tagged w/ Body Image
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The Australian Federal Government has announced funding to develop the Voluntary National Media and Industry Code of Conduct on Body Image, which could lead to labeling of digitally altered images.
The government claims the code is needed to help address the issue of physical and mental issues associated with unrealistic body images among Australian youth. First announced in October, the code of conduct will require media and advertisers to follow a voluntary guide on the use of digitally altered images.
Kate Ellis, minister for sport and youth, announced the $125,000 of funding on Friday, which will go towards creating the code in partnership with the media, health sector, fashion and beauty industries and youth.
The government will also appoint a National Advisory Group consisting of key industry, media, health and sector members in the new year.
Among other components, the code will call for advertisers and media to show a notification of digital alterations (in case of physical manipulation), a 16 year old age limit for adult fashion shows, magazine shoots and TV programs, a commitment to have a diverse range of body shapes and sizes and to refrain from glamorisation of severely underweight models or celebrities.
It will be interesting to see how this works...The Australian Federal Government has announced funding to develop the Voluntary... more
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Isobel Varley got her first tattoo in 1986 at 49 years old. Since then she has had dozens of tattoos and by 1997 almost every square cm of her body, including the 'inside of my nether regions and the ends of my toes' were covered.Isobel Varley got her first tattoo in 1986 at 49 years old. Since then she has had... more
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As Montreal Fashion Week kicked off this week, the provincial minister responsible for the status of women in Quebec announced a plan that would call for an end to super-thin models.
Christine St. Pierre said she would form a committee to look at adopting a charter that would prompt the fashion industry to take responsibility for the health of its models, according to a CBC News report.
St. Pierre said she wants to make sure models are in good health and she hopes such measures would help stem anorexia, a dangerous eating disorder, in young women.
"We have to change the mentality," St. Pierre told CBC News. "We are in a position to say to them 'OK, you have to do something.' But I'm not looking for a law, I'm just looking for an involvement from the fashion industry."
St. Pierre said the committee would be comprised of people from the fashion industry, and she hopes the charter will be adopted in March.
"If we work with the fashion industry they will be able to reach young women and young men and to talk to them," she said. "This is what we are looking for, and also we want to address this problem with the health minister and all the businesses involved."
Jean-François Daviau, producer of Montreal Fashion Week and co-president of Sensation Mode, told CBC News that while he believes a charter would be a good idea, the models themselves need support.
"We don't want to point at her and say 'You're the problem. That's another issue. We have to be very careful on the impact of such an action."
As Montreal Fashion Week kicked off this week, the provincial minister responsible for... more
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Joshua Lawyer is a young artist from East Palo Alto. His latest painting installment, "Girl Giant," is of distorted female bodies. He portrays body types that aren't shown in the media as the beautiful feminine physique and explains why he finds them attractive. Joshua Lawyer is a young artist from East Palo Alto. His latest painting installment,... more
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One of Britain's leading eating disorder experts says as many as one in five young men are deeply unhappy with their body image.
Dr John Morgan said that for every man with an eating disorder there were 10 more who desperately wanted to change the way they looked.
"One in five young men have some degree of quite extreme distress," he said.
Dr Morgan said he had also seen a big rise in the number of men with anorexia and bulimia.
Dr Morgan, who runs the Yorkshire Centre for Eating Disorders in Leeds, told the BBC's news programme for teenagers, Revealed, that men who were unhappy with their bodies would like to change them. One of Britain's leading eating disorder experts says as many as one in five... more
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This presentation by NOW Foundation's Love Your Body Campaign illustrates and describes how advertisers and the media enforce unrealistic beauty standards, sexual ideals and gender stereotypes that girls and women are expected to follow. What is the impact of these images on the health and well-being of women and girls, and what can YOU do?This presentation by NOW Foundation's Love Your Body Campaign illustrates and... more
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On a desolate and grim street in downtown LA, lies a hidden gem. It's a (somewhat) secret place known to its regulars as "Fight Club". This of course is because of the first (and second) rule of "Fight Club" which is "We don't talk about Fight Club!". The place is Shareen Vintage.
A lack of dressing rooms, led to a "no boys allowed" policy, and what ensued, was unique community for women. Owner Shareen Mitchell says, " What actually goes on here is a loving exchange with and about women." A place where they can gather not only to shop, but to discuss and work through their problems with friends and strangers alike, in an atmosphere set up much like a home (with a bed, bureaus, and even living room area complete with snacks and magazines) It takes the meaning of "retail therapy" to a whole new level!On a desolate and grim street in downtown LA, lies a hidden gem. It's a... more
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Ultra-thin models and body image problems have been fiercely debated issues for over a decade. We have heard the stories of model malnutrition death and girls and boys as young as 7 who claim they should be on diets. Should models have to fit a certain size range? And if so, who decides what is “healthy”? It is a touchy subject that has two sides, and although there have been scientific tests about body image, society still seems stuck about how to move forward.
The move forward seems to be emerging as the use of models closer representing the majority of global women.
All of the models in this gallery are a US size 10 and above. So pretty! I think they all have beautiful faces and make the products look just as good as a standard size 2 model. And yes, believe it or not, these girls are all in the Plus Size division of their agencies, even though they appear to look “normal.”
Designers would most likely be willing to use a greater variety of models in their advertisements if sales were kept high. Only time will tell if this trend will fully develop or die.
Ultra-thin models and body image problems have been fiercely debated issues for over a... more
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Moopak
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added this
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3 years ago
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Ignore the “perfect bodies” surrounding you (thanks to MAJOR photo-editing.) Ignore the unrealistic self-images you’re faced with everywhere you turn. SO WHAT. Love yourself anyway… you have 3 weeks to do it. Love Your Body Day is October 15th.
DOVE is on top of things. Their “Campaign for Real Beauty” is innovative and inspiring, and other companies are quickly catching on. The latest trend in marketing means being REAL, (score!) And REAL men and women are completely perfect within their imperfections. DOVE has brilliantly started with our future by targeting young women around the world and providing self-esteem classes. This project is supposed to reach 5 million young ladies by the end of 2010, and every time you purchase DOVE products you help to support this ultra-worthy cause.
The NOW organization also works intensely to help young women everywhere realize their true beauty, and learn the truth about what “beauty” is. The pics included with this article are the 2008 “Love Your Body Campaign” poster winners, who obviously have a tremendous grip on the real definition of beauty, and incredible heads on their shoulders.
But what about you? October 15th will come FAST, and the world around you is filled with distractions and false images of “beauty.” What’s the best way that you can love your body NOW? Change your state of mind. Escape from the glitz and glam of the edited photos and make mental note about all of the things you love about your REAL self. Make time to pamper yourself and know that you deserve it. Grab a pedicure on your way to the grocery store or make a massage appointment after what you know will be a stressful week. Challenge yourself to stay positive and feel good...and don’t be afraid to push your limits. Know when you’re in “negative-mode” and teach yourself how to turn it off. Be the best “you” that you can be. No one else can do it for you. You’re already gorgeous. You just have to KNOW it. Good luck, hottie. I’ll check back on October 15th, (wink, wink.)
Ignore the “perfect bodies” surrounding you (thanks to MAJOR... more
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Moopak
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added this
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3 years ago
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So when someone comes up to you and asks if you know about Cosmetic Surgery. This is what you should say...
So when someone comes up to you and asks if you know about Cosmetic Surgery. This is... more
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This sort of self-objectification impairs women's body image, mental health, motor skills and even sex lives.
On a typical day, you might see ads featuring a naked woman's body tempting viewers to buy an electronic organizer, partially exposed women's breasts being used to sell fishing line, and a woman's rear -- wearing only a thong -- being used to pitch a new running shoe. Meanwhile, on every newsstand, impossibly slim (and digitally airbrushed) cover "girls" adorn a slew of magazines. With each image, you're hit with a simple, subliminal message: Girls' and women's bodies are objects for others to visually consume.
If such images seem more ubiquitous than ever, it's because U.S. residents are now exposed to 3,000 advertisements a day -- as many per year as those living a half century ago would have seen in a lifetime. The Internet accounts for much of this growth, and young people are particularly exposed to advertising: 70 percent of 15- to 34-year-olds use social networking technologies such as MySpace and Facebook, which allow advertisers to infiltrate previously private communication space.
A steady diet of exploitative, sexually provocative depictions of women feeds a poisonous trend in women's and girl's perceptions of their bodies, one that has recently been recognized by social scientists as self-objectification -- viewing one's body as a sex object to be consumed by the male gaze. Like W.E.B. DuBois' famous description of the experience of black Americans, self-objectification is a state of "double consciousness ... a sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others."
Researchers have learned a lot about self-objectification since the term was coined in 1997 by University of Michigan psychology professor Barbara Fredrickson and Colorado College psychology professor Tomi-Ann Roberts. Numerous studies since then have shown that girls and women who self-objectify are more prone to depression and low self-esteem and have less faith in their own capabilities, which can lead to diminished success in life. They are more likely to engage in "habitual body monitoring" -- constantly thinking about how their bodies appear to the outside world -- which puts them at higher risk for eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.
**Read More**This sort of self-objectification impairs women's body image, mental health,... more
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On a typical day, you might see ads featuring a naked woman's body tempting viewers to buy an electronic organizer, partially exposed women's breasts being used to sell fishing line, and a woman's rear -- wearing only a thong -- being used to pitch a new running shoe. Meanwhile, on every newsstand, impossibly slim (and digitally airbrushed) cover "girls" adorn a slew of magazines. With each image, you're hit with a simple, subliminal message: Girls' and women's bodies are objects for others to visually consume.
If such images seem more ubiquitous than ever, it's because U.S. residents are now exposed to 3,000 advertisements a day -- as many per year as those living a half century ago would have seen in a lifetime. The Internet accounts for much of this growth, and young people are particularly exposed to advertising: 70 percent of 15- to 34-year-olds use social networking technologies such as MySpace and Facebook, which allow advertisers to infiltrate previously private communication space.
A steady diet of exploitative, sexually provocative depictions of women feeds a poisonous trend in women's and girl's perceptions of their bodies, one that has recently been recognized by social scientists as self-objectification -- viewing one's body as a sex object to be consumed by the male gaze. Like W.E.B. DuBois' famous description of the experience of black Americans, self-objectification is a state of "double consciousness ... a sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others."
Researchers have learned a lot about self-objectification since the term was coined in 1997 by University of Michigan psychology professor Barbara Fredrickson and Colorado College psychology professor Tomi-Ann Roberts. Numerous studies since then have shown that girls and women who self-objectify are more prone to depression and low self-esteem and have less faith in their own capabilities, which can lead to diminished success in life. They are more likely to engage in "habitual body monitoring" -- constantly thinking about how their bodies appear to the outside world -- which puts them at higher risk for eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.
Self-objectification has also been repeatedly shown to sap cognitive functioning, because of all the attention devoted to body monitoring. For instance, a recent study by Yale psychologists asked two groups of women to take a math exam -- one group in swimsuits, the other in sweaters. The swimsuit-wearers, distracted by body concerns, performed significantly worse than their peers in sweaters.
Fredrickson, along with Michigan communications professor Kristen Harrison (both work within the university's Institute for Research on Women and Gender), recently discovered that self-objectification actually impairs girls' motor skills. Their study of 202 girls, ages 10 to 17, found that self-objectification impeded girls' ability to throw a softball, even after differences in age and prior experience were factored out. Self-objectification forced girls to split their attention between how their bodies looked and what they wanted them to do, resulting in less forceful throws and worse aim.**continues**On a typical day, you might see ads featuring a naked woman's body tempting... more
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A little rant about US Weekly and their tendency to feature articles that are a anti-the normal woman. The writer re-caps it perfectly:
"To recap: Obese women are not young. They have not gone to college or graduate school. They do not work. They do not have families (or maybe they have them but do not take responsibility for them). Also, they enjoy Jerry Springer."
What do you think?A little rant about US Weekly and their tendency to feature articles that are a... more
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KCKate
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added this
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3 years ago
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Japanese men are worrying about more than mere sweat as summer temperatures rise: talk of body odor caused by ageing is adding to anxiety in a land that prizes being squeaky clean, Reuters reports.
Shiseido Research Centre, a laboratory affiliated with Japanese cosmetics maker Shiseido Co Ltd, sparked the trend to anti-odor products for older men when it discovered eight years ago a substance that it named "kareishu", or ageing odor.
The lab identified nonenal, a type of fatty acid, as the cause, saying unsaturated fatty acids and oxidative decomposition increase from around 40 years of age.
Being Japan, it has also sparked a range of new products, from odor-eating suits to special chewing gum.
"My wife tells me that I stink," said company manager Atsushi Asami, 47, interviewed on a typically hot and humid Tokyo street. "I am concerned about ageing odor and know there are anti-ageing odor products, but have not bought them myself."
An on-line survey by CBIC Corp., a Tokyo-based company that sells deodorant products, found that 89 percent of 700 Japanese women in their 20s and 30s found men smelly in commuter trains.
A discount menswear chain last year started selling 'deodorant suits' as well as anti-odor shirts and socks.
"More Japanese men are becoming concerned about their smell and so the need for anti-body odor products is growing," said company spokesman Yuriko Moriya.
The 61,950 yen ($576) suits, are laced with disinfectants that absorb and break down substances that produce ageing odor and the smell of sweat. Sales this year have doubled from the same time last year.
Gomi says lifestyle changes are probably a better way to fight the smell, since avoiding stress and excessive eating and drinking help ease the problem.
But he added: "Being called 'smelly' can be damaging to our personality. In that sense, deodorant products can be used as a confidence booster."
Do men really get smellier as they age? Or is this just a gimmick to prise money from the sweaty hands of wealthier, insecure older men? Would you wear a deo-suit?
Japanese men are worrying about more than mere sweat as summer temperatures rise: talk... more
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"Lads" Magazines have been increasingly successful in recent years, and have attracted criticism for an alleged potential to exploit women rather than cause problems for their readership.
However, Dr Giles, from the University of Winchester, said that some of the content may drive men to try to become more muscular, even if that could harm their health.
Together with colleague Jessica Close, he surveyed 161 men aged between 18 and 36, and found that those who regularly read the magazines were more likely to be influenced by the imagery within. "
This is such a no-brainer I simply had to post it. Regular people have known for years that magazines harm kids and teens' body image, but Dr. David Giles has just discovered that this applies to MEN too! WOW!"Lads" Magazines have been increasingly successful in recent years, and have... more
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Modern men are less fertile, more weight-obsessed and 'non-essential to parenting', so no wonder they are confused about modern masculinity, the Observer reports.
In June, men discovered that their libidos are in freefall, prompting a 40 per cent increase in males seeking counselling for impotence problems. Their existential angst worsened in July, when British men discovered that they have the most unequal paternity rights in Europe.
According to Nicola Brewer, chief executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, fathers in the UK are seen as 'not essential for parenting'. The same month saw the publication of a medical study that proved the quality of men's sperm declines to such an extent after they hit 45 that the chances of a partner's miscarriage are doubled.
It's not only their internal biology; men are also succumbing to the traditionally female preoccupation of looking good on the outside, too. Sales of male beauty products have leapt 30 per cent over the past decade. Almost 20 per cent more men are having plastic surgery than ever before while, last year, researchers from Harvard discovered that a quarter of anorexia and bulimia sufferers is male. During the fashion shows, male models had their own equivalent of the size-zero debate.
Every week, it seems as if there are new surveys and studies tripping over themselves to paint the grimmest possible picture of modern masculinity. They tell us that men are more neurotic and less fulfilled than ever before; that they are objectified rather than revered; that they are expected to be more in touch with their emotions and yet are criticised for it.
Men appear to be confused about what they are and unsure about who they are meant to be. So with more of them feeling disenfranchised, disillusioned and disempowered, is it feasible to think of men as the new oppressed minority? Might men, in fact, be the new women? And, if so, who is to blame for making them feel marginalised?
Read on at the link to find out...
The question is, are men really in such a mess? Men, are you confused about what you are and who you're supposed to be? Do you feel under pressure to look and act in new and confusing ways? Has the world changed drmatically for you? And women, are the men in your life facing these dilemmas? If so, where do they come from, and what can we do about them?
Modern men are less fertile, more weight-obsessed and 'non-essential to... more
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A plastic surgeon who operated an unlicenced clinic and is accused of mutilating 96 patients has gone on the run following his trial in France.
Michel Maure, 59, who claimed be one of the world's top cosmetic surgeons, is reported to have fled from the Spanish coast on an 18-metre yacht. His partner and children are also missing.
He is charged with involuntary wounding, aggravated fraud and making misleading claims about himself on an Internet site, magicclinic.com, and had been ordered to stay in the Marseilles region while judges considered their verdict, which is due next month.
Before being struck off the medical register last year, he boasted that he was "one of the great aesthetic surgeons of the world", the trial was told. He said that he had carried out 15,000 operations.
An anaesthetist by training, Mr Maure inflicted physical and psychological suffering on his victims in botched operations involving breast implants, liposuction, facelifts and nose remodelling, the court heard.
The case has particularly morbid resonance for French speakers because Docteur Maure is pronounced like Docteur Mort, which means Doctor Death.
Is this yet another good reason not to go under the knife? Or just evidence that you should *really* do your homework if you're going to get some surgical enhancements? Would you consider plastic surgery from a clinic you read about online? If you've had surgery already, how did you choose your clinic? What advice would you give to someone looking for a surgeon?
A plastic surgeon who operated an unlicenced clinic and is accused of mutilating 96... more
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Dressed only in my underwear, I'm eight years old and sitting on the pediatrician's exam table, waiting for my checkup. My mother points to the two mounds of fatty flesh between my chest and belly. She asks the doctor, "Could they be tumors?" "No," he says, "it's just fat." Since that day, my fat has absorbed more darts than the back wall of a bar.
At six feet two and 215 pounds, I'm not huge. I just carry my weight where women do—in my hips, butt and thighs. And I hate it. I hate the way clothes fit. I hate that friends say I use the "big-butt defense" in basketball.
I'm not the only man who wishes his body looked more like Michael Jordan's and less like a vat of pudding. A recent survey showed that only 18 percent of men are happy enough with their physiques that they wouldn't change them.
While women get there first, they don't have a monopoly on stressing over looks.
One: We have more body angst than you realize…
…but we'll never have a serious conversation with you about it. Look at the standards we have to measure up to: If we're fat, we're labeled as beer-guzzling couch potatoes. Too thin, and we're deemed wimpy. We can have too little hair on our heads or too much on our backs. And maybe worst of all, we can be too big in the backside of our pants yet too small in the front.
Now add the fact that our mental struggle has two layers.
"A man thinks, 'Not only does it bother me that I'm fat and my hair is thinning. It bothers me that it bothers me, because I'm not supposed to feel this way,'" says Thomas Cash, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. "The thinking is that it's like a woman to worry about looks."
----WAY more interesting things at the link. Six more reasons. And if you're a guy you'll nod your head in silent agreement. ----Dressed only in my underwear, I'm eight years old and sitting on the... more
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The New York Times reports on growing numbers of brides who are showering their bridesmaids, family members and guests with cosmetic surgery and invasive beauty treatments, in order to make everything literally perfect for their big day.
Justifying her 'gift' of chemical peels, wrinkle-filler injections, laser treatments and tooth whitening to her bridesmaids, one nutbar bride said, “As you get older, everyone is more conscientious about their skin and appearance. Giving them something for themselves — as opposed to something that they’ll never wear again — is more meaningful.”
There is that. OR, you could appreciate how gorgeous your loved ones are *without* any surgical enhacement and not freak out that your pictures will pop up on Facebook after the wedding, so you don't actually have to show the world how perfect you (and your friends and relatives) have become. That spiteful girl from Year 3 probably doesn't think about you much any more anyway, so your Photo Bucket of Hollywood-style wedding pics that screams 'I've made it! Me and my perfect teeth have made it!' probably won't impress her that much.
What do you think? Have bridezillas taken it a step too far, or is the pursuit of perfection on a wedding day completely justified, however long your aunt Dora has to spend in the spa or under the knife to make her presentable? Just how far will we go in pursuit of prettiness?
The New York Times reports on growing numbers of brides who are showering their... more
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Apparently responding to female gamers' calls for more and better representation of women, Titan Studios/Sony has launched a new PlayStation game called "Fat Princess." I'm not kidding.
According to PlayStation, "Frantic and fun, Fat Princess pits two hordes of players against each other in comic medieval battle royale. Your goal is to rescue your beloved princess from the enemy dungeon. There’s a catch though: your adversary has been stuffing her with food to fatten her up and it’s going to take most of your army working together to carry her back across the battlefield."
Wow. This isn't even a joke. Sony has certainly got the wheels of publicity spinning - online debate and bitchery have begun in earnest, and it's certainly intense.
Some gaming bloggers are pleased - and surprised - by just how good the game is:
"With the title and logo the way it is, it may be hard to think of Fat Princess as a real hardcore title, but that's exactly what it is. Fights always end in bloody messes. After a massive battle, you'll see body parts and blood soaking the entirety of the floor. With its unique art style, high concept, and fun presentation, we can't wait to play Fat Princess when it debuts exclusively on the PSN later this year."
And from one eloquent and angry female gamer, this gem:
"Anyway, congrats on your awesome new game, Sony. I'm positively thrilled to see such unyielding dedication to creating a new generation of fat-hating, heteronormative assholes. It's not often I have the opportunity to congratulate a cutting-edge tech company on such splendiferous retrofuck jackholery. Way to go! The Fat Princess of Shakes Manor salutes you."
A moment's pause please, for 'splendiferous retrofuck jackholery'. Mmm, delicious.
So, "Fat Princess" - a harmless joke, a justified reaction to developments in the real world (where of course everyone is piling on the pounds, if moral panics are to be believed), or a shocking example of sexism, fattism, and just plain wrong-ism? Let the games begin...
Apparently responding to female gamers' calls for more and better representation... more
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