4) 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?
There are many sources of influence and what amounts to as mass manipulation aimed at the girls and women of all ages. As these influences combine they powerfully redefine what is considered beautiful, glamorous and worthy of love and appreciation. Including the media we have examples of this unhealthy “thin is beautiful” view from various sources. “Branding”, the early instilling of ideas or values” starts when our young daughters play with unrealistically proportioned dolls like Barbie or Brat dolls, or read stories of fairy tale princesses, some anime cartoons, ballerina dancers, actresses, models, the list goes on. By the time our girls are teenagers, they are convinced that they need to be thin to be loved. The thinner they are, the more they believe they will be accepted. Unfortunately, all too often, that belief is reinforced when the feedback they receive validates that belief. Chubby girls don’t seem to get as many hugs or signs of appreciation in this culture of thinness. This has to stop! It is slowly changing here and there. In Toys R Us, some dolls are available with normal body types. In some cartoons and after-school TV shows, we see more normal shapes, sizes and ethnicities now represented. Even mannequins in other countries are increasingly representing more normal body types. This is a big step, but more is needed, starting in the home. Teaching our children that the “true beauty” that never fades is inner beauty and character. Teaching them early to not only accept but appreciate their own body and their own uniqueness; that there are many kinds of physical beauty, each with its own “magic.” As a society we need to work together to reinforce these concepts.
There are many sources of influence and what amounts to as mass manipulation aimed at the girls and women of all ages. As these influences combine they powerfully redefine what is considered beautiful, glamorous and worthy of love and appreciation. Including the media we have examples of this unhealthy “thin is beautiful” view from various sources. “Branding”, the early instilling of ideas or values” starts when our young daughters play with unrealistically proportioned dolls like Barbie or Brat dolls, or read stories of fairy tale princesses, some anime cartoons, ballerina dancers, actresses, models, the list goes on. By the time our girls are teenagers, they are convinced that they need to be thin to be loved. The thinner they are, the more they believe they will be accepted. Unfortunately, all too often, that belief is reinforced when the feedback they receive validates that belief. Chubby girls don’t seem to get as many hugs or signs of appreciation in this culture of thinness. This has to stop! It is slowly changing here and there. In Toys R Us, some dolls are available with normal body types. In some cartoons and after-school TV shows, we see more normal shapes, sizes and ethnicities now represented. Even mannequins in other countries are increasingly representing more normal body types. This is a big step, but more is needed, starting in the home. Teaching our children that the “true beauty” that never fades is inner beauty and character. Teaching them early to not only accept but appreciate their own body and their own uniqueness; that there are many kinds of physical beauty, each with its own “magic.” As a society we need to work together to reinforce these concepts.
