more than simply make adolescent girls feel better about themselves it will save lives.
Sincerely,
Michelle
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Final Paper Rough Draft
Scotts Valley Unified School District
4444 Scotts Valley Drive, Suite 5B
Scotts Valley, California, 95066
To whom it may concern,
My name is Michelle Mayfield, I have attended schools within the Scotts Valley Unified School district from grades K-12 and am fairly acquainted with the social proceedings. I wish to bring to your attention an issue of national proportion that is affecting the schools within this district. Not only as a whole but most predominately the adolescent females attending your institutions of learning.
Motivation, or desperation no matter what you may call it there is always a driving force pushing us forward towards a goal. Despite the variance of goals amongst people, society itself places a goal for us all. Intertwined into the messages we perceive, embedded into our subconscious this goal we strive for that forever eludes us: perfection. The Merriam-Webster dictionary perfection is, " being entirely without fault or defect" and "corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract concept"(merriam-webster.com). This constant goal whether conscious or subconscious shapes our actions and presentation of our self. Perfection is defined by society in the images it shows to us, and portrayal of such images as 'normal' and beyond that: social acceptable. Exposure to this starts at a young age but does not fully manifest fully until our developmental years. A crucial, and detrimental example of the effect this has not only of the public as a whole but specifically those in adolescence or freshly out of such is body image. This topic is now gaining awareness due to mental and physical disorders directly correlating to exposure to society's standards of body image. Society today has erected unachievable standards for body image through various types of media resulting in negative body image most prevalently in adolescent females resulting in mental and physical disorders. These various types of media psychologically have dire results on the impressionable mind.
Exposure to this idealistic body image promoted by the media and stemming from society starts at a younger age them most might think and in the most innocent of forms. When you see a young girl playing with her dolls, perhaps a Barbie doll, most think little of it. But to that small child, Barbie is beautiful and perfect. So why wouldn't she want to look like her? Especially if that means looking like Barbie gets you a dream house, hunky husband and pink VW bug. What these little girls do not realize that no one could ever look like Barbie. Huffington Post released an article addressing the topic back in 2011 stating, "If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5'9" tall, have a 39" bust, an 18" waist, 33" hips and a size 3 shoe" (Huffingtonpost.com). These impossible measurements are what little girls grow up thinking is 'perfect'. This image of perfection becomes imbedded into their impressionable minds and will continue to stay there for many years to come. The image of perfection does not recede as time goes on, but in fact grows more engrained as they grow older and enter a whole new world of societal expectations.
The influences of media are everywhere, from the commercials you see on TV to the magazine covers you pass at the grocery store; there is no escaping it. One of the perhaps most prominent sources of this influence is from television shows. Professor and PHD holder Marika Tiggemann of Finders University published a study she conducted that was composed of placing 310 adolescent girls ranging from ages 13-17 in front of a TV screen to watch fifteen commercials with actresses that fit the social norm of perfection, or 15 commercials containing none of these idealistic images. Tiggemann found that,"The result for adolescent girls show that viewing thin ideal commercials led to increased body disatisfaction, and that this effect was partly mediated by the appearance comparison and schema activation processes"(Journal of communications). This study gives evidence to the overwhelming number of adolescent females that suffer from negative body image and or low self esteem due to influences by the media. Repetition is a common mode of learning to allow for information to pass from our short term memory to our longer term memory. By adolescent girls seeing these images of what a 'perfect' woman looks like over and over, everywhere they look, there is such a degree of repetition that it becomes deeply rooted into their minds. Despite this repetition not being a conscious effort the effects are no different. Seeing these images so frequently cements this idea of perfection, translating it into unhealthy expectations towards their own bodies. The unhealthiness of these expectations, and the mental repercussions for not meeting such standards can have detrimental effects on their health.
Striving for an unrealistic body image often results in health issues due to adolescent females turning to unhealthy means to lose weight once realizing conventional methods wont be enough. These unhealthy methods include Anorexia and Bulimia. Anorexia, also called Anorexia Nervosa, is described by WebMD, a popular online medical site, as being, "...a potentially life-threatening eating disorder that is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss"(WebMD.com) The other common eating disorder, Bulimia, is described by the same source as being, "an eating disorder that involves bingeing on food followed by purging"(WebMD). Both of these eating disorders can be life threatening causing those afflicted to be malnourished which in turn leads to other health problems that include but are not limited to kidney disease, and heart disease. These disorders are directly correlated to negative body image. These adolescent females strive to attain the body that they see constantly in the media. These tall models with legs that appear to go on forever, wasp thin waists and flawless skin appear to them as being society's version of perfection. If that is what society wants, must they look like such to be considered 'pretty'? According to American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) in a study done back in 2008, "In the United States, as many as 10 in 100 young women suffer from an eating disorder"(AACAP.org). This number continues to rise as these idealistic women get thinner and thinner. The AACAP states that this is due to 'distortion of body image' which is due to societal expectations through the influence of the media.
With so many dire effects due to the media one might think why has nothing been done to stop this? Though this continues at large there are those who wish to combat this by instead of portraying the perfect woman as thin and gangly replacing her with someone who is physically fit and lives a healthy lifestyle. One such supporter of the fit woman is Shape magazine, which is dedicated to encouraging women to be fit and healthy, and through safe means achieve the body they desire. Cover models for this magazine show obvious amounts one muscle mass. Shape Magazine posted on their website back in 2010 stating, "While I don't believe it's possible to look at someone and tell how healthy they are based off their size, I do believe that glorifying images of underfed bodies is harmful"(Shape.com). Shape Magazine is not the only contributor to the efforts of healthy body images many companies now are incorporating plus size models to show that all sizes are beautiful. Where there is progress there are also set backs, many high fashion brands see nothing wrong with the sizes of their models and show no inclination to change. Iconic brand name Chanel, and the famous owner of the label Karl Lagerfeld said while in an interview with England's Channel 4 News that, "The models are skinny, but they're not that skinny"(Huffington Post.com) Where there is progress there are also set backs and this is very much so true when it comes to promoting a healthy body image to adolescent females. For such a goal to be achieved there must be unification of the media and this sadly is very unlikely. Though with forces campaigning for healthy body image there is still hope for a future of self-loving adolescent females. However there is something that can be done about this on a smaller scale that when coupled with other equating efforts can make a difference. This effort is awareness. By raising awareness about this topic, and bringing it to the attention of the media, and furthermore all of society this could initiate the change that could diminish the large amounts of adolescent females dissatisfied with their body's.
These unachievable standards for woman's bodies depicted by the media and backed by societal influences are causing an epidemic of adolescent girls with negative body images which often later develop into mental and or physical disorders. Though efforts are being made by some figures in the media there is still not enough influence at present to give convincing evidence to these girls that a malnourished appearance portrayed in the media isn't the right one. However raising awareness about this issue may be beneficial to speeding the process along. Taking action against unhealthy body images in the media will do more than simply make adolescent girls feel better about themselves it will save lives.
Sincerely,
Michelle
4444 Scotts Valley Drive, Suite 5B
Scotts Valley, California, 95066
To whom it may concern,
My name is Michelle Mayfield, I have attended schools within the Scotts Valley Unified School district from grades K-12 and am fairly acquainted with the social proceedings. I wish to bring to your attention an issue of national proportion that is affecting the schools within this district. Not only as a whole but most predominately the adolescent females attending your institutions of learning.
Motivation, or desperation no matter what you may call it there is always a driving force pushing us forward towards a goal. Despite the variance of goals amongst people, society itself places a goal for us all. Intertwined into the messages we perceive, embedded into our subconscious this goal we strive for that forever eludes us: perfection. The Merriam-Webster dictionary perfection is, " being entirely without fault or defect" and "corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract concept"(merriam-webster.com). This constant goal whether conscious or subconscious shapes our actions and presentation of our self. Perfection is defined by society in the images it shows to us, and portrayal of such images as 'normal' and beyond that: social acceptable. Exposure to this starts at a young age but does not fully manifest fully until our developmental years. A crucial, and detrimental example of the effect this has not only of the public as a whole but specifically those in adolescence or freshly out of such is body image. This topic is now gaining awareness due to mental and physical disorders directly correlating to exposure to society's standards of body image. Society today has erected unachievable standards for body image through various types of media resulting in negative body image most prevalently in adolescent females resulting in mental and physical disorders. These various types of media psychologically have dire results on the impressionable mind.
Exposure to this idealistic body image promoted by the media and stemming from society starts at a younger age them most might think and in the most innocent of forms. When you see a young girl playing with her dolls, perhaps a Barbie doll, most think little of it. But to that small child, Barbie is beautiful and perfect. So why wouldn't she want to look like her? Especially if that means looking like Barbie gets you a dream house, hunky husband and pink VW bug. What these little girls do not realize that no one could ever look like Barbie. Huffington Post released an article addressing the topic back in 2011 stating, "If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5'9" tall, have a 39" bust, an 18" waist, 33" hips and a size 3 shoe" (Huffingtonpost.com). These impossible measurements are what little girls grow up thinking is 'perfect'. This image of perfection becomes imbedded into their impressionable minds and will continue to stay there for many years to come. The image of perfection does not recede as time goes on, but in fact grows more engrained as they grow older and enter a whole new world of societal expectations.
The influences of media are everywhere, from the commercials you see on TV to the magazine covers you pass at the grocery store; there is no escaping it. One of the perhaps most prominent sources of this influence is from television shows. Professor and PHD holder Marika Tiggemann of Finders University published a study she conducted that was composed of placing 310 adolescent girls ranging from ages 13-17 in front of a TV screen to watch fifteen commercials with actresses that fit the social norm of perfection, or 15 commercials containing none of these idealistic images. Tiggemann found that,"The result for adolescent girls show that viewing thin ideal commercials led to increased body disatisfaction, and that this effect was partly mediated by the appearance comparison and schema activation processes"(Journal of communications). This study gives evidence to the overwhelming number of adolescent females that suffer from negative body image and or low self esteem due to influences by the media. Repetition is a common mode of learning to allow for information to pass from our short term memory to our longer term memory. By adolescent girls seeing these images of what a 'perfect' woman looks like over and over, everywhere they look, there is such a degree of repetition that it becomes deeply rooted into their minds. Despite this repetition not being a conscious effort the effects are no different. Seeing these images so frequently cements this idea of perfection, translating it into unhealthy expectations towards their own bodies. The unhealthiness of these expectations, and the mental repercussions for not meeting such standards can have detrimental effects on their health.
Striving for an unrealistic body image often results in health issues due to adolescent females turning to unhealthy means to lose weight once realizing conventional methods wont be enough. These unhealthy methods include Anorexia and Bulimia. Anorexia, also called Anorexia Nervosa, is described by WebMD, a popular online medical site, as being, "...a potentially life-threatening eating disorder that is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss"(WebMD.com) The other common eating disorder, Bulimia, is described by the same source as being, "an eating disorder that involves bingeing on food followed by purging"(WebMD). Both of these eating disorders can be life threatening causing those afflicted to be malnourished which in turn leads to other health problems that include but are not limited to kidney disease, and heart disease. These disorders are directly correlated to negative body image. These adolescent females strive to attain the body that they see constantly in the media. These tall models with legs that appear to go on forever, wasp thin waists and flawless skin appear to them as being society's version of perfection. If that is what society wants, must they look like such to be considered 'pretty'? According to American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) in a study done back in 2008, "In the United States, as many as 10 in 100 young women suffer from an eating disorder"(AACAP.org). This number continues to rise as these idealistic women get thinner and thinner. The AACAP states that this is due to 'distortion of body image' which is due to societal expectations through the influence of the media.
With so many dire effects due to the media one might think why has nothing been done to stop this? Though this continues at large there are those who wish to combat this by instead of portraying the perfect woman as thin and gangly replacing her with someone who is physically fit and lives a healthy lifestyle. One such supporter of the fit woman is Shape magazine, which is dedicated to encouraging women to be fit and healthy, and through safe means achieve the body they desire. Cover models for this magazine show obvious amounts one muscle mass. Shape Magazine posted on their website back in 2010 stating, "While I don't believe it's possible to look at someone and tell how healthy they are based off their size, I do believe that glorifying images of underfed bodies is harmful"(Shape.com). Shape Magazine is not the only contributor to the efforts of healthy body images many companies now are incorporating plus size models to show that all sizes are beautiful. Where there is progress there are also set backs, many high fashion brands see nothing wrong with the sizes of their models and show no inclination to change. Iconic brand name Chanel, and the famous owner of the label Karl Lagerfeld said while in an interview with England's Channel 4 News that, "The models are skinny, but they're not that skinny"(Huffington Post.com) Where there is progress there are also set backs and this is very much so true when it comes to promoting a healthy body image to adolescent females. For such a goal to be achieved there must be unification of the media and this sadly is very unlikely. Though with forces campaigning for healthy body image there is still hope for a future of self-loving adolescent females. However there is something that can be done about this on a smaller scale that when coupled with other equating efforts can make a difference. This effort is awareness. By raising awareness about this topic, and bringing it to the attention of the media, and furthermore all of society this could initiate the change that could diminish the large amounts of adolescent females dissatisfied with their body's.
These unachievable standards for woman's bodies depicted by the media and backed by societal influences are causing an epidemic of adolescent girls with negative body images which often later develop into mental and or physical disorders. Though efforts are being made by some figures in the media there is still not enough influence at present to give convincing evidence to these girls that a malnourished appearance portrayed in the media isn't the right one. However raising awareness about this issue may be beneficial to speeding the process along. Taking action against unhealthy body images in the media will do more than simply make adolescent girls feel better about themselves it will save lives.
Sincerely,
Michelle
Sunday, May 5, 2013
annotated bib
Dittmar, Helga, and Sarah Howard. "Thin-Ideal Internalization and Social
Comparison Tendency as Moderators of Media Models' Impact on Women's
Body-Focused Anxiety." Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 23.6 (2004): 768-91. Web. 7 May 2013.
This scholarly journal goes into depth on how women compare themselves to these extremely thin models they see in the media. By comparing themselves to such an unrealistic body image that society has deemed 'beautiful' to cause 'body anxiety' and or depression. In this journal there was a case study done to show the effects of normal women exposed to different types of body images and there reaction which classified them to either to internalize differences in their body to what the media portrays or to make social comparisons to these thin models shown in the media. The study finds that the negative reactions to the thin models in correlation to their own bodies out weight the positive reaction to the average sized models.
Enayati, Amanda. "Facebook: The Encyclopedia of Beauty?" CNN. Cable News Network, 16 Mar. 2012. Web. 08 May 2013.
This article published by CNN delves into social networking sites, specifically Facebook, and how they cause girls of all ages to constantly compare themselves to others. This causing anxiety, and depression which often in these cases leads to eating disorders. The story is about Amanda Coleman, a college student and head of her sorority, who began to notice alarming unhappiness as well as changes in the girls around her. All of this unhappiness and insecurity would stem from Facebook she told CNN where girls would compare their body's, popularity, etc to other girls on the social networking cite. This was such an extreme that pro-eating disorder groups began forming to support each other in not eating so that they might be able to attain the body image they desired based on what they saw in others on the site. The article also offers insight into the popularity of eating disorders and how common they have really become. From support groups for eating disorders to those in the spot light such as Miss America opening up about it, this is a cultural problem. Coleman opted to delete her facebook to remove herself from such negativity.
This scholarly journal goes into depth on how women compare themselves to these extremely thin models they see in the media. By comparing themselves to such an unrealistic body image that society has deemed 'beautiful' to cause 'body anxiety' and or depression. In this journal there was a case study done to show the effects of normal women exposed to different types of body images and there reaction which classified them to either to internalize differences in their body to what the media portrays or to make social comparisons to these thin models shown in the media. The study finds that the negative reactions to the thin models in correlation to their own bodies out weight the positive reaction to the average sized models.
Enayati, Amanda. "Facebook: The Encyclopedia of Beauty?" CNN. Cable News Network, 16 Mar. 2012. Web. 08 May 2013.
This article published by CNN delves into social networking sites, specifically Facebook, and how they cause girls of all ages to constantly compare themselves to others. This causing anxiety, and depression which often in these cases leads to eating disorders. The story is about Amanda Coleman, a college student and head of her sorority, who began to notice alarming unhappiness as well as changes in the girls around her. All of this unhappiness and insecurity would stem from Facebook she told CNN where girls would compare their body's, popularity, etc to other girls on the social networking cite. This was such an extreme that pro-eating disorder groups began forming to support each other in not eating so that they might be able to attain the body image they desired based on what they saw in others on the site. The article also offers insight into the popularity of eating disorders and how common they have really become. From support groups for eating disorders to those in the spot light such as Miss America opening up about it, this is a cultural problem. Coleman opted to delete her facebook to remove herself from such negativity.
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