JAYMIE GOBEILLE'S E-PORTFOLIO
Jaymie's E-Portfolio
How many times have you looked in the mirror and not liked what you saw? How many times a day do you see pictures, commercials or even clothing ads that make you feel bad about your own body type? For many people these thoughts and feelings occur multiple times on a daily basis. What society views as the “ideal body” is plastered all over the covers of magazines, on TV commercials, and even in ads for clothing stores and companies. This image of a perfect body is drilled into these young adults’ minds to the point where they start to have an unhealthy obsession about the way they look. These obsessions eventually lead to negative thoughts and even self-harming behaviors. So what is it about the media that intrigues these young minds and why does the media find it okay to portray this unrealistic body image?
Body image is the way a person sees themselves. It’s what they personally believe about their own appearance including their weight and height and body shape (Family Services). When someone has a healthy body image it is easier for them to live their life to the fullest and actually take care of their body. They are able to overlook the constant pressure of being perfect and can recognize that they are beautiful in their own way regardless of what society tells them. So what is negative body image then? Negative body image is when a person obsesses over their weight and body shape or any other flaws they believe they have. People who have a negative body image will do anything to try to make themselves perfect, which of course is an unattainable goal. No matter how hard they try to be perfect, they will always find something else to obsess over. These obsessions turn into negative thoughts, which turn into negative behaviors. These negative thoughts and behaviors are shared by many teenagers and adults... yes, this includes men.
For the past fifty or sixty years, what is seen as the perfect body has drastically changed. Back then it was okay to have a little extra weight and it was actually seen as beautiful. Nowadays the “ideal body” is a size zero and at least 5’10”. For a Victoria’s Secret model this description is spot on, but for the average woman this body is unattainable. For males, the “ideal body” is having a six pack, and huge biceps, also unattainable for some. The media portrays these images through many different outlets such as magazines, television commercials and ads for clothing companies or stores. On the front cover of practically any magazine you see a photograph of someone, most likely someone famous, in little to no clothing. Next to these pictures you see claims such as “we’ll help you lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks” or “How I lost 60 pounds”. Little do people know that a majority of these pictures are photo shopped, making it 10 times harder and even impossible for someone to achieve a similar body type. The only thing these magazine covers do is make people feel bad about themselves, and make them think that the only way to get a body like the one on the cover is to lose an unrealistic amount of weight in a short period of time. Even clothing stores do this. Take Abercrombie and Fitch for example Before you even walk in the store you are greeted by one of their models. Typically a young, blonde guy with no shirt on, a six pack and a tan. You already feel self-conscious before you even start shopping. Once you get into the store and start looking at the clothes, you will notice that the sizes go up to large , now you might be thinking “what’s wrong with only going up to a large?” well the problem is that a large t-shirt from Abercrombie and Fitch would probably be a size small at any other clothing store. So yes, they do go up to size large, but to them, anyone who isn’t a size 0-4 is considered large. The CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch has even stated that he only likes to market to the cool kids stating that fat or old people don’t belong in his clothes. This now gives us the impression that overweight people are not considered cool because they can’t fit into Abercrombie and Fitch jeans or shirts. Another example of what the media sees as beautiful vs the average woman is the Victoria Secret Love Your Body campaign
When you’re already uncomfortable with your own body, seeing these images of “perfect” bodies can sometimes be overwhelming. For most guys and girls, these feelings of imperfection and unworthiness start at a very young age. Because they are so young they are more impressionable and consider anything they see on the cover of a magazine true. As they get older and start to become their own person, these thought have already been in their heads for a long time. For some people the stress of trying to look perfect is too much and they never feel content with their own body. This leads them to have thoughts such as “why am I so ugly” or “maybe if I lose just 10 more pounds I’ll be prettier”. Many people also suffer from what is called body dysmorphic disorder which causes them to see themselves a different size then what they actually are. People who suffer from this disorder are normally already in shape, but when they look in the mirror they see someone who is overweight and ugly. The media doesn’t help this situation because it gives these people a certain body to strive for even when their own body is fine just the way it is. These are not normal thoughts and can eventually lead to depression and other self-harming behaviors. In order to achieve this ideal body, men and women will take drastic measures.
When some magazines were called out about their obsession with skinny models and photo shopping, many of them stood by their decisions. For example, Self Magazine was criticized for photo shopping Kelly Clarkson on the cover of their magazine. Many people already knew what Kelly looked like before and after the magazine cover came out, so they were shocked when they first saw the cover. These two pictures are obviously very different but why did this magazine feel the need to drastically change Kelly’s appearance to the point where it looks almost like two different people? When asked about it, the editor of Self said that “of course we do corrections on our images. Photo shopping is a standard” she then goes on to say “Kelly Clarkson exudes confidence and is a great role model for woman of all sizes” (Photo shopping). If she really felt that Kelly Clarkson was truly beautiful and such a role model then why was there a need to change every single thing about her appearance. From her actual shape to her hair color, everything about these two pictures is completely different. There would’ve been nothing wrong with having Kelly, or anyone for that matter, on the cover of the magazine showing off her natural body. It would let the world know that no matter what size you are, it’s okay to show off your body because everyone deserves to feel comfortable in their own skin.
What exactly is body image?
What does the media have to do with this?
How does all of this affect society?
What does the media have to say about their actions?
What are some disorders that are caused from negative body image?
Mirror Mirror on the Wall...
The top picture is showing a campaign from Victoria’s Secret called the “Love My Body Campaign”. The bottom picture is from the Dove “Real Beauty Campaign”(Real Beauty). You can tell the difference just by looking at the pictures. The Victoria’s Secret campaign shows seven really thin and tall models, who all practically have the exact same body type, all in skimpy lingerie with expressionless looks on their faces. Basically saying that you have to look like this in order for you to be justified in loving your body. Well let’s be honest… who wouldn’t love their body if they looked like a Victoria’s Secret model? But the truth is that most of the population doesn’t look like that. Most people look like one of the women in the Dove Real Beauty Campaign picture. While looking at that picture you are more likely to find someone who looks like yourself because the picture is representing all the different body types that the average woman has. In the Dove picture, everyone is wearing the same thing, although it’s simple, it doesn’t allow one person to outshine the others. Also, everyone in the picture looks happy and comfortable in their own skin. They almost look liberated because someone with their body type is finally being portrayed as beautiful in the media. In the VS picture it looks like these women are being forced to act sexy and they don’t look comfortable or like they’re having a good time. Maybe if we had more ads like the Dove Real Beauty one, people would begin to realize that it’s okay to have a little extra jiggle and not have the oh so beloved “thigh gap”.
Most of the time these men and women will turn to eating disorders to make themselves feel better about the way the look such as Anorexia Nervosa. Anorexia Nervosa is a type of eating disorder in which the person practically starves themselves which causes them to drop to a weight that is extremely unhealthy in a very short period of time (NEDA). For most people who suffer from this disorder, even when they are at an unhealthy weight, they still feel as if they aren’t good enough and continue these harmful behaviors. Another type of eating disorder is bulimia. This is when a person eats a large amount of food which they then later get rid of by self-induced vomiting (NEDA). I guess this is somewhat ideal for a person struggling with this disorder because they are still able to eat all the foods they want, without actually gaining any weight. Bulimia can lead to many serious problems such as heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure (NEDA). To them, these potential problems are worth it because they are trying to achieve the perfect body they have always dreamed of. The last type of eating disorder is binge eating disorder which is similar to bulimia. The only difference is that binge eating does not necessarily involve self-induced vomiting afterwards (NEDA). Those who have any of the three eating disorders most likely all have similar feelings and reasons as to why they resorted to these harmful behaviors. A lot of times depression also comes along with these eating disorders. Most of the time these behaviors result from feelings of unworthiness shame and even guilt. The media makes people feel as if they are not good enough and that they don’t fit into what society sees as beautiful. These negative thoughts are what in turn lead to negative body image these and self-harming behaviors.
Obviously the media has a huge effect on men and women of all ages and how they view themselves. What we may never understand though, is why the media decides to portray this ideal body as the only body type considered beautiful. This may be the opinion of the media, but to the rest of the world people with curves or a little extra weight are also considered beautiful. Just because the media gets to decide what the public sees, doesn’t mean that they get to decide what everyone looks like. By constantly pressuring these men and women into looking perfect by losing weight, they are doing more harm then they think. They probably don’t realize that what they’re doing is in fact causing people to think badly about themselves resulting in them taking drastic measure to look perfect. If we had more magazine covers or ads with natural looking men and women on them, maybe society would see that it’s okay not to be stick thin and that it’s okay to be yourself, even if you’re not a Victoria’s Secret model.
"You've got every right to a beautiful life"
This picture represents how women in society practically compare themselves to a Barbie doll and do whatever it takes to make themselves look better
This picture represents how society can overwhelm us sometimes by constatly surrounding us with these images of the "perfect" body.
Works Cited
Digital image. Abercrombie and Fitch Advertising... Rude or Righteous? N.p., n.d.Web. 13 Apr. 2014. <http://www.pitchslave.com/abercrombie-fitch- advertising/>.
Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://chismetime.com/2009/07/khloe-kardashian-loses-weight- and-pretends-to-be-a-size-6/>.
Digital image. Photoshopping: Altering Images and Our Minds. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.beautyredefined.net/photoshopping-altering-images-and-our-minds/>.
"Family Services North Shore." Body Image & Self-Esteem. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http://familyservices.bc.ca/professionals-a-educators/jessies-legacy/body-image-a-self-esteem>.
"Female Body Image and The Mass Media." N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <https://www.westminstercollege.edu/myriad/index.cfm?parent=2514&detail=4475&content=4795>.
Real Beauty vs. Love My Body. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http://sites.psu.edu/lkparrott/2012/10/11/real-beauty-vs-love-my-body-2/>.
"Types & Symptoms of Eating Disorders | National Eating Disorders Association." Types & Symptoms of Eating Disorders | National Eating Disorders Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.