Background: Media and its effects on body image from the perspective of a curve model and therapist. Unrealistic body image standards displayed to the public result in unhealthy expectations. Creating awareness of what is being portrayed and the unrealistic standards this creates helps protect our self image and also promote change.
Objectives: Following this presentation, participants will be able to identify, utilize and explain... -what body image is as well as where a person's sense of their body image is thought to come from. -the misleading, false, and unrealistic portrayal of beauty and body image in the media and its effect on individuals and society. -resources and solutions for promoting body image awareness as well as promoting change in the media.
I. Introduction: What is Body image?
A. Definition
B. Where does it come from?
1. Personal Experiences
2. Personality
3. Society
4. Cultural Forces
II. What Does the Media Have to Do With It?
A. Exposure to Media
B. Anne Becker Study
III. The Media’s Effect
A. Thin Idealization
B. Forever Young
1. Plastic Surgery
2. Age Reducing Products
C. Unrealistic Body Expectations
1. Hair and Makeup
2. Lighting
3. Professional Photographer
4. Photoshop
a. Overt
b. Covert
c. Photoshop applications
III. What Can We Do?
A. Awareness
1. Documentaries
a. American the Beautiful
b. Miss Representation
2. Social Media Campaigns
B. Prevention
1. Conversations
2. Psycho Education
The media provides a significantly influential context for people to learn about body ideals that often has a large impact on societal and individual conceptualizations of body image and beauty standards. The average person in the United States sees approximately 3,000 ads in magazines, internet, billboards, and television every day, causing inaccurate messages about body image to become “normalized”. There are several ways that this can present, some of these include: thin idealization, the desire to be “forever young”, and unrealistic beauty expectations. These three categories are important to raise awareness and understanding of in regards to the impact they have in our everyday exposure to media and its overall effect on our body image.
There is no single cause of body dissatisfaction or disordered eating. But, research is increasingly clear that media does indeed contribute and that exposure to and pressure exerted by media increase body dissatisfaction and disordered eating.
So what can we do? Legislation is slowly being passed after two Latin American models died of anorexia. There are companies that are also making attempts to promote change by depicting size diversity as well as un-retouched models. Awareness is also a key component- having a conversation with each other, our children, retailers, and social media about the effect the media is having and what we can do to support each other and take care of ourselves and our body image.
Ashley is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who works with adolescents struggling with eating disorders and body image at Center for Discovery in La Habra as well as has a private practice in Pasadena. In addition to working as a therapist, Ashley also is a curve model for a few agencies in the United States as well as in Europe. In getting to work in this field, a lot of Ashley’s efforts have involved linking her two professions by promoting body positive awareness as well as psycho education on the media and body image.
