Body Image and

Media Literacy

Following this topic you

should be able to…• Define and describe body image, from

a bodywhys perspective

• Develop an understanding of what

media literacy is and how to best

achieve it

• Adopt a healthier and more informed

attitude toward one’s own self-image,

enabling you to be more equipped

mentally to help a caller in need

Body Image

•How we perceive ourselves or our

idealized selves

•50% of women in the western

world admit to harbouring

insecurities about their appearance

and body dissatisfaction (Bearman,

Presnell and Martinex, 2006)

•Body dissatisfaction is one of the

prominent risk factors associated

with the development of eating

disorders (Shaw et al., 2004)

Positive Body Image Tips• Cherish your body and use it as a tool

to enrich the fullness of life

• Being healthy means living healthy –

looking after yourself and eating well

will make you feel good on the

outside

• Use daily affirmations – concentrate

on a part of yourself you like and

communicate to yourself that you are

grateful for what you have

• Do not try to look like anyone else –

you are unique, so aim to embrace

and accept your own individual

beauty

The Media and Body Image

• The media, through bolstering images of

unrealistically “thin” women, plays a role in the

manufacturing of unhealthy body images (APA,

2007)

• A study carried out amongst a group of Fijian

adolescents whom had never before been exposed

to television evidenced this effect. Following a

substantial time period of television consumption,

Becker et al. (2002) found that participants began to

display significantly more disordered eating

attitudes and bulimic behaviours.

Media Literacy• In light of this, a number of media

literacy campaigns have been

developed

• Media literacy involves:

• being sceptical in how one

perceives images and information

in the media

• Realising that what is projected

from the media should not be

taken at face value.

• Understanding that with the

availability of modern day

technologies such as photo-shop,

the media can virtually manipulate

any image that they wish in order

to sell their product (Stormer &

Thompson, 1995,1998).

Beauty…a media-defined

concept throughout the ages

Prehistoric Beauty:

Wide hips were the

quintessential beauty

must have, as seen here

sported by the fertility

Goddess

Botticelli’s Birth of Venus

(1400s)

Beauty is

depicted here by

soft features and

womanly curves

Mona

Lisa – a

timeless

beauty

(1500s)

Ruben’s The

Three

Graces –

curvier

shaped

women are

embraced as

beautiful

(1600s)

1700s –Pale

skin signifies

wealth and

status

The 1800s – Women began to

“suffer for beauty”, wearing

uncomfortable corsets to

achieve the idealised 18-inch

waist

1900s 1920s

The

hourglass

body shape

Flat-chested

body

shapes,

which suited

the flapper

style dress

were

extremely

popular

1950s 1960s

The first

sex symbol

emerged in

the form of

the iconic

Marilyn

Monroe,

who

embodied

a fuller

figure

Heroin chic

was born in

the sixties.

Fashionistas

such as

Twiggy and

Edie

Segdewick

popularised

this deathly

pale look

1970s 1980s

Exercising became

extremely popular in the

70s and 80s. The typical

model in this era was long

and lean.

1990s

Kate Moss pioneered

the waif-thin look which

was heavily sought

after in the 1990s

The Extremities of Today

Model Valeria

Lukyanova, 23, has

gained fame

through the extreme

lengths she has

gone to in order to

achieve a Barbie

like appearance

Before After

Excessive and

unnecessary

plastic surgery

Unnaturally thin

physiques

….Today continued

The Impact of Technology on

Body Image

• If technical difficulties are experienced, the link to this video is

provided below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XF66Ku4a9U

AirbrushingSince the

advent of

digital

technology,

media

professionals

have been

distorting and

manipulating

photos to fit in

with societal

beauty ideals

•Airbrushing:

•Endorses

celebrities

and sell

products

•Leads to

body

dissatisfactio

n, unrealistic

expectations,

and

disordered

eating within

consumers

Quiz

Click

Here

When

Finished

Quiz

Instructions: Which of the

following

celebrities has

the perfect

female body,

according to

the media?

Please click on

your selection

Incorrect: Plastic Fantastic

Top British plastic surgeon

Alex Karidis has suggested

that Salpa appears to have

had up to €20,000 worth of

cosmetic surgery.

(Sunday World, 2012)

Georgia SalpaClick here

to try again

Kim Kardashian

Incorrect: Orange Peel

Kim Kardashian is

known for having a

problem with cellulite

on her legs and thighs

Click here

to try again

Kate Upton

Incorrect: The

fashion industry

have

notoriously

labelled this

beauty as “too

fat”

Click here

to try again

Andrej Pejić

Andrej is in fact a

man

Click here

to try again

In other words..

• Everybody has flaws

• There is no such thing as “the perfect

body”

• Image is as powerful as it is superficial

• Beauty is as subjective as it is diverseIf you are

experiencing

problems with this

video please see

the link below:

http://www.youtube

.com/watch?v=YJP

UoxFkFsY

To summarise…

• The media can serve to injure peoples’ body image

through yielding unrealistically thin beauty ideals

• Hours of make-up, hair and photo-shopping can

allow celebrities to appear as though they are

“perfect”

• Beauty is a socio-culturally defined concept that is

fickle and ever-changing