Visuals
Body Image in Media
Georgina Wilkin: What young girls can learn from her anorexia
In the article “Former model: ‘What young girls can learn from my anorexia,’” Georgina Wilkin explains to Radhika Sanghani that her modeling career began when she was only fifteen years old and was a size eight. She notes that she was told to lose a few inches from her hips in order to be eligible for the best jobs. Wilkin explains her modeling experiences: being lined up along with other models and being casted according to thinness, being hauled from one casting to another. She notes that she was hardly ever looked after so it lead her to not eating as much. A year later, Wilkin states that she was admitted in a hospital because of anorexia. Now, 23, after battling eight years of anorexia, she is recovering from her sickness and has left modeling for companies such as Prada and Gap. Wilkin explains to Sanghani that she wants teenage girls who suffer from insecurities regarding body image to gain recovery and that it really isn’t worth it.
Newton, Penny. Georgina hopes that by sharing her story she can encourage casting directors to take responsibility for other very skinny models, such as the girl pictured Photo: Getty. Digital image. Yahoo! Lifestyle. Yahoo!7, 04 Oct. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
Nottingham, Melissa. Georgina Wilkin. Digital image. Daily Entertainment News. N.p., 03 Oct. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
Wilkin, Georgina. "Former Model: 'What Young Girls Can Learn from My Anorexia'" The Telegraph. Ed. Radhika Sanghani. Telegraph Media Group, 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
The Focus on Cosmetic Surgery
In Anne Enke's article about beauty and plastic surgery, she discusses the main points that lead Americans to receiving cosmetic procedures. She states that America is obsessed with the idea of youth and fixing the flaws that many believe they have. Enke mentions that "self-improvement is big business. While the economy thrives, our psyches take a beating." Cosmetic surgery has been popularly promoted in many television shows, allowing consumers to believe that the "perfect" body image is to be extremely thin. Enke explains that while many photographs in magazines are distorted, so is America's increasing interest to be "perfect." She continues that women who become obsessed with never being thin enough or wrinkle-free enough lose any beauty she may already have.
Enke, Anne. "Beauty | Plastic Surgery | Women's Self-Esteem -x - 4 Health | Body Image | Beauty - Anne of Carversville Women's News." Anne of Carversville. L Anne Enke, 07 Mar. 2010. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
Enke, Anne. Vanity Fair Magazine, Feb. 2009. Digital image. Anne of Carversville. L Anne Enke, 07 Mar. 2010. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
Girls and Body Image
Today's society promotes images of women who share similar traits in their body structure, which is said to be the "thin ideal." Women idolize celebrities and models photographed in magazines, striving to be as thin as they are, and may even go to extreme measures to achieve that. The media promotes these unrealistic images and while they do impact many women, studies have shown that younger girls are becoming aware of their body image due to the “thin ideal.” In “Mommy, Am I Fat?,” ABC News visits Taylor Call, who believes that she needs to lose weight at only the age of six years old. Call explains that she is being teased at school by other girls who are calling her “fat” and even is told by her teacher to run in order to “not be this size.” ABC News gathered a group of 5 to 8 year old girls and asked questions regarding eating healthy and weight: one girl blurted, “So you don’t get fat.” The girls were also asked about their mothers and their weight and a few of the girls stated that their mothers were not “fat,” even if they believed they were.
ABC News. "Girl, 6, Worries That She Is Fat: Too Young to Be Concerned with Body Image?" Online Video Clip.
YouTube. YouTube, 20 Jun. 2011. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
In “Adolescents, Celebrity Worship, and Cosmetic Surgery,” Anisha Abraham and Diana Zuckerman discuss the perceived perception of what an “ideal beauty standard” is to the public, and how this came to be. They note that cosmetic surgery has become popular among television shows and advertisements presented in the media and this has lead to increased expectations of beauty that may not be naturally obtainable. Abraham and Zuckerman continue to explain that cosmetic procedures have become extensive in that they are being advertised in numerous television programs and commercials. The article mentions that cosmetic procedures may lead to medical complications and even additional procedures due to the aimed attention of being perfect.
Granatino, Rachel, and Diana L. Haytko. "Body Image, Confidence, and Media Influence: A Study of Middle School Adolescents." Journal of Applied Business Research 29.1 (2013): 45. ProQuest. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
In “Body Image, Confidence, and Media Influence: A Study of Middle School Adolescents,” Rachel Granatino and Diana L. Haytko discuss the heavy impacts that the media creates when it comes to promoting body image. They explain that there have been numerous studies on the influence that the media has on men and women, but these studies have diverted from the impacts the media has on younger consumers. Research conducted by Gardner et al. found that girls between the ages of seven and thirteen long to be five percent thinner than their actual size. Granatino and Haytko note that while the media is already known for presenting unrealistic body images, the issue is increasing where consumers are becoming uneasy of their image beginning at a young age.
Hitchon, Jacqueline Bush, Sung-Yeon Park, and Gi Woong Yun. “”You can Never be Too Thin” -- Or can You? A Pilot Study on the Effects of Digital Manipulation of Fashion Models’ Body Size, Leg Length and Skin Color.” Race, Gender & Class 11.2 (2004): 140. ProQuest. Web. 4 Oct. 2013.
In the article “You Can Never Be Too Thin – or Can You?,” Jacqueline Bush Hitchon, Sung Yeon Park, and Gi Woong Yun conducted a study exploring the effects of fashion photography manipulation and whether it be less of an impact to viewers if they became aware with this process. The authors noted that young readers view ideal beauty to be based on structure of the body, skin color, and even including the extent of legs; more young girls and women are becoming anxious with their body weight which then results to the increase of eating disorders within these readers. Manipulation of photography has slowly risen in the fashion industry as well as among professionals who specialize in photographs. The authors note that mass communication research is necessary in making known the connection between digital manipulation and the ideas that can drive for thinness in young women, leading to eating disorders.
Jones, Liz. "What I Think about the Fashion World." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers Ltd, n.d. 09 Aug. 2012. Web. 09 Oct. 2013.
In the article "What I Think About the Fashion World,” Liz Jones, former editor of Marie Claire magazine, explains her opinion on how women are portrayed by the fashion world and her reasons for her resignation. Jones notes that she no longer wanted to support the industry that claims to support women while advertising images that are unrealistic and detrimental to women’s health. When Jones began a campaign with the purpose of eliminating the images of underweight models and to exercise the image of models that had a more attainable and healthy body, she states that she received no support from fellow editors and the fashion industry. Jones believes that a realization but come to these professionals in the fashion industry, such as photographers or editors, in order to allow women to be themselves.
Pearson, Catherine. "Fashion And Eating Disorders: How Much Responsibility Does Industry Have?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 13 Sept. 2011. Web. 09 Oct. 2013.
In the article “Fashion And Eating Disorders: How Much Responsibility Does Industry Have?,” Catherine Pearson explains increasing issue regarding eating disorders among models. She notes that the Council of Fashion Designers of America released health guidelines that declared the increasing awareness of eating disorder symptoms and even recommended banning models younger than the age of 16 to walk the runway in fashion shows. According to Pearson, The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders have found that girls from middle to high school receive a great amount of influence of the perfect body from magazines. The article states that eating disorders are most common from the teen years to the early 20s, but Pearson also notes that there is little data on whether or not these extremely thin models have caused people outside the industry to develop eating disorders.
ABC News. "Girl, 6, Worries That She Is Fat: Too Young to Be Concerned with Body Image?" Online Video Clip.
YouTube. YouTube, 20 Jun. 2011. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
Essay
Negative Impacts That The Fashion Industry Creates
A wide range of women have the guilty pleasures of reading their favorite gossip magazines, along with fashion magazines such as Vogue, Marie Claire, or Cosmopolitan. While these magazines do provide great tips for makeup, health, and fashion, they also present recurring images of female models that seem to share a similar body structure, thus creating an “ideal” of the woman’s body. The fashion industry refuses to add variety in models - whether it be size or ethnicity - and use certain methods to enhance or distort a model’s natural features. As young girls are bombarded with these images, they are beginning to feel less confident and more uncomfortable with their body image. The media and fashion industry is promoting a body image that is unrealistic and not attainable for the average woman. This is a point that needs emphasizing since so many young girls are suffering from poor self-esteem, allowing them to focus too much on their weight and appearance.
Fashion magazines are easily attainable, and a great number of girls and women enjoy reading the latest trends and beauty tips. Most of these magazines contain images exemplifying the “ideal” woman and presents women with bodies that are unrealistic and almost impossible to achieve. Most women who read fashion magazines never question whether our favorite actresses and models actually look the way they appear in magazines. Instead, many readers just admire their bodies, and long to look like them. However, what a majority of these readers don’t realize is that these pictures are often digitally manipulated to make legs longer, waists smaller, or arms slimmer. Of course the fashion industry hides this from the public, but researchers argue that these images negatively cause many girls and women to make unhealthy and even dangerous choices. In the article, “‘You Can Never Be Too Thin’ - Or Can You?,” Jacqueline Bush Hitchon, Sung-Yeon Park, and Gi Woong Yun, examine whether or not the awareness of digital manipulation of photographs would diminish the effects of the “thin ideal.” They explain that if the media released information of digital manipulation, it will result in a decrease of body dissatisfaction derived from magazine images. Because of the Digital Revolution, the media has extended their ability to create fake images.
The Digital Revolution has made it easier to alter and manipulate images on a computer screen, establishing unattainable standards of beauty. Due to this, unattainable standards of beauty are now being “embraced” by women who are trying to reach the thin ideal (Thompson and Heinberg 1999). Hitchon, Park, and Yun have found that since the mid-1980s, our cultural norms of beauty are not based on thin models, but more on computerized images. The damage is that the reader internalizes a false image of thinness, not understanding the technology that produced the mirage (Wolszon 1998). The problem is that most young women are not aware of the digital manipulation, allowing them to view images that are manipulated, but presented as real. While only a small percentage of these magazine readers have suffered from eating disorders, young girls begin to experience anxiety over their weight at a young age due to these images.
Girls are exposed to the pressures of body weight beginning at a young age, which only continues throughout middle school and high school. Women continue to focus on their body weight and appearance as well, but girls have a more difficult time dealing with the same pressures that are placed upon them by the media and their peers. Ali and Lam note that “the majority of children were very aware of dieting as a means of achieving a thinner figure” (2013). The media has always promoted images of women who are incredibly thin, from magazines and television to advertisements and dolls. Young girls are presented with the thin ideal in every aspect of media, which, in turn, results in a decrease in body-esteem, and an increase in their drive to be thin. Because girls continue to perceive the images as shown in fashion magazines and models to be the ideal, they aim to imitate those expectations and even resort to cosmetic surgery.
Young girls are easily influenced by the media and their peers, and idolize celebrities and models presented in magazines and forms of media. Because society perceives those models and celebrities to have the perfect body structure, girls want to be thin and obtain those qualities, such as skinny waists, long legs, and robust breasts. According to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, it is estimated “that the number of children less than 18 years of age undergoing cosmetic surgery procedures by their members has ranged from 33,000 to 65,000 annually in the past 10 years, with nonsurgical cosmetic procedures ranging from 91,000 to 190,000 per year” (Abraham and Zuckerman 2011). Young girls turn to these procedures because of the impact celebrities have on them; they receive the satisfaction and even see an increase in body-esteem once they have received procedural changes.
In a hope to change this paradigm, the Council of Fashion Designers in America (CFDA) has asked that the fashion industry to address the topic concerning whether models are unhealthily thin (Pearson). Steven Kolb, CEO of CFDA, recognizes the growing problem and understands the influence that Fashion Week has on women. While there is no clear evidence on whether or not extremely thin models cause women to develop eating disorders, the “thin ideal” derives from this idea which is then promoted in magazines. Dr. Anne E. Becker, a professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, states that these thin models at Fashion Week wear clothing that looks best on a size zero and it does create a an ideal standard as to what a woman’s body should look like. Women spend a lot of their time reading fashion magazines, and this may be a contributing factor in weight anxiety. Magazine labels and editors uphold this standard for their models, and this not only affects women outside of the fashion industry, but the models themselves.
Fashion magazines are easily attainable, and a great number of girls and women enjoy reading the latest trends and beauty tips. Most of these magazines contain images exemplifying the “ideal” woman and presents women with bodies that are unrealistic and almost impossible to achieve. Most women who read fashion magazines never question whether our favorite actresses and models actually look the way they appear in magazines. Instead, many readers just admire their bodies, and long to look like them. However, what a majority of these readers don’t realize is that these pictures are often digitally manipulated to make legs longer, waists smaller, or arms slimmer. Of course the fashion industry hides this from the public, but researchers argue that these images negatively cause many girls and women to make unhealthy and even dangerous choices. In the article, “‘You Can Never Be Too Thin’ - Or Can You?,” Jacqueline Bush Hitchon, Sung-Yeon Park, and Gi Woong Yun, examine whether or not the awareness of digital manipulation of photographs would diminish the effects of the “thin ideal.” They explain that if the media released information of digital manipulation, it will result in a decrease of body dissatisfaction derived from magazine images. Because of the Digital Revolution, the media has extended their ability to create fake images.
The Digital Revolution has made it easier to alter and manipulate images on a computer screen, establishing unattainable standards of beauty. Due to this, unattainable standards of beauty are now being “embraced” by women who are trying to reach the thin ideal (Thompson and Heinberg 1999). Hitchon, Park, and Yun have found that since the mid-1980s, our cultural norms of beauty are not based on thin models, but more on computerized images. The damage is that the reader internalizes a false image of thinness, not understanding the technology that produced the mirage (Wolszon 1998). The problem is that most young women are not aware of the digital manipulation, allowing them to view images that are manipulated, but presented as real. While only a small percentage of these magazine readers have suffered from eating disorders, young girls begin to experience anxiety over their weight at a young age due to these images.
Girls are exposed to the pressures of body weight beginning at a young age, which only continues throughout middle school and high school. Women continue to focus on their body weight and appearance as well, but girls have a more difficult time dealing with the same pressures that are placed upon them by the media and their peers. Ali and Lam note that “the majority of children were very aware of dieting as a means of achieving a thinner figure” (2013). The media has always promoted images of women who are incredibly thin, from magazines and television to advertisements and dolls. Young girls are presented with the thin ideal in every aspect of media, which, in turn, results in a decrease in body-esteem, and an increase in their drive to be thin. Because girls continue to perceive the images as shown in fashion magazines and models to be the ideal, they aim to imitate those expectations and even resort to cosmetic surgery.
Young girls are easily influenced by the media and their peers, and idolize celebrities and models presented in magazines and forms of media. Because society perceives those models and celebrities to have the perfect body structure, girls want to be thin and obtain those qualities, such as skinny waists, long legs, and robust breasts. According to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, it is estimated “that the number of children less than 18 years of age undergoing cosmetic surgery procedures by their members has ranged from 33,000 to 65,000 annually in the past 10 years, with nonsurgical cosmetic procedures ranging from 91,000 to 190,000 per year” (Abraham and Zuckerman 2011). Young girls turn to these procedures because of the impact celebrities have on them; they receive the satisfaction and even see an increase in body-esteem once they have received procedural changes.
In a hope to change this paradigm, the Council of Fashion Designers in America (CFDA) has asked that the fashion industry to address the topic concerning whether models are unhealthily thin (Pearson). Steven Kolb, CEO of CFDA, recognizes the growing problem and understands the influence that Fashion Week has on women. While there is no clear evidence on whether or not extremely thin models cause women to develop eating disorders, the “thin ideal” derives from this idea which is then promoted in magazines. Dr. Anne E. Becker, a professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, states that these thin models at Fashion Week wear clothing that looks best on a size zero and it does create a an ideal standard as to what a woman’s body should look like. Women spend a lot of their time reading fashion magazines, and this may be a contributing factor in weight anxiety. Magazine labels and editors uphold this standard for their models, and this not only affects women outside of the fashion industry, but the models themselves.
As issues increase regarding diets and weight issues due to presentations of the fashion industry, more women of all generations continue to receive influence from them. Women look towards fashion magazines for inspiration and some look at beautiful celebrities and models as idols. Women have yet to realize that the women photographed in magazines are unnaturally thin, and some even manipulated to look a certain way. While women do struggle with body weight, young girls experience it as well, but have a difficult time coping with the pressure received from the media. When women and young girls see these images, they begin to feel anxious about their weight and self-conscious about their body.
Annotated Bibliography
Abraham, Anisha, and Diana Zuckerman. "Adolescents, Celebrity Worship, and Cosmetic Surgery." Journal of Adolescent Health 49.5 (2011): 453-54. ProQuest. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
In “Adolescents, Celebrity Worship, and Cosmetic Surgery,” Anisha Abraham and Diana Zuckerman discuss the perceived perception of what an “ideal beauty standard” is to the public, and how this came to be. They note that cosmetic surgery has become popular among television shows and advertisements presented in the media and this has lead to increased expectations of beauty that may not be naturally obtainable. Abraham and Zuckerman continue to explain that cosmetic procedures have become extensive in that they are being advertised in numerous television programs and commercials. The article mentions that cosmetic procedures may lead to medical complications and even additional procedures due to the aimed attention of being perfect.
Granatino, Rachel, and Diana L. Haytko. "Body Image, Confidence, and Media Influence: A Study of Middle School Adolescents." Journal of Applied Business Research 29.1 (2013): 45. ProQuest. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
In “Body Image, Confidence, and Media Influence: A Study of Middle School Adolescents,” Rachel Granatino and Diana L. Haytko discuss the heavy impacts that the media creates when it comes to promoting body image. They explain that there have been numerous studies on the influence that the media has on men and women, but these studies have diverted from the impacts the media has on younger consumers. Research conducted by Gardner et al. found that girls between the ages of seven and thirteen long to be five percent thinner than their actual size. Granatino and Haytko note that while the media is already known for presenting unrealistic body images, the issue is increasing where consumers are becoming uneasy of their image beginning at a young age.
Hitchon, Jacqueline Bush, Sung-Yeon Park, and Gi Woong Yun. “”You can Never be Too Thin” -- Or can You? A Pilot Study on the Effects of Digital Manipulation of Fashion Models’ Body Size, Leg Length and Skin Color.” Race, Gender & Class 11.2 (2004): 140. ProQuest. Web. 4 Oct. 2013.
In the article “You Can Never Be Too Thin – or Can You?,” Jacqueline Bush Hitchon, Sung Yeon Park, and Gi Woong Yun conducted a study exploring the effects of fashion photography manipulation and whether it be less of an impact to viewers if they became aware with this process. The authors noted that young readers view ideal beauty to be based on structure of the body, skin color, and even including the extent of legs; more young girls and women are becoming anxious with their body weight which then results to the increase of eating disorders within these readers. Manipulation of photography has slowly risen in the fashion industry as well as among professionals who specialize in photographs. The authors note that mass communication research is necessary in making known the connection between digital manipulation and the ideas that can drive for thinness in young women, leading to eating disorders.
Jones, Liz. "What I Think about the Fashion World." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers Ltd, n.d. 09 Aug. 2012. Web. 09 Oct. 2013.
In the article "What I Think About the Fashion World,” Liz Jones, former editor of Marie Claire magazine, explains her opinion on how women are portrayed by the fashion world and her reasons for her resignation. Jones notes that she no longer wanted to support the industry that claims to support women while advertising images that are unrealistic and detrimental to women’s health. When Jones began a campaign with the purpose of eliminating the images of underweight models and to exercise the image of models that had a more attainable and healthy body, she states that she received no support from fellow editors and the fashion industry. Jones believes that a realization but come to these professionals in the fashion industry, such as photographers or editors, in order to allow women to be themselves.
Pearson, Catherine. "Fashion And Eating Disorders: How Much Responsibility Does Industry Have?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 13 Sept. 2011. Web. 09 Oct. 2013.
In the article “Fashion And Eating Disorders: How Much Responsibility Does Industry Have?,” Catherine Pearson explains increasing issue regarding eating disorders among models. She notes that the Council of Fashion Designers of America released health guidelines that declared the increasing awareness of eating disorder symptoms and even recommended banning models younger than the age of 16 to walk the runway in fashion shows. According to Pearson, The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders have found that girls from middle to high school receive a great amount of influence of the perfect body from magazines. The article states that eating disorders are most common from the teen years to the early 20s, but Pearson also notes that there is little data on whether or not these extremely thin models have caused people outside the industry to develop eating disorders.
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