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Media Monday: Slim Peace

Submitted by Britt Ahlstrom, TEPF Volunteer

Could a healthy living support group bring Israeli and Palestinian woman together? Fat chance, you say? Tell that to Slim Peace, a support group for women of various religions who want to improve their eating habits and self-esteem. The group was founded in the Middle East, but as reported in The New York Times, the group has now made its way to Boston, Massachusetts. I’d like to see it spread.

Some eating disorder awareness advocates might be opposed to the propagation of weight loss support groups, and I’ll admit it could use a less weight-focused name. But we shouldn’t be so quick to scrape this group off our plates. For one thing, it promotes the sensible Mediterranean Diet, not one of the numerous “lose weight fast” fad diets. The group also teaches attendees to tap into their spiritual sides, guiding them through mindful eating and connecting with their “inner power.” The 10-week group even culminates with a shared meal.

But the most central reason I love this group? Christian groups bring together Christians. Liberal groups bring together liberals. But eating groups can bring together everyone. Regardless of your gender, race, religion, political stance, or sexual orientation, if you live in the United States (or the Middle East, or Asia, or on the planet Earth), you probably struggle with food, even if just sometimes.

Many people struggle with food. With having too little or with eating too much. With feeling hungry or with “feeling fat.” Food has power around the globe. It can instigate riots, spur legislation, and enrich or deplete lives.

But food can also bring together families. It can help us cross boundaries of culture and ideology. That’s exactly what I think Slim Peace is about, and it’s something we all could use a little more of.

Media Monday: Pinning Health at Every Size

Submitted by TEPF Volunteer

There are so many social networking programs that exist today, and Pinterest is certainly one of the most popular. Just like any other social networking program in which people would get hooked on to, the purpose of Pinterest is to share ideas with other people and these ideas are easily accessible to anyone. Everyone that uses Pinterest uses it for different purposes. The most common uses are wedding ideas, crafts, recipes and health. But when you look at the “Health & Fitness” and “Food & Drink” boards, are they encouraging eating disorders?

The majority of the images and information provided on these boards, you see phrases like, “Pool workout that burns mega calories and tones every Trouble spot”, “11 Easy Lunches to Lose Weight”, “25 meals that allow you to eat your feelings, the healthy way”. These pins certainly reinforce the idea that it is “normal” to be burning “mega-calories” per day, or eat certain foods to lose 10 pounds in a week. But, it is clear that these behaviors can often be destructive to one’s health. For example if someone starts diet X and then after a couple days, they are not satisfied with the results, they will continue other dieting methods to achieve the desired results. These dieting methods will required your body to undergo extreme measures.  Pinterest does have policies in place to ensure that pins are not promoting behaviors that are clearly harmful, but what about the pins that are inadvertently so?

In general, society has misinterpreted their views on what is “normal.” It is important for us to redefine the definition of “normal” living.  Pinterest wants people to network with others and share common ideas, so it’s time to start sharing the idea of health at every size with others.  It is time to start sharing the idea that health means many different things, not just a number on a scale. The messages behind those pins are powerful.  So, what are you going to pin today?

Action Alert!

Action Needed Now!

(posted on behalf of NAMI and the entire mental health community)

The Minnesota house and senate have set their budget “targets.” What does this mean?  It means that they give a certain amount of money to each committee to spend in their area (transportation, education, etc.) thus creating the state budget. 

The Emily Program Foundation and the entire mental health community are extremely upset that the target for health and human services is lower than the Governor’s proposed budget and will require CUTS in health and human services of around $150 Million. This means that not only will we not be able to have new spending for things such as school-linked mental health, family psycho-education, crisis services, supportive housing or rate increases to providers -  but we will see cuts to programs.

We believe that if we act now we can change this scenario. If you believe that our mental health system is underfunded and fragile, you need to act. If you believe that it is very difficult to obtain the treatment and supports needed for children or adults with mental illnesses, you need to act.

Here is what we need every advocate to do:

  

1. Call the leadership of the house and senate and say “ I (live with a mental illness, have a family member/child with a mental illness, work in the mental health field) and I strongly urge you to increase the target for the health and human services budget. The mental health system has been cut over $60 million the past four years and it cannot take any more cuts. Do not balance the budget on the backs of children and adults with mental illnesses.”  Make the calls NOW and TOMORROW.  The phone numbers are: Senator Bakk, 651-296-8881;Senator Sieben, 651-297-8060;Representative Thissen, 651-296-5375;Representative Murphy, 651-296-8799
2. Call your own state senator and representative and leave that same message. If your legislator is holding a town hall meeting next week, attend it and give them that same message. One thing to remember is that there are “internal” politics and so our friends who want to change this need to say “I am hearing from my constituents.” 
3. Write a letter to the editor. Remember, the legislature is taking a break next week. We would like to see letters to the editor in every paper, particularly the ones in greater Minnesota. Trust us when we say that this will have a huge impact. Since many papers are weekly – please send it now. Here is the basic outline for your letter, please put it in your own words:

During the last three to four years major cuts were made to the health and human services budget. There were over $60 million in cuts made to the mental health system – a system that everyone knows is fragile and underfunded. I can’t understand why the Democrats in the legislature would propose cutting over $150 million from health and human services. This funding takes care of children and adults with mental illnesses, people with disabilities and older adults. It funds mental health centers and providers, hospitals, and nursing homes. I urge our legislators to revisit this decision – it will have a negative impact on our community.

Please take action today. We cannot wait. Our mental health system cannot withstand further cuts.

Media Monday: Body objectification gone too far

Submitted by TEPF Volunteer

Most are probably familiar with the murder charges against South African Oscar Pistorius, who previously wowed the world by being the first double-legged amputee to participate in the Olympics. Unfortunately, his recent claim to fame is much less glorious. Regardless of it being premeditated or accidental, his murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp is a great tragedy.  Another tragedy is the media’s coverage of the incident.  Magazines like the Sun, the Mail and even The New York Post all covered the story by choosing to use photos of Reeva posing sexily in a bikini. The Huffington Post joined in by posting an online slideshow of bikini shots.  Yes, she was a swimwear model. However, she also had a law degree, campaigned against violence towards women, and modeled cosmetics for Avon. Reeva was a very intelligent, successful women and advocate. It is a shame that the media disproportionately praised her physical attributes.

 

To be clear, I am not saying there is anything wrong with modeling swimwear. However, I do find it distasteful (and frankly creepy) to objectify the body of a murder victim. It demonstrates how far the media will go to sell magazines, which brings up a bigger issue: why does the sexualisation of women’s (and men’s) bodies sell magazines? Why has the coverage of this tragedy caused seemingly little uproar in the US, while hundreds of people in the UK posted their disgust on Twitter and Facebook?

 

Perhaps we are becoming so accustomed to the way the media objectifies us, that we hardly notice when they run stories like Reeva’s.  Or perhaps we are too busy self-evaluating and feeling bad about ourselves to do anything about it.  A recent study published in Psychological Science, found that women who often evaluated themselves based on their appearance and sexual desirability had a decreased motivation to challenge gender-based inequalities and injustices.

So, the media promotes this status quo that makes us feel bad about ourselves which in turn decreases our motivation to stand up against it. This is great for magazine sales, but bad for us.  We must find a way to break this vicious cycle and it starts with acknowledging these issues and standing up against them. Challenge the status quo, view the media critically, and use your voice to advocate for yourself and others.

 

Similar articles:

http://www.newstatesman.com/2013/02/reeva-steenkamp-our-media-invites-you-ogle-dead-woman

 

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/11/objectification-suppresses-womens-desire-to-engage-in-social-activism-study-finds/

Reference: http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/01/22/0956797612452574.abstract

Media Monday: Response to Advertising

Submitted by TEPF Volunteer

The ad in question is that of Ketel One Vodka as presented on the back cover of Lavender Magazine’s 458^th issue (December 13-26, 2012). The ad presents two thin well-dressed, clean-cut, men in a bar setting. Both men are holding small glasses of clear liquid over ice while smiling in an almost flirtatious manner. The bottom also says “a proud supporter of glaad”; glaad is an organization that supports the GLBT community (www.glaad.org).

The audience this ad is aimed towards is men, gay or otherwise; the effects of this ad however, affect more than just the company’s target audience. The hope of this ad is to influence men to believe that if they go to a bar, are fit, well-dressed and bought some Ketel One Vodka, then that will impart a sort of sex appeal that they may otherwise not have. This message is not appealing. Because whether a person is thin or well-dressed it does not add to sexual appeal. There are plenty of suave people who wear sweats and t shirts who have many suitors and are very appealing. Simply because a person is slender and dresses up does not mean they are sexually appealing.

This ad has the potential to cause harm. In short term, if men are not as lanky as the two men they see in the ad, they are likely to feel sad and unattractive. This can lead to these same viewers to try and lose weight, spend money on frivolous items that they probably do not need, and worry about their own ability to attract mates. In the long term, if these same male viewers cannot mold themselves to look more similar to the men in these ads, it can lead to depression and anxiety in social situations. Overall, the long term effects of this ad are likely both men and women thinking about beauty and attractiveness in terms of slenderness instead of personality attributes and ability.

If someone were to change this ad, the best place to start is the models. They should not be models. They should look more like normal people. If this were the case, then it would allow the general public to see beauty and attractiveness in a more broad view.

Media Monday: A refreshing image

Submitted by TEPF Volunteer

Advertising has such a deep and profound effect on its viewers, despite their level of awareness. It can convince us not only to buy products, but to believe the philosophy, principle, or idea. It can tell you that you are too fat, too ugly, too slow, too smelly, etc., and that you need this product to be beautiful, desirable, intelligent, athletic, etc. Our society often focuses on negative ads and will use extreme examples from fashion labels that show women being objectified, dissected, ridiculed, or spoken down to, let alone racist, ageist, and ethnocentric. Sadly, those examples are plentiful, as explored in the film and follow-ups, Killing Me Softly by Jean Kilbourne. Luckily, there are some ad agencies with more positive messages.

My ad was found in the Time Magazine December 31^st issue. It is for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation and features four women standing with arms crossed in front of a dark backdrop. The camera slightly angled up, giving the women a sense of power. The women are dressed professionally, but plain clothes. The body language of crossed arms and smiling faces expresses confidence. The women are between the ages of 30 – 40, which is also the target audience of the ad. The print on the ad suggests the women are support systems for each other during cancer treatment. The ad is selling the idea of the foundation doing positive things and suggesting the audience to donate to them. The ad has a positive message of hope and strength. The women pictured are not stick thin, but are all of a healthy, average weight. Although their wrinkles and imperfections are all photoshopped out, the ad displays a picture perfect version of a successful cancer survivor. 

Mental Health Rally Set for March 12

Come to the State Capitol on March 12 at 10am and join The Emily Program Foundation Advocacy Director, Kitty Westin, along with follow advocates to show your support for increasing mental health funding, programs and services across Minnesota. 

Contact Kitty at kitty.westin@emilyprogramfoundation.org or 651-379-6117.

This year’s Mental Health Rally and Day at the Capitol is set for Tuesday, March 12. About 700 people packed the Capitol last year and organizers are hoping for an even bigger turn out this year. It is vitally important for advocates to attend and make their voices heard! Legislators need to know that mental health is an issue that Minnesotans are passionate about as they put together the state’s next budget in the face of a billion dollar deficit. See MHLN Legislative Report. Also see NAMI's 2013 Legislative Goals, here.

An issues briefing will be held at 10:00 a.m. at Christ Lutheran Church (105 W. University Ave.) followed by a Rally at Noon in the Capitol Rotunda. Advocates are encouraged to make appointments to visit their legislators at the Capitol that afternoon.

The event is sponsored by the Minnesota Mental Health Legislative Network (MHLN), a coalition of more than 20 statewide mental health organizations concerned about the quality and availability of mental health services including The Emily Program Foundation. NAMI Minnesota and the Mental Health Association of Minnesota are co-chairs of the network.

Buses Available to the Capitol
The Network has chartered five buses, each beginning in different locations across Minnesota, to make it easier for people to attend. All buses are expected to arrive at Christ Lutheran Church by 9:45 a.m. and will depart St. Paul around 3:00 p.m. There is no charge to ride the buses (unless otherwise noted) but registration is required since space is limited. For information or to reserve a seat, please contact Matt Burdick at mburdick@namimn.org or 651-645-2948 x107 (unless otherwise noted).

Media Monday: Victoria Secret

Submitted by TEPF Volunteer

Media plays an important role in influencing individual perceptions, opinions and thoughts especially with respect to body image. A TV commercial that I thought would significantly impact young or adult teenage girls is the Victoria Secret’s Angel fantasies collections advertisement. The link to the commercial is as follows:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_rYQsFi_OQ

The product is Victoria Secret’s lingerie and it is appealing as it makes one want to buy the product. The commercial includes voluptuous looking Victoria Secret Angels wearing colorful and attractive lingerie, however this may impact and influence body perception of young teenage girls and adult women. As the product is called Angel fantasies, it may trigger individuals to fantasize about their body image and they may desire to look like them.  Such commercials that include images of celebrities or models with chiseled and slim bodies may result in females to think and perceive skinnier to be healthy.

Media through TV, Internet and magazines creates ideal body images and role models that individuals may try to mimic or would aspire to be like. It is important that the media world needs to be sensitive towards this issue and associate healthy looking models/celebrities to promote and market their respective products.

 

References:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/medias-influence-on-eating-disorders.html

http://www.waldenbehavioralcare.com/resources/popular-searches/media-and-body-image/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_rYQsFi_OQ

Media Monday: The True Value of Health

Submitted by TEPF Volunteer

When it comes to living a healthy life, there are several aspects to take into consideration. For years now, I have been admiring Jillian Michaels because she is the one that has made me realize this. Much of her work exemplifies her passion for health.
   
She encourages individuals to get healthy physically, as well as mentally and emotionally. Jillian tells us that weight is not everything, but health is. While I was looking for some more inspiration from her, I found her show Losing It With Jillian. I was extremely excited since I had never heard of this before. It was an old episode, but this show that really struck me and made me so happy that Jillian Michaels is one of my heroes.
    

This episode that I am talking about deals with a Native American family with heavy ties to their culture. This particular family that Jillian was going to be spending her time with for a week was very close and family oriented. But, they were dangerously unhealthy due to the amount of food that was eaten over family bonding. They felt that they were connecting through food. Jillian stepped in and had the family participate in physical activities in which they could spend time together . She also had them change a few things in their diet to educate the family on how to lead a healthy life for the two children. One of these kids was a fifteen year old boy that was suffering from health issues in relation to the food he was being fed. The family was concerned once they found this out and Jillian was never pushy with him. The way she treated him was with such care and compassion. She saw a strong, young man that just needed a little help from his family to become as healthy as possible. Not only did this family learn that they were able to stick to their culture, but they were also able to apply what they have learned to stay healthy. All of their health issues began to disappear. The amazing thing about this story was that not only did this Native American family get healthy, the whole Native American community around them followed in their footsteps. Now, future generations will be more educated about what health is.
    

As inspiring as this is, it is also important to understand that this proves that health is not all about weight, but about the emotional enjoyment in life and the way you treat your body. The younger generations do need to learn this from their parents, and I feel as though Jillian did an amazing job proving this to an entire community that needed her motivation. 

Media Monday: Skinny Girl Cocktails

Submitted by TEPF Volunteer

 

It is understandable that a grown, adult woman may reach for a drink at the end of a hard day or in celebration of some monumental event.  Drinking is meant to be a social event and in moderation is typically not detrimental to one’s health.  However, Skinny Girl cocktails have come up with a diet drink with a logo of a woman who nears the unrealistic proportions of Barbie and a slogan of “Drink like a lady.”  I first noticed the ad after paying more attention to the ads in Cosmopolitan (the free online publication) on August 28th.  I also have seen the Skinny Girl cocktails in the liquor stores.   The target audience is obviously for women of age, particularly women who may be self conscious of their body shape or trying to lose or maintain weight, which is a large percentage of woman in today’s society.  I followed the ad to the companies’ Facebook page to find a depiction of a woman wearing pearls and perfectly coifed hair, pulled together and drinking like a lady.  The site also provides a guide of how to act like a lady which gives advice such as sensible shoes being five inch stilettos. The product does seem appealing because it gives off the idea that if you drink the cocktail you will be fun, sexy, and, well, a lady. 

 

However, in my humble opinion, diet foods have no room in one’s pantry.  All foods can fit into a diet with moderation and balance.  The fact that this drink is low-calorie also brings up the suggestion that drinking more is just fine because of the fewer calories per drink which may actually lead some to drink more than they otherwise would.  The term ‘skinny’ alone brings up images of super thin and unhealthy people.  But this company uses it as if ‘skinny’ is the ideal and the only way women can be fun, sexy and ladies, which is not true.  Women come in every shape and size, and I know it may be cliché, but true beauty comes from within. Their image of a woman with unrealistic curves may set an unrealistic ideal for women.  I would like to see this company first of all remove the word skinny girl and perhaps use real girls instead.  Second, I would like to see the image of the woman with the stick thin legs and large chest removed and replaced by perhaps a fuller figured woman or even better, no image at all in which can potentially try to mirror. By all means women deserve to have a cocktail but not one telling them they have to be skinny to be a lady.

Art and Eating Disorders: Building Community Awareness 2013

The Emily Program Foundation is currently presenting its Third Annual Art and Eating Disorders exhibition at The Art Institute International Minnesota Art Gallery. The pieces of art demonstrate how eating disorders are viewed through the eyes of those who are struggling or recovering from an eating disorder. Art is a form of expression which can be interpreted in many ways. Some of these pieces demonstrate hope, loneliness, struggling, happiness, and confusion.

Each one of these art pieces are unique and reveal different messages to the audience. Just by looking at some of these pieces one can see and feel what the artist has experienced or what they are experiencing while struggling with an eating disorder.

Each one of these pieces has demonstrated the artist’s emotion using different types of material. For example, some artists used masks to demonstrate what their vision of an eating disorder is or what is going through their minds. Others used drawings, paintings, and even photography. The colors used in these pieces also play an important role in artist’s message. Some pieces used dark colors to demonstrate the loneliness, confusion, and depression that they were experiencing. While other pieces used lighter colors to show their appreciation of their bodies, the different things they can do and different activities they can engage themselves into. In one particular piece, the artist used a tree with multiple branches to demonstrate the progress from suffering with an eating disorder, but there is hope and growth shown by using blooming flowers. Another artist used something that we perceive has happiness, a rainbow, into a battle of emotions and a loss of identity.

Art is also a form of communication. The artists are communicating with the audience and describing to us their struggles and battles they experience on a daily basis.

This exhibition is an amazing way to learn about individual’s personal experience when struggling with an eating disorder.

Check the show out at:

Location:

The Art Institutes International Minnesota Art Gallery
15 South 9th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402

Building Hours: Mon-Fri 7:00 AM – 11:00 PM; Sat and Sun 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Opening Reception: Thursday, February 21, 2013 from 5pm -7pm.

 

The artwork will be available for viewing on February 9th to March 14th, 2013.

Media Monday: Airbrush Away

Submitted by TEPF Volunteer

A long-standing issue has been that the models we see in magazines are not representative of what most women look like.  Yet, because the multimedia environment bombards us with these images we begin to think that they are the norm and something is wrong with us if we don’t look like that.  Women’s body images take a hit as a result.
 

But to further exacerbate this warped reality of what women ‘should’ and do look like, airbrushing and digital enhancement takes these images of models even further down the unattainable road by altering the image.  Often skin is smoothed, thighs are thinned, breasts are enlarged, waists are made smaller, among other modifications.  It is ironic that they are airbrushing a person who was hired for modeling because she represents the ‘ideal’ of what advertisers want, yet apparently is not adequate enough without being digitally enhanced.  What message does that send to us? 
 

What benefit is there for a woman to look at this image that is unrealistic to achieve without extensive digital alteration?  There aren’t any that I’m aware of, and instead the likely result is that the viewer will feel bad about themselves because they don’t measure up to what is being displayed as the ‘desired’ or ‘ideal’ look.
Christy Turlington was airbrushed in a 2011 Maybelline makeup print ad that was supposed to show what the makeup product can do for your skin.  The airbrushing is unnatural looking and excessive, and the ad implies that this professional model’s own skin is not good enough as is. Britain banned the ad citing unrealistic advertising.  It was also brought to light that the company had even enhanced her ‘untouched’, pre-makeup skin that is shown in the ad.
 

I also think the extensive airbrushing is an insult to the model as well.  The digital enhancements made to Britney Spears’ image in the Candies brand print ad in 2011 conveys that she is not ‘good enough’ naturally.  For all of her young fans, what does this say to them when the woman they look up to “required” photo editing to appear in an ad in a magazine?
 

I would love to see digital enhancement of images of women’s bodies in magazines go away.  Wouldn’t it be great to see images that we can identify with in a magazine?  If a magazine is being targeted towards women shouldn’t its contents reflect the women they are targeting?  I think advertisers need to realize that this is what women want and it could actually benefit the advertisers to make these changes that they seem resistant to make.  If a girl saw a model she could identify with in a magazine wearing a product on a body that is more similar to her own, she may be more inclined to purchase the item because it seems accessible and realistic for her to wear.  It’s a win-win for women’s body images and the advertisers.

Difference Maker for February by KTIS 98.5 radio

Kitty Westin being interviewed at KTIS.

The Emily Program Foundation has been selected as the Difference Maker for February by KTIS 98.5 radio. Each month, KTIS profiles a local organization that is making a difference in our community. All during the month, they share stories of how they are changing lives. KARE 11’s Julie Nelson, a Twin Cities’ award winning anchor, is the host of this program, interviewing the gifted men and women who run these organizations. Tune in anytime in February to learn more.

Kitty Westin, Advocacy Director will be featured during the Community Spotlight, a ten-minute program that airs on the FM station on Saturday at 6:00 am and on the AM station Saturday 5pm & Sunday 1pm. Extraordinary volunteer Katie Bird is also featured during the interview.

You can learn more about the work The Emily Program Foundation is doing at our website, www.emilyprogramfoundation.org        

Media Monday: A Look at Pregnancy

Submitted by Heidi Tash, TEP Dietetic Intern

Over the last year there have been several commercials and magazine articles praising the ability of celebrity women to lose weight fast post pregnancy. Jenny Craig sponsors Mariah Carey and Scary Spice, Weight Watchers signed deals with Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Hudson and magazines like US Weekly have paid for bikini clad stars like Kourtney Kardashian to grace their cover. These ads and articles, aimed at all woman of child baring age, incorrectly project the message that the size of one’s body after giving birth defines one’s ability as a mother.  

 

It is amazing the ways in which the body can adapt and change, to create and care for a new life. True part of this process does involve fluctuation in body weight, but this is a beautiful and natural part of pregnancy that should be honored and accepted. It’s upsetting to think that our society has neglected that which should be respected and instead honors the message projected to young women that a certain body is required to be a good parent. It could be argued that at its core the message is intended to be a positive one, “be healthy for your baby”; but the way it’s delivered creates the underlying innuendo of “be thin and you will be a better mother and role model.” The women in these ads and articles are not depicted as healthy and nurturing but instead are frequently pictured in tight clothes or swim suits and displayed as sex symbols glorifying their extreme weight loss.

 

Ads and articles like these create unrealistic expectations for real mothers. Pressure to be thin can lead to distorted weight gain goals while pregnant, and unrealistic weight loss expectations post partum.  Having a baby is rewarding and exhausting all at the same time. New mothers should be focusing their energy on their mental and physical wellbeing, as well as that of their children and family, not consuming themselves with thoughts about dieting and body image.  Ideally this type of media is designed to elicit feelings of happiness, connectedness, and success. In reality they most likely lead to feelings of failure and insecurity as women struggle to live up to distorted societal expectations. It is time the media, marketers and spokeswomen rethink ads and articles like these and honestly reevaluate the message being conveyed.

Review: Trudy Beludy and Her Brilliant Tummy written by Elizabeth Maier Marietta

Submitted by TEPF Volunteer

Trudy always looked forward to Saturdays because they were filled with fun. She had planned the whole day doing different activities with friends and her favorite toys. She even took a pledge to have fun all day. She got to be involved in all her favorite activities, but this particular Saturday was different because it did not go as planned.

 

Trudy felt sad because she was not able to play with her friend, so she decided to fill her sadness with something else that she thought would make her feel better. She realized that bingeing on different kinds of food made her feel worse.

This book shows how a young girl used food as a method of coping  when she was sad, and later on realized she is able to find other methods of coping that will make her feel better about herself. This book illustrates several methods of coping with sadness, stress or, other negative feelings that one might experience. Ultimately, the main character used exercise and art to cope with her sadness.  This is a great message because it demonstrates how each person will encounter emotions in their life, and there are many ways to cope with these emotions.  It is up to individuals to find what works best, both for our minds and our bodies.

Media Monday: Media should be socially responsible

Submitted by TEPF Volunteer

 

I recently saw an anti-obesity advertisement. The storyline is about an overweight mother who brings her 6 years old ‘chubby’ daughter for grocery shopping. The mother fills her cart with foods such as chips, soda, fries and other junk foods, and this was followed exactly by her daughter who is also wheeling her own smaller cart.  At the end of the ad, the message stated that parents should set a better example to the kids. This ad created a lot of critique as well as praise because it is meant to be educational and but increases embarrassment and shame for those who are obese or overweight.

 

Media plays a huge role in creating our view of an "ideal body."

I believe that this ad aims to reach the parents as their target audience. However, kids watching the ad may easily interpret the ad in a very simple and superficial perspective that individuals who are overweight do not care about setting a good example on healthy eating.  And again, they also can get a wrong idea that an overweight mom just does not know about eating healthily.

Generally speaking, I think this ad is suitable and educational for some parents who do not understand nutrition. I think that the message is achieved as this ad tries to insert the feeling of responsibility into parents on how they can help raise healthy children.  However, we need to deeply think about the possible consequences of this ad. Our society looks down upon individuals who are overweight which can have consequences on those individual’s mental health.  Eating disorders can start as individuals become insecure and have poor body image.  It is crucial that media starts to consider the appropriateness of their messages.  Media needs to be socially responsible.

Media Monday: A Critical Comparison

Submitted by Snow Xiaochun Wang, TEP Dietetic Intern

Body image refers to how an individual perceives his or her own body and appearance. It is a well-established fact that mass media provides attitudes of beauty and beliefs about weight, which has a significant influence on society’s aesthetics of body image. Mass media’s portrayal of body image is often unrealistic, resulting in individual dissatisfaction, and it is related to an increasing rate of eating disorders and weight-control behaviors, especially among women and adolescents. The ideal body image conveyed by mass media has a larger influence on younger adolescents, who are easily influenced and more vulnerable than adults, therefore resulting in anorexia and/or bulimia. For example, the clothing store Victoria Secret, displays all their products with sexy slim models targeting teens and adults. The ad tries to associate beauty and confidence feelings with the product. http://www.victoriassecret.com/

 Television is a major type of mass media, which has a powerful impact on society’s adopted attitudes and behaviors. The majority of “ideal” body images are conveyed during adult drama time allocations. For example, in Desperate Housewives, each female character was assessed as a beautiful, sexy and slim figure (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxvMgCpgiYM).  The strong emphasis of thinness in this show will have a impact on the women who watched it. For male characters that are husbands of the women in this episode, most of them are muscular, fit and attractive. This series will affect male viewers by causing them to think that this type of body image will attract women; therefore they will increase their effort to build body shape and stay lean. Another TV series The Middle is a family-oriented adult comedy. The characters in the series are parents with three kids at different age groups, from pre-school to teen. The story is suitable for both teens and parents to watch. In this show, the body images of parents are an average-sized, typical middle-aged man and woman, and the children are neither too fat nor too skinny. In addition, they have lots of scenes to encourage exercise, e.g. marathon prize-giving event, bicycling and playing basketball. Compared with two series, The Middle depicts more realistic, encouraging, and appropriate body images. During adult drama, a high frequency of advertisements (90%) involved slim, sexy, and attractive body image. Age groups influenced include teens, young adolescents and adults, especially females who are more susceptible to feel the pressure to be thin. The type of television program determines the type of commercials aired during the allocated time slot.

Mass media has a powerful influence on food consumption and the ideals of body image adopted by society. The likelihood that television audiences will model the behaviors exhibited by televised media streams is high, as a result, it is important to sustain and support beneficial information about healthy eating and exercise. All the viewers from different age groups should increase their awareness through accurate and effective judgments on the televised body images of unrealistic physical beauty. In addition, parents should also pay attention to the types of television programs are exposed to their children, especially teens, as well as become fully aware of all the eating behavior information presented through the television.

Media Monday: Imperfect, Flawed, Beautiful

Submitted by TEPF Volunteer

“You are imperfect. Permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful.”- Amy Bloom

Imperfect. Flawed. Beautiful. Which one of these words doesn’t belong? The answer is none. Being imperfect and flawed is what makes you beautiful. Perfect is a word that has become a standard in today’s world regarding body image but who is the one judging? The media? The only judge should be yourself. Accepting that you are imperfect is a great way to start feeling comfortable in your own skin. You may have woken up with a bright red zit or you have scars from giving birth to a beautiful baby. No matter how large the flaw, it’s what makes you beautiful. Trying to imagine a world where everybody is considered “perfect” is almost impossible to do. But when you think about the people in our world today, flaws and all, you start to realize that is why we are all unique. The flaws and imperfections can come with many stories that create the person.

Browsing on the internet and coming upon this quote instantly made me think. I have probably read it about 20 times now and have concluded that it could not be more true. Even though you may not love your flaws and imperfections right now, there is somebody else in the world who admires you because of them. Instead of looking at the words imperfect and flawed as negatives, attach them to the word beautiful and you will create a whole new outlook.

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Loving-Your-Body-Quotes-Quotes-About-Body-Image/1