Learn to Love Yourself

It is obvious to a lot of people that the media has a big role to play in how individuals perceive their body. We see the images used, skinny tall women, with light skin, long legs and long hair, and we accept that this is how we should look. Regardless of the fact that less that 5% of women are represented by the media's "ideal". All women have different body shapes, not just because of their dietary lifestyle, but because of their genetics. A girl born into a family that is short is unlikely to grow to a 6 foot height. We have to learn to celebrate these differences, and learn to accept the variety we have. To not think that we should lose weight because the women in the media do not have big thighs. It is shocking what the media does to the thoughts of young women and girls. 47% of girls in 5th-12th grade (10-18 year olds) reported that they wanted to lose weight because of the images used in magazines, and that 69% of girls in the same age range felt that the images used in the magazines do influence what they thin the ideal body is (Levine, 1998). Even more shocking is that this could in fact be influencing even younger girls, with 42% of 1st-3rd graders (6-9 year olds) want to be thinner than they are (Collins, 1991). This is devastating. That girls this young are already worried about how they look like because of the media.

Now although those statistics are quite old, the media hasn't changed much. So it appears to be that it is in the hands of the public to learn how they can combat the effects that the media may have on them. Things like appreciating your body, learning that you may not look how the models on the magazines look, but that you are still a beautiful person. Learning that looks really are not everything, that you can get very far with confidence of who you are, and the knowledge that you have the intellect and wit to make it far in the world. Knowledge that with the motivation and dedication, you can be very accomplished. You can learn to appreciate how your body works; how it continuously works to make sure you have enough energy, that you are not sick. How you can develop and grow and learn new skills.

By learning to appreciate your body on more than just what it looks like, you will begin to feel more confident in who you are. And hopefully, while we wait for the media to change it's way to represent people, each member of the public can learn to love themselves instead.



References:
Prevention of Eating Problems with Elementary Children, Micheal Levine, USA Today, July 1998.

Collins, M. E. (1991). Body figure perceptions and preferences among pre-adolescent children. International Journal of EAting Disorders, 199-208.

Collins, M.E. (1991). Body figure perceptions and preferences among pre-adolescent children. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 199-208.

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Tips to Prevent the Media from Creating Emotional Distress

• Remember, the thin ideal is unacheivable for most women, and that the average size of the "idealised" woman is 13-19% below a healthy weight.
  
• Understand that weight loss advertisements could induce a subtle emotional reaction which may not be beneficial to you. By understanding this, you can develop coping mechanisms to deal with how the media may affect your self-esteem.
  
• The weight loss industry will not stop trying to advertise weight loss, as it revenues $55.4 million in revenue per year. Therefore, as unfortunate as it may be, it appears that it is up to us, the general public, to learn that the images in the media are altered, and that even those photographed do not look like the resulting image
  
• Remember that every woman is different, the human body has variety. It is this variety that makes us beautiful. Yes, some people may look like the magazine pictures, but others may not and that is okay. The reason for this is bone structure, the number of adipose (fat retaining) cells in your body, where those cells are located, the amount of muscle mass you can gain, and much more. 

Photoshop Lies!!

This video clip was shown to a group of participants and used as an intervention to stop the negative feelings we may have when looking at the photoshopped images of models in the media. We thought by putting it on here, it can reach more individuals, and they can learn the lengthy process of creating a magazine picture, and just how much they alter the original picture of the model. 


Source:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hibyAJOSW8U

References:
Halliwell, E., Easun, A., & Harcourt, D. (2011). Body dissatisfaction: Can a short media literacy message reduce negative media exposure effects amongst adolescent girls?. British journal of health psychology, 16(2), 396-403.