http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfHlgGftVGY
This video shows us how wrong our thoughts of the "ideal" body image for women are. The media always portrays women as skinny and good-looking. Based on this generalization, we almost always think that in order to be considered beautiful by society, we have to be skinny. If we are skinny, then we look good. This thought is wrong on so many levels.
In the above video, Isabelle Caro tells us a bit about her experience as a model. She was told in her last year of high school to lose 10 kilos before she could model. While she was modelling, no one was concerned about her weight. They all thought it was normal to be so skinny. She now battles with anorexia and is trying to overcome her condition. Isabelle is trying to help people who suffer from anorexia, as seen in the video.
The media puts so much pressure on us women that it can sometimes lead to these extremes. Just because the media says that we should look a specific way doesn't mean we have to go to extreme measures to look that way. We shouldn't consume the media to that extent because it is unhealthy and doesn't make us beautiful.
Do you think that the media is the reason that there are so many women dealing with anorexia, or any eating disorder in general ?
We are all in our last year of high school. If someone told you to lose weight because you weren't skinny enough how would it effect you ?
Do men also face this type of representation in the media ? If yes, do you think it is as severe as it is to women ?
Do you think that the media is the reason that there are so many women dealing with anorexia, or any eating disorder in general ?
ReplyDeleteI would not say that media “is” the reason but “one” of the many and most effective reasons to why there are people with any type of eating disorder. The media is mostly sometimes the reason to why so many women are dealing with anorexia and any other eating disorders. Media portrays skinny to be an upright thing which causes not only women but also men to believe it is okay to look a certain way, as long as it makes them beautiful.
We are all in our last year of high school. If someone told you to lose weight because you weren't skinny enough how would it effect you ?
If I were to be told to lose weight because I was not skinny enough, it would not take any effect on me. I believe, I am fine the way I am and if anything, I need to be a healthier person. Especially because I am aware of what media portrays is not entirely true and being skinny will not make any of us beautiful.
Do men also face this type of representation in the media? If yes, do you think it is as severe as it is to women ?
Yes I do believe that men, for a fact do face this type of representation but not so severe and as common as it is with women. The reason why it is not as common or so severe is only because as a society we focus on how media affects women and forget about men. They deal with many types of representation in the media such as being muscular, strong, tall, having a sic pack, etc. So I believe that men and women both face these types of representation In the media.
1) Christina, I agree with you when you mentioned the fact that the media puts so much pressure on women being skinny to look beautiful (or better than they are). The media is definitely a factor that contributes to the growth of anorexic females and any eating disorder, in general. This is because the media is so powerful and it is what people resort to all the time. Teenagers, in particular, are exposed to media such as music videos and magazines. Through these media, they know what trends are in or out. Media, mostly, portrays beauty as being skinny (this is just one part of being beautiful though). I am sure a lot of teenage girls are influenced by the media’s portrayal; leading them to cut down on food.
ReplyDelete2) In my case, my parents, the sibling, and all close relatives tell me that I am fat (in a polite manner) and suggest me to burn out the fat. I know I am and the fact that I have to work out. Their advice hurts me sometimes, but I realize that their advice is for the better of me. After all, whatever the parents do or say, in most cases, is for their children’s benefit only in life. In fact, I work out sometimes, acting upon what they say, but laze out mostly.
3) Men, too, face this type of representation; however, it is not as severe as compared to the women. Men are often presented as fit with six-pack abs (a toned body). This is the sole reason why many men work out (and for the sake of their health as well). Another common thing is famous men are signed by popular clothes’ brands to sport their boxers. All these attributes, along with being thin, makes the “perfect man”. These factors lead many teenage boys to taking steroids, putting their pants below the boxers, etc.
1) I agree with Kiran as to it is 'one' of the many reasons that women or even men have eating disorders. I think the fact that media is everywhere really influences women to want to look a certain way because they feel the need to 'fit in' as to what they see as beautiful on TV or magazines.
ReplyDelete2) In my opinion, I think it would hurt anyone's feelings if you were told you weren't skinny enough or good looking. For me I wouldn't change who I am but it would greatly affect me because I would feel like I wasn't good enough and it would definitely make me more self conscience.
3)Men definitely face this representation but I don't believe it is as severe compared to women. When you see men in the media you see them as fit, tall, and/or strong. This encourages teenage boys or men to work out which is actually good for their body (unless they do it too much) but it isn't as severe compared to an overweight girl seeing a super skinny model in a magazine and turning to binge eating. That isn't healthy at all.
I've read all of your comments and you generally have the same opinion as me. I would like to ask another question: If majority of us know and are aware of what the media does to us, why do we still let it have this effect on us? Why doesn’t anyone do anything to try to stop the media from publishing negative advertisements?
ReplyDelete1. Media is just another factor that is involved in the influence and portrayal of beauty is thin. Many females have eating disorders due to their peers, friends, family and etc. I agree with Bhumi =) media is everywhere, and because we cannot escape it, especially in an urban city like Toronto, we have to face it head on. There are many of us that care much about our appearance and how people perceive us. Some of us go to durastic measures just to fit in or else we may seem as an outcast. Many just want acceptance.
ReplyDelete2.Pesonally, if anyone were to tel me to lose wieght I probably would not take them seriously because people's comments do not shape how I feel about myself. Also, im seriously thin already and its hard for me to gain or lose wieght.lol
3. Yes, I absolutely believe that men face this representation, although it is not as severe as women. I find that women are placed with more pressure to be 'perfect' than men. Men in the media are portrayed as tall, dark, and muscular. The media make it seem as though men just wake up every morning and look great with their perfectly swept hair... right. I think that women are just more self-cautious than men, making the effects of magazines, music videos and advertisements more influencing on females.
Brittani
Yes the media is the reason why so many women are dealing with eating disorders today because if the media potrayed the idea of inbracing who you are and accepting your individuality this would not affect anyones self esteem levels towads the way they appear, they wouldnt feel like they have to fit in to the societies ideology of the norm.
ReplyDeleteI would feel horrible about myself because no one is accepting me because of my physical state no one is taking the time to look beyond my appearnace. I would feel like i'm unwanted, and most likely i would be one of those people taking drastic measures to be able to fit in because everyone wants to be socially accepted.
Yes men face this but it is less publicized than women in the media.
Anorexia is definitely one of the reasons why women are having eating disorders, especially women whom are in their teen years. Teens are the most difficult because we try to look as pretty as other girls and impress the cute guy in class. Women in their teens are insecure and immature so they would do anything and believe in anything to look how everyone else looks. They would follow bad diets and starve them selves if necessary leading to anorexia and other eating disorders. If someone came up to me and asked me to loose weight in order to be in a photo shoot I would simply say no. I would be upset that I was asked to change the way I look, but I would not do it because I am who I am and I would not let anyone change the way I look if I am happy with the way I look. We women have to try our best to stop following media and stop listening. Media it is only trying to change us. We are all different for a reason and we all have something beautiful in us we should appreciate. I think that men also go through this type of situation. Men are all portrayed with huge muscles and great bodies. Some men stress and start in taking steroids. How ever women are worse because we mostly see women on magazines, commercials etc…
ReplyDelete1) I definitely do believe that the media has a huge part to do with many women dealing with anorexia and other eating disorders because women are being portrayed as extremely skinny in the media. Media is something that is all around which puts pressure on especially women to look a certain way. Once a woman get into her head that they have to look a curtain way then they start starving themselves to lose weight or start dieting. There is absolutely nothing with being healthy or exercising but with the way that media portrays women as extremely thin, that’s where the eating disorders come in, because once the weight starts coming off some women have the desire to lose even more weight. Then they start getting even skinnier because they lose sight of what a healthy body weight looks like or is.
ReplyDelete2) Personally I wouldn't care if someone told me I wasn’t skinny enough or I needed to lose weight because I feel comfortable with who I am. I feel like I’m healthy and I’m happy with who I am and how I look. Also, if someone where to tell me this I would know that they were only trying to bring me down because they probably have issues or problems with themselves and their own body image.
3) In a way men do face this type of representation in the media but it’s definitely not as server as it is to women. Men in the media are portrayed to be buff, in shape, with 6 packs and their body has to be absolutely toned. Although this is the way men are portrayed in the media in real life, society is not that harsh on them to look like but they are able to look how every they want short, fat, small or even skinny and they are not judged or asked to change who they are. This is only because they are not women but they are simply, men.
To answer your question Christina, we allow the media to affect us because although we know about everything that goes on in it we have already made it apart of our society. When we talk about being beautiful and what beauty is, we're more likely to speak of a celebrity or someone in the public eye because that's what our world has made us believe is beautiful. We let it affect us because everyone has their own insecurities and things about their body they wish they could change or make better. With the media showing us these flawless women we think to ourselves “their human too, why can’t I look like that". Even though we know in reality they do not look like how they do with all their make-up, we only let the media affect us because we live on hopes and dreams that one day we’ll be as beautiful as our favourite celebrities.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how all of you who have commented have said that men do face this type of representation in the media. I too agree with this and think that although it is not as severe, it exists. Since my initial video was about a woman I have found another video that talk about men going through the same type of thing. It talks about how men are shown in the fashion industry and in the media and how they contribute to the pressure that many men are going through. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxDx894w1_M
ReplyDeleteYou can leave general comments about the video or what your thoughts and opinions are if you wish.
I don't think the media plays as big of role in this issue especially with anorexia. I feel that anorexia is more of a mental illness than you make it to be. Anorexic people often see themselves as fat, even if they actually aren't. This clouded judgement can be influenced by the media, but its greatly dependent on the person. For instance, compare the professions between someone who is anorexic and someone who isn't. If you were to decide whether someone was anorexic, wouldn't you think of a model? The self-esteem of person relates to this issue as well. Someone who has low self confidence, will want to be accepted and might use starvation as a means to achieve it. The media merely sets the ideal body for the girls, they have to make the decision of whether they consider that beautiful or not.
ReplyDeleteIf someone told me to lose weight because I wasn't skinny enough, I wouldn't be that devastated. It wouldn't even effect me, mainly because of my gender. However it doesn't mean that males don't suffer the same condition. This further proves my point about how the media isn't of a big influence as you guys make it out to be.
I believe that the media has everything to do with the women dealing with anorexia and other eating disorders. The reason being is that when these women or girls see these magazines and billboards and are constantly being told that if you look like these models that you’re beautiful. Some of these women go to the extent of not eating because they have a distorted view of beauty which the media gave them. I know that that everyone has their own chose to listen to what the media says, but when you’re young there is peer pressure for a girl to look a certain way, which may lead her to not eat to get an unrealistic body image which then goes on to anorexia or other eating disorders.
ReplyDeleteIf someone told me to lose weight it wouldn’t bother me because I am happy with the way I am. It also depends on the person’s self-esteem, if the person has low self-esteem they would probably be affected by that comment. Also if you believe very thing that you see in the magazines and the billboards you might think that you should change because of the media’s view on beauty.
I definitely think that men face this type of representation as well, but not as severe as women. Men constantly have to live up to the expectation of being buff, tall, thin and strong. But I believe that men are not as emotionally hurt as women because some women feel that they have more to live up to.
In my opinion, I do think media is mainly responsible for women dealing with anorexia and eating disorders. It’s publicized everywhere how to lose weight, how to get the perfect body, easy dieting plans, the most effective workouts etc. in the media. These constant ads in magazines are targeted towards women, on how to become more physically attractive. It often makes young girls feel they’re not good enough because they don’t reflect the images portrayed in the media of “beauty”. There are other factors which can cause women to suffer with eating disorders, but I think the images in the media have a greater effect and cause women to deal with eating disorder like anorexia and bulimia.
ReplyDeleteI would be really hurt if someone told me to lose weight and would probably consider losing weight because someone, put in my mind that I didn’t have suitable body size. I ultimately don’t think I would lose weight, because I love food. I do think it’s important to be healthy as well so if I was overweight and my health was at risk then I would lose a few pounds but doing it in a healthy way.
I don’t think men face this type of representation in media, because men are portrayed as tall, muscular, and handsome. I also think the media is more accepting of a male that may be overweight than a female. We see a lot of male celebrities who are generally heavier than your average male but isn’t criticized as much as female would for being overweight. Female celebrities like Jenifer Hudson, Jenifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson, Klhoe Kardashian and Brittany Spears etc. are constantly being critiqued about their bodies. I think it’s a lot easier for a male to be overweight and not feel the need to lose weight than it is for a female. The media has influenced our attitudes on body image for men and women.
I think that media is one of factors that there are so many females dealing with eating disorders. When some females look at different media, they are depressed because many of them instantly start comparing themselves with the person that in the ad. making them really self-conscious about themselves. So they try to look like the person and take extreme measures causing them to eventually become anorexic.
ReplyDeleteIf someone told me I wasn't skinny enough, it wouldn't really matter because I like the way I am. I guess it would just depend on the person and their level of self-esteem or on how much someone cares about what others think of them.
I feel that men face different representation in the media but it's not as extreme as it's for females. Men in the media are usually portrayed as muscular, athletic and some males do feel that they have to keep up to that look.
Do you think that the media is the reason that there are so many women dealing with anorexia, or any eating disorder in general ?
ReplyDeleteI think the media is honestly all the blame for anorexia in young woman, or for any eating disorder. The media makes you feel worthless and so ugly, they make you want and crave what theyre advertising especially boy image. Celebrities buy into them, and we buy into celebrities because theyre our idols. Its merely a circle of `media life`that we all go through. Whether our favorite person is 50 cent, Nikki Minaj, or Kim Kardashian we all want to look and be like someone. If the media has that person you idolize, on a billboard looking `sexy`as hell, your going to do anything to look like that person because you want to be like them.
We are all in our last year of high school. If someone told you to lose weight because you weren't skinny enough how would it effect you ?
To be honest, that wouldnt effect me at all! Id say screw you! I like my body just the way it is and if anyone thinks different thats theyre problem not mine! I know im healthy and my family and close friends love and accept me for who i am! take me as i am or have nothing at all!
Do men also face this type of representation in the media ? If yes, do you think it is as severe as it is to women ?
Men do face this representation in the media, men have it the worst i think because the media always tries to categorize them.It also has a lot to do with skin color as well for males in my opinion, for black males its either your a business man, a thug, or a `homie` trying. Its all you see in the movies, black actors who are males always get these roles, and it has a huge impact on the males watching.
Tito, you made a good point about it being more of a mental illness rather than something that is entirely influenced by the media. I agree with you on the point that someone with low self-esteem/self-confidence would be more of a “target” for anorexia.
ReplyDeleteMohibo, I like how you brought up peer pressure. I feel that that is a really big issue and it could also be one of the main reasons why girls and women consume the media so seriously and let it affect them so much.
Sefra, I agree with you on how it would affect you if someone told you to lose weight. A lot of people are saying that they won’t be affected by it, but I agree and think that it would affect me a lot. I too would also feel hurt by it.
Harshika, I like how you mentioned about people becoming depressed due to these images. Depression, like anorexia, is another mental illness. I feel that the media is one of the factors that cause certain people to start to develop these mental illnesses.
I have another question and it is based on Deanesha’s comment. Do you agree that for men, it has a lot to do with skin color, or do you feel that skin color doesn’t make any difference?
ReplyDelete1)Do you think that the media is the reason that there are so many women dealing with anorexia, or any eating disorder in general ?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that media is the reason that there are so many women dealing with anorexia, media has portrayed women as the central point of everything, women are the ones who are pointed out in the media the most. Media asks women to be skinny, pretty and should look perfect 24/7. In adds, commercials, or anywhere else, we see women who are skinny, and those are the ones who are eccpeted in the modelling field, they have to go throgh soo much to get that perfect and right body that they need to get into modelling. And just like you said, that media puts soo much pressure that it leads to such kind of extremes, such as; anorexia and eating disorders.
We are all in our last year of high school. If someone told you to lose weight because you weren't skinny enough how would it effect you ?
If someone told me I needed to lose weight becuase I am not skinny enough, this would effect, because it is natural when someone tells you something about you, you think about it a couple of times. If someone told me such thing I would think about it, but a part of me says that I would not be too strict about my diet, like it is my teenage stage and I need to eat, because I waste a lot of energy on sports and stuff.
Do men also face this type of representation in the media ? If yes, do you think it is as severe as it is to women ?
After seeing the video that Iaman posted, I think that men also face this type of repersentation, maybe media is not too strict about men having the perfect body, but they do accept that men should have a certain wieght and etc. This is stereotyping, how media looks at women, that they should look a certain way, but for men, they don't go through such a harsh time like men. If it was an actress women who gained weight, it would have been the first thing on the news, but not for men.
The media and the designers creating the close are the cause of this. Why I blame the designer is because they don’t have time to take measurements to each model, they just expect them to have the right face and to fit right into the cloths the day of the show. They media looks upon slim people as the ideal image and this is affecting our society and the youth.
ReplyDeleteI am a person who is very sensitive and take things to heart, I am also a person who has struggled with my image and still do to this day, so when someone tells me to lose weight I would think it twice and in my mind I would think that it is true. I have been in a long battle with depression and comments like those still make me feel hurt, but then again in my home country, Dominican Republic, I have learned a lot about my body image and about acceptance because the media portrays women in all sorts of sizes from small to tall, full figured to skinny. When a comment like that is made to me, I think about the other people who are not my size and want to be my size, like an aunt of mine. So there a different people going through tougher situations and still love me for who I am and not by what I look.
I do not think man face the same thing as women in media, because if the man is full or skinny it is not focused on that. The media is focused on their careers and not there image, like Fat Joe, Drake, Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) or Ryan Seacrest. I don’t hear any comments on how they look physically all the time. The media is just more harsh to women than to men.