Distorted Perceptions: Stats & Causes

The media places great pressure on women and children throughout our country to achieve a level of thinness that is not possible for the majority of women. This causes many to feel unsatisfied with their bodies and unfortunately for some this may lead to an eating disorder when trying to reach these almost impossible standards. Here are a few videos provided by YouTube with some eye opening statistics and that provide a look into how we develop these distorted perceptions of the ideal body image.

The last quote from the above video was that the current ideal level of thinness was achievable only by 5% of the female population. How can this thin ideal develop when only such a small percentage of people can even achieve it?

We can pretty much all agree that the photos at the end have reached a point of extreme but it does not change that these are the images that are being broadcasted to us and more importantly our children. We need to develop a perception of a healthy image not a thin ideal for our culture to move forward.

Unhealthy Health Food Obsession? WHAT!?!

Upon researching medias effect on the ideal body image I came across a term I had never heard before, Orthorexia Nervosa, the unhealthy health food obsession. This seems like a contradiction; I mean how can only eating healthy food be bad for you, right?

That is what many critics of this term say before they actually take a closer look at what this disorder really is. Just like any other obsession or compulsive form of behavior it can take over a persons life and just like other eating disorders, in severe cases can lead to malnutrition and possible death.

Stephen Bratman MD, originally coined the phrase "orthorexia nervosa" in his 1997 article The Health Food Eating Disorder, as a way to describe a specific form of obsessive behavior that he himself had previously suffered from.

In anorexia and bulimia the sufferer is focused on the quantity of food they eat where as an orthorexic is more considered about the quality of food. They focus on foods that THEY percieve as pure; and healthy foods; typically natural, raw, whole or organic . These individuals are concerned with eating healthy but become obsessed to the point that their diet becomes so selective their health may actually suffer. As this obsession develops the need to find, prepare and consume only the percieved pure foods takes over the orthorexics life causing problems in personal relationships and social isolation. Their entire life becomes centered on food, consuming all other interests.

This is the distinction between eating a basic healthy diet, a vegan, vegetarian or people with natural/whole/raw food eating habits. The orthorexic's diet consumes all aspects of life causing potential mental distress and physical harm from lack of proper nutrition.

This disorder typically stems from a desire to be healthy but can have underlying causes such as the drive to be thin, finding a sense of control in life, improving ones self image and identity and the fear of poor health (Katrina 4).

John Foyert,PhD in his editorial Pursuit of the Elusive Ideal Body Image points out that as the ideal body image becomes thinner this new type of disorder has begun to spread. Combined with medias insistent push of healthier and thinner the potential for development increases as young minds become focused on obtaining the "elusive" ideal body image.

Obviously healthy food is not bad for you. A healthy diet and lifestyle can be crucial in the development of a happy and fulfilling life. However promoting health and promoting an idealized view of thinness are two very different things and when tied together create the potential for distorted perceptions of not only beauty but health and well being as well.

Stephan Bratman MD, original website can be reached under the sites used section for more information, click Orthorexia Homepage.

Other works,
Foreyt, PhD, John. "Pursuit of the Elusive Ideal Body Image." Editorial. Nutrition Today May-June 2010. Web. 9 Mar.2011
Kratina, PhD, Karin. "Orthorexia Nervosa." National Eating Disorder Association 2006. Web. 9 Mar. 2011

Negative Effects

Gemma López-Guimerà, Michael P. Levine, David Sánchez-carraced, and Jordi Fauquet are the authors of “Influence of Mass Media on Body Image and Eating Disordered Attitudes and Behaviors in Females: A Review of Effects and Processes” from the journal “Media Psychology.” Their article contains various research and studies that have been compiled to illustrate the effects the media plays in influencing our perceptions of the ideal body image, especially in our youth.

According to the National Institutes of Health a BMI < 18.5 is considered underweight. In 2008 a recovering anorexic, with a BMI of just 16.29 was crowned Miss America.

This is just one way in which mass media, whether it is television, magazines or the internet, influences what we see as the ideal body image. These media channels impact our perceptions of the societal norms that are considered the ideal ways in which we should look, act and behave to be an accepted member of our society or culture.

This is extremely important since these sources of media have a powerful influence on children and adolescents and have become significant rivals to the primary agents of a child’s socialization; their families and schools (388). Socialization is the process in which we learn the normal methods of behavior within our society. Our families and early education have the largest affect on us as children; helping us establish, our own set of values, beliefs and behaviors. However as the widespread use of media and advertising continues to expand and adult perceptions become affected by medias leading hand; children observe these images and behaviors, establishing their own concept of the ideal body image at an early age.

A report by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that between the ages of 8-18 the average amount of time spent watching TV was 4.29 hours in a day (388). One disturbing bit of information comes from a study in 2000 that was able to illustrate a positive relationship between a young boy’s exposure to television and a negative stereotype of overweight girls but not boys. Demonstrating that before children begin to idealize a thin body type they first learn to ridicule and scorn heaviness (391).

Magazines geared towards female adolescents have become more available & in 2004 the Kaiser Family Foundation reports roughly 33 million 12-19 year old girls spend more than $175 billion dollars each year on these types of magazines (388). These magazines and images help set the current standards of beauty & sexuality that are considered the norm. Sometimes these standards are impossible to achieve due to the amount of manipulation that goes in to touching the photos up. Oftentimes underweight models go hand and hand with easy weight lose ideas and plans that will help you transform your body shape.

A 1999 survey of adolescent and preadolescent girls discovered that 69% believed that the images in magazines influenced what they perceived the ideal body image to be and that 47% wished to lose weight after viewing them (390). Girls who read these types of magazines with articles detailing weight loss tips and tricks are seven times more likely to develop unhealthy weight control habits and six times more likely to use the most extreme weight control methods like purging (390).

What is primarily seen is that magazines have a larger affect on girls and young women in regards to the development of a thin body image, being dissatisfied with their own body image or weight and the onset of disordered eating habits (406). In smaller children the television plays a more crucial role since they are more likely to watch adult television shows than read adult magazines and can process the visual and verbal messages easier (406).

These are just some of the effects the media has had on influencing our cultures perception of the ideal body image, from one article reviewing the negative effects on our youth. As a culture we must take a look at the values that are being passed to our younger generations, how it will shape their future and since they are our future, how it will shape our lives as well…

Primary source unless otherwise noted above, can be found under our “Sites Used” tab, click on “Influence of Mass Media: Body Image & Eating Disordered Behaviors in Females.” Full citation:
López-Guimeràa, Gemma, Michael P. Levineb, Jordi Fauquet, and David Snchezcarracedo. "Influence of Mass Media on Body Image and Eating Disordered Attitudes." Media Psychology 13.4 (2010): 387-416. Informaworld. Web. 7 Mar. 2011.

The Kelly Awards

While searching for the most popular advertisements for 2010 I ran across a site that gave awards to the best magazine advertisements each year, these awards are called The MPA Kelly Awards. These awards were first established in 1982 by "the MPA to honor Stephen E. Kelly" (MPA). Kelly devoted his whole career to creativity in marketing. His concept that creative marketing is the key to sales results became the "guiding principle for the MPA Kelly Awards". These awards are given "annually to agency creative teams and advertising clients whose magazine campaigns demonstrate both creative excellence and campaign results". 

While browsing through the different advertisements that won the 2010 MPA Kelly Awards, I found a few examples of the "perfect" body. Out of the of the advertisements that won awards two of them showed tall slender women. The two advertisements and the awards that they won were The Gap for "Best Insert" and BMW for "Best Multiple Page".  Looking at the sales results from The Gap campaign   it showed that because of this campaign The Gap restored to "positive same-store sales for the first time since November 2007", also the sales rose +1%, which was huge for the company since last year sales dropped -12%. As for the BMW advertisement, sales year over year increased +1,463%, which made the brand "the top-selling U.S. premium diesel in 2009" (MPA). 

AGENCY: Crispin Porter + Bogusky
CLIENT: Gap

CAMPAIGN: Ready for Holiday Cheer

AGENCY: GSD&M Idea City

CLIENT: BMW

CAMPAIGN: Diesel Reinvented

After taking a look at the sales results that both these companies accomplished due to advertisements that they put out with woman that exemplify the "perfect" body, you can see that having these type of women help sell products. Having these women in these advertisements might not have been the reason as to why the company’s sales rose, but they must have helped in someway. 

Women In Advertisements

Since the 1870's woman have been used in advertising to appeal to men. The first advertisement with a woman was in 1871 for the Pearl Tobacco brand. This advertisement showed a half naked woman, with no tobacco to be found. This advertisement was used strictly to appeal to men, advertisements haven't changed much since then. Still today many advertisements show beautiful woman in order to appeal to men, the only difference is that they have to product in the ad as well. The motto that sex sells still holds true today as much as it did in the 1870's. 

The reason that sex sells is because it grabs your attention. When flipping through a magazine you might see an advertisement with a barely dressed woman and chances are you will probably look twice at it. This is a major thing that companies try to do when they come out with a new advertisement, they want the consumer to look twice at their ad and then remember it. So, with advertisements featuring barely there woman they have accomplished their goal. I know when I think back about recent ads that I have seen I think of the ones with beautiful woman who are not wearing much, for example an advertisement for PETA featuring Khloe Kardashian with nothing on. This advertisement like many other ones stick out to consumers and make them look twice. 

Another common theory of why sexual advertisements work is through the "Buy this, get this" formula. "If you buy our product: (1) You’ll be more sexually attractive, (2) have more or better sex, or (3) just feel sexier for your own sake" (Reichert). When you think about the products you last bought you wouldn't think that it was because you thought that if you bought the product that it would make you more sexually attractive, but in fact it probably did. For example you are watching television and you see a commercial for shampoo and conditioner with a very attractive female with beautiful silky hair you will probably not think twice, but when at the grocery store buying shampoo and conditioner you will probably tend to think that conditioner that you saw on the commercial is better and you should get that one. The key to good advertising is having an ad that makes people think about their product when they want to buy it, so if you don't really pay attention to the ad at the time you see it but remember it when you are going to buy that type of product then the advertisement has served their purpose. 

Some people try to say that sex doesn't sell, and that advertising should change. But, if that were true then why for more than 100 years has it sold so many products. Advertising like many other industries tend to stick to the motto "If it works, Don't fix it". Some people might be offended from these types of advertisements, but they are still selling many products. Many women wish to look like and be the women in these commercials but facts show that to most women it is unobtainable, but if they have in their heads that these products will help make it more obtainable then they are going to buy these products, and that is why these advertisements have been around for so long. Advertising is about making people buy the products that they are advertising, and sometimes if it means making people have a false hope in being the person that is advertising the product than they will do it. Do whatever it takes to get people to buy products, that was advertising 140 years ago, and that is advertising today.

The Definition of Beauty World Wide

Photo: Google Images

In this post I am going to tell you about what different cultures around the world find beautiful.


The Kayan Tribe

Photo: Donna Cymek

This tribe is found in Thailand, and is known for their brass coils that are worn around the women's necks. These coils are known as giraffe, and are first applied to young girls around age 5. Every so often the coils are replaced by a longer coil. After a period of time the weight of these brass coils start to push their collar bone down and compress their rib cage, which gives the appearance of a longer neck. These harmful effects of the brass coils will not cause the women to suffocate, but it will give them bad bruising.

There are many different theories as to why the women wear the coils. Some theories are that the rings protected the women from becoming slaves by making them seem less attractive to other tribes, and that the rings give the women more of a resemblance to a dragon which is a major figure in the Kayan culture. There are many other theories about the rings but when asked why they wear the rings the women say it is because in their cultural that is beautiful.

Islamic Republic of Mauritania

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a northwestern African nation. Women in Mauritania are seen as more beautiful when they are heavier. This culture find heavier women more attractive because they are seen as wealthy and more socially accepted than slimmer women. In this culture being fat is everything. A women that is seen as being too thin are sometimes stuffed with camel or cow milk, day and night to ensure that they gain weight, this is known as gavage. If a women still can't gain weight then they turn to dangerous black market drugs to do so.

Photo: Karin Lakeman

The Masai

Photo: Ralph van Bemmel

The Masai is a tribe in Kenya, Africa. In this tribe long stretched out earlobes are the ideal. This culture also uses different types of jewelry, like the earrings, in order to reflect her status in society. For example this makes it easier for one to tell weather a woman is married, widowed or single. The different jewelry also makes it easier to tell what the women's status is in society. 

Photo: Ralph van Bemmel

Middle East 

Photo: Mnadi

Beauty in the Middle East is not connected with what one see, but rather what one does not see. This is because in the Middle East it is seen to be inappropriate for a woman to show any part of her body except her hands and eyes. These women are covered from head to toe with a long robe-like dress called an abaya. Since women of the Middle East have to wear an abaya and show only their eyes and hands, they have to accessorize in other ways. These women tend to wear dark charcoal makeup on their eyes to make them stick out more. They also tend to have henna tattoos on their hands and wear headscarves and jewelry to decorate their abaya.

Photo: Nouf Kinani

Japan

Photo: Wikiposter0123

Women in Japan are known best for their silky white skin. They women in Japan wish to have this white complexion because they believe that "only those rich enough could stay indoors, while peasants baked in the rice fields" (Bray). In order for them to achieve this skin-tone they use nightingale droppings. The story behind the use of the nightingale droppings is that "The story is that a maiden fell asleep under a tree where some nightingale droppings fell on to her face. When she awoke the dried 'poop' was cleaned away and it was noticed her skin had become smoother and lighter in color" (Natural Japanese Beauty). These droppings are a fine odorless powder that is mixed to form a paste, which is then applied to the face. This tradition has been handed down from one generation to the next. This procedure is also used as much today as it was in past centuries. 

Today in Japan many women are going under the knife. These women are getting plastic surgery in order to make their eyes look larger. This procedure has become very popular in Japan. The women today find with wider eyes they look more beautiful.

The Maori Tribe

Photo: Quinn Dombrowski

The Maori tribe of New Zealand finds beauty in tattoos, especially facial tattoos. This tribe has been tattooing for many years. The myth behind why they tattoo is that is started with a "love affair between a young man by the name of Mataora (which means "Face of Vitality") and a young princess of the underworld by the name of Niwareka. One day however, Mataora beat Niwareka, and she left Mataroa, running back to her father's realm which was named "Uetonga". Mataora, filled with guilt and heartbreak followed after his princess Niwareka. After many trials, and after overcoming numerous obstacles, Mataora eventually arrived at the realm of "Uetonga", but with his face paint messed and dirty after his voyage. Niwareka's family taunted and mocked Mataora for his bedraggled appearance. In his very humbled state, Mataora begged Niwareka for forgiveness, which she eventually accepted. Niwareka's father then offered to teach Mataora the art of tattooing, and at the same time Mataora also leant the art of Taniko - the plaiting of cloak borders in many colors. Mataora and Niwareka thus returned together to the human world, bringing with them the arts of ta moko and taniko" (Whitmore). Since then the Maori people have been tattooing. 

This tribe believe that women are more attractive when they have tattoos on their lips which make them a dark blue color. The women's tattoos also are a way of showing men what they have to offer, so they normal get their first facial tattoos, or 'moko', early because it is important for them to get married and have children at a young age. The 'moko' does not only make a woman more attractive, but it also tells about the "bearer's rank, lineage, special skills and marriage status" (Furst). From all the meaning behind these tattoos they not only make women more attractive but they also serve as an identifier. 

Photo: Pietroizzo

The Mursi Tribe

Photo: Gusjer

When you look at a Mursi woman the last thing you would think about it how beautiful they look, but in their culture the larger the clay plate in your bottom lip the more beautiful you are. In order to place the plates in the bottom lip you have to first pierce it and they stretch the hole by increasing the size of the plate. The women of Mursi Ethiopia see these plates as a symbol "of a women's beauty, pride and sexual maturity" (Furst). 

Photo: Ingiro

Introduction

Welcome to the "Perfect" Body Blog!
Before my first in depth post I felt a little intro was needed. As our creator covers Advertising and the beauty concepts around the world; my posts shall focus on the negative effects TV & magazines have had in shaping the concept of the ideal body image in the minds of our youth.
This alarming trend in media is establishing a "thin ideal" in children as early as 6 years old and causes many researchers to believe that mass media plays a crucial role in body dissatisfaction, disordered eating habits and possibly depression.

Also I will be making posts to the Things to think about: tab on the right side of your screen. They will provide a little insight into my upcoming blogs and give everyone the chance to discover some new information.

Thanks,
Phil