Body Image Project

Blog 7

During Adolescence is when we start to alter our body image. It’s where girls start wearing make-up and spend extra time on their appearance. Guys dedicated more time to the weight room to achieve the tough guy look. Teenagers are adjusting to their developing bodies and finding things they aren’t satisfied with. Body image affects their social life, which is a HIGH priority to students after their education of course. J

 

In the movie, “ Real Women have Curves”, Ana is the exception to the norm. She is strong, intelligent and confident though out the movie. She has a positive body image even though society would consider her weight above average. She stood up for herself, even to her mom, when told she need to loose weight to be beautiful. She even goes to say that she doesn’t want to loose weight due to the fact her mother constantly nags her about it. A boy from school that fell for Ana reinforced that thick girls are desirable and that there is more to a women than her looks. She wants this boy and the women in the sweatshop that she is comfortable in her skin. Carmen, Ana’s mother, stresses that thinness is the only way she will be beautiful and find a husband. The Hispanic cultural plays a major part in Carmen’s mind set although Ana’s modern beliefs contradict with her mothers.

 

Americans are definitely are infatuated with thinness. The rise of obesity has open eyes to many people and the diet industry has profited because of it. I watch my weight so I don’t’ go up a size. After gaining 40 pounds while pregnant, I am not in favor of carrying some extra weight.  Obesity is still a problem but the negative effects of being large are causing more eating disorders. Ana was definitely not fat; She had curves that were not unflattering and as long as she is healthy she has nothing to worry about. Ana’s personality and intelligence made her beautiful. Jimmy, Ana’s teacher and most of her family members saw her glow.

 

I liked Ana’s character as a role model to girls that struggle with their weight. She did not lack confidence or intelligence due to her weight. I think the movie should have ended with mother showing up at the airport to give Ana her blessing. It’ s sad that her mother could not understand the potential of her daughter and what she could contribute to the world. 

Blog 6

An eating disorder is an extreme dissatisfaction of one’s body that has negative physical and mental effect. Someone with an eating disorder may restrict their eating or use ways to get rid of food from their body before it’s observed. The pressure, stress and depression lead to eating disorders. Our society revolves around having an ideal body. Advertisers thrive on a woman’s beauty, thinness and sexiness, which affect the minds of the consumers. Everyone wants to look like a celebrity so girls and boys will go to the extreme to reach their desired body. You can’t even watch TV for 30 minutes with out seeing a commercial promoting beauty, dieting, or fashion.

Body image starts when you’re a child. Girls want to look like Barbie and guys want to look like NFL football players. Kids usually will get picked on at school if they are chubby and even get harassed at home for eating junk food. The encounters we have as a child affect our ways as an adolescent. In high school, everyone wants to be liked and wanted so changing you appearance and lifestyles is not uncommon. Eating Disorders is a route some take to get the thinness everyone desires. College campus continues the standards that you must have beauty and lean to be wanted. We are constantly surrounded by what society’s dictates as perfection. The fashion industry practice of hiring extremely thin models and producing small sizes for certain clothes raises the need to be skinny.

As we saw in the movie, eating disorders were harming the bodies and minds of young women were they had to be admitted into an intake clinic for treatment. The girls were had symptoms of depression and had extremely standards for their thinness. Most of them just wanted to be accepted into society. One girl passed away in her early thirties because of her rigorous habits.

Positive Energy

News Item Report

"Give them a hand, NOT a calorie chart"




http://www.omaha.com/article/20090710/LIVING01/707109884

The above article is one every parent should read and comprehend. Habits start at childhood and as a parent it's crucial to know how to handle situations that concerns your child's body image. It informs parents of the negative effects of being critical of calories such as eating disorders, bone loss, inadequate nutrition and negative body image issues. It also gives tips on how to make sure your child is eating healthy and staying active with out putting a strong emphasis on weight. This message could be more effective as a TV commerical on a national broadcast station to distribute the message to those who lack this mind set.

Kimberly Jones

Media Analysis – Positive message

            Essence Magazine published an advertisement portrayed woman in a sophisticated yet realistic light. Not only does the AD send a positive message about women to its audience, it also shows an African American woman as a mother who is there for her child. As the mother holds her child’s hand, she’s making eye contact and listening to her little one. Both the mother and child are well clothed so the attention is not focused on their body.  When I first saw the AD, I automatically thought of an upper middle class working mother walking her child home from school. The setting is in a nice neighborhood, which gives a refined vibe.  I feel that this image is rare and are mostly found in African American media outlets. The AD does go against many stereotypes society places on African American women.

            Although black females are shown in a positive light, the AD was in a magazine direct towards blacks. It’s important for similar Ads to circulate in popular mass media. Motivation and Achievement are what I feel when I look at this Ad. I want to be the successful mom that has time for her child once he gets out of class. Ads of classy black women are eye catching when flipping through a magazine. I tend to focus on their make up, hair and style.  Young girls also envy to be like the images in the magazine therefore the Ads that shows a chic black mom could be desired.

Media Analysis- negative message

Elle magazine circulated a disturbing advertisement that depicted women of color in an unappealing fashion. An Asian American woman appears to be physical abused where red nail polish is used to resemble blood in the picture. The women of color are not equally represented in popular culture and to compose the picture as though she has been beat up is way out of line. The Ad is to sell make up but it sells violence towards women of color. The woman is not sending a positive message nor is she illustrated to be a role model. She is simple shown as a helpless women covered in “blood”.  

I don’t understand how the Ad is even selling the polish instead just leaving a disturbing image that’s motives are clearly not respectable. I would not even be focused on the make-up and definitely would not be eager to by the products after seeing the evil AD. The woman is also very thin sending out another damaging messages to girls who want to be accepted into our society. Ads that contain violence is stating that abuse, rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault and simple assault victimizations at the hands of an intimate are becoming the norm if it just can be tossed in an magazine AD so freely.

            As a woman of color I feel that the media is still portraying us as  being worth less than white women. I occasionally gaze through Elle magazine to see current images of fashion however the representations of minority woman or even women in general are not given justice. 

Females fitting a certain role were found in both films viewed in class. Mona Lisa Smile showed a part of history that valued marriage and frowned down careers after marriage. The expectation of women during this time was obvious through out the film. An educated housewife is what the college strived to produce but limited the women’s capabilities.  Revolutionary Road also illustrated societies views on the gender roles on men and women. The workplace and breadwinner was the responsibility of the man of the house. The women’s purpose was to clean, cook, and tends to her family’s needs.

Both movies showed women willing to escape society’s standards to reach their potential.

 

The majority of people construct society’s standards for both genders. Sexual attraction and Body images are both evaluated and then determined by those who agree to behave in a certain way. Since society makes the standards, they have a control on what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. Therefore, society controls the pressure females have to be beautiful and slender. The need to fit in obligates many women to go to extremes to be valued. Women taking on roles that are not as feminine could result as being an outlaw. Women’s choices could cause people to question their gender if they do not stick with the norms. The unrealistic model of how women should look and act causes self-esteem issues that can lead to disorders.

 

Missing identity

In today’s society, women are not pressured to be a housewife as they were in the past. I do however feel pressured to be married especially since I have a son. Society still values marriage but the roles have changed quite a bit through out history. Women have the freedom to be a career woman and raise kids. As a mother, I feel that I have a responsibility to take care of the house. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to finish my education and raise my son without being tied down to being a stay at home mom. I think men should appreciate women’s roles outside the home because they can contribute to paying for the cost of living.

 

After I graduate college, I would like to find a job that would allow me to be in my office half a day so I can be home when my son gets out of school. My mother graduated with her bachelor’s degree and pursued a career in social work. My mom voluntarily stops working after she had her second child. I feel that lower class women don’t have as much as an option to make a choice. Her main concern is to support her family so she might work over 40 hours a week to make sure her family is taken care of. I think if it’s women should strive to achieve their dreams rather than trying to fit a certain role.

“The problem that has no name” includes lack of fulfillment in many women's lives that was generally kept hidden. Furthermore, women limiting themselves from the full potential they can obtain by pursuing the roles as a housewife. Their identity and meaning is obtained through their husband and children. “The problem that has no name” could also be looked at as the “missing identity problem” due to the fact that the individuality of these women is absent.

body outlaws

Body image is the way you view yourself in the mirror. The positive or negative images your brain processes can be inaccurate. Most women are not happy with their body image due to multiple reasons and the media distr

ibution of unrealistic standards does not help.  Think it’s important to study body image because it’s teaches us to be more accepting of our bodies and see the positive aspects we possess.

 First wave feminism describes woman suffrage movements in the late 1800’s and early 1900s. The movements focused on the right for woman to vote. Second wave feminism represent women fighting for legal and social equality for women starting around the 1960’s. While third wave feminism continues to reach the goals set from the second wave, which is currently in affect.

          A body outlaw is someone that does not fit the ideal standards society pushes us towards. The odd outlaw is not constantly changing herself to fit in with others. Beauty standards have definitely changed over the century adding plastic surgery as a must have. Also instead of envying porcelain skin, people are turning to the tanning beds to fit in. Someone that is over weight would be a candidate for being categorized as a body outlaw. Anyone above the average weight is considered to be undesirable so most women strives to sta

y skinny. The media sources portray women as being skinny and beautiful which is linked to societies expectations of women. Men also have an understood expectation to be big and strong. Society is not very accepting which places pressure on everyone to meet the standards. The changing stereotypes indicates that there is not set rule on how you standards. Women are connected with beauty and thinness, which could lead to eating disorders and plastic surgery. Men tend to be more associated with steroid, bodybuilding and high protein diets.

Oprah (left) considered a body outlaw by society, while Oprah(right) meets society's expectations

Expectations

My name is Kimberly Jones and I’m majoring in Public Relations. I’m striving to graduate in December 2010. I’m a mother to an adorable baby boy named Jordan Reece Brandon. He is my heart which is always my first priority. I also work so I’m always occupied. I’m interested in this class because body image has always been important to me. I wanted to see what this course could provide for me as a person. I hope to gain knowledge on the subject and apply the information in my everyday life. I feel that the most pressing body images for me are to stay slender and look presentable. Of course, I want to stay in shape but I feel as a woman I am expected to have a slim waist with curves. The media distributes an image for woman and the model image is what most women want to portray.

5 questions I would like to answer for myself would be:

1. How can I help others with their image?
2. How can I have a more positive mind set of my own body image?
3. Why is there so much pressure for woman to look a certain way?
4. What can I wear to flatter my body shape?
5. What colors or fits should I avoid that will negatively affect my body image?