Body Image and Media responsibility?

Great discussion from greatist.com

This week, news broke that Abercrombie’s CEO Mike Jeffries had no interest in marketing his clothing to plus-size women. In response, media outlets across the globe expressed outrage, some labeling Jeffries an “asshole” for making women feel unwelcome in his store. Almost immediately, a petition appeared on Change.orgasking Jeffries to “stop telling teens they aren’t beautiful.”

The Abercrombie debacle came right on the heels of H&M’s controversial decision to feature a plus-size model, Jennie Runk, in its advertisements. Meanwhile,department stores across North America and Europe have made headlines in the last few months for using mannequins that better resemble real people than Popsicle sticks.

At a time when many people, especially women, suffer from negative body image, all this news points to an essential question: Are marketers and media really responsible for making or breaking our self-esteem?

CLICK HERE to read more.

Gender Ads

Thanks to Amy, one of ShineSAs brilliant school coordinators for passing on this great site. If you are doing work with young people around understanding the way media is controlling us around gender sterotyping etcetc this site will come in very useful for you. Have a look HERE

Airbrused Advertisements Banned

You may have heard or seen the recent discussion of British MP Jo Swinson and the British Advertising Standards Agency which has banned two ads by L’Oreal (owner of Maybelline and Lancome) showing Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington. The ads were banned for being misleading and unreal. To me this is a goos decision, but why stop here?

To see the aboutface discussion of this issue go here

Generation M2

A really good exploration of Media in the lives of 8 to 18 year olds. This is the 3rd in a series of studies which started in 1999, so you get a progessive look at the changes in media use as they have occured. For instance according to this study 8 to 18 year olds spend almost 11 hours a day with various forms of media ( latest data from 2009). This is up 3 hours and 15 minutes from 1999.

what does this mean???? Go here to find the study and presentations:

2 examples of media gendered sexism

While reading through one of my favourite websites http://about-face.org/ I came across these two examples of media gendered thinking. Both of them annoy me in different ways. They BOTH go to show the struggles that we and the young people we live and work with face in terms of maintaining our awareness of the manipulation that we are subject to daily.


Please have a read and discuss widely.

What We Think:
Svedka has come out with a new wave of "R. U. Bot Or Not?" ads, including a TV commercial. The Svedka Bot is a woman who has been broken down to the most "essential" physical features. She is branded with SVEDKA down her leg. As an animatronic woman, she is designed to serve and she has no needs of her own. Her singular body type leaves no worries of men having to put up with a woman who falls outside the body ideal of 2033 (and today). The "R. U. Bot or Not" tagline has three levels of meaning. First, it asks if women have achieved the body type of the Svedka Bot. Second, it asks if women have been claimed by men who have bought them a (Svedka) drink. Lastly, if men can purchase a Svedka Bot in 2033, the ad also asks if women have literally been purchased by men. (by Juliet Weintraub)

THE NEXT BIT OF MEDIA IS THIS:

The New York Times offers an image of a man and woman in the thick of the recent protests in Egypt, the man has his arms around the woman. The caption begins, “A protester consoled a woman during a demonstration.” What we want to know is WHY wasn't the caption something like " 2 Protesters celebrate during demonstaration. Certainly the woman didnt just accidently end up in the middle of thousands of people. ANYWAY go here to read more and see the picture.

Brilliant youtube re media/power/ perfect man/woman

Thanks to About Face for posting this video. I have posted it here for everyone to watch. KILLING US SOFTLY 3: A new production of the media education foundation.

If the video wont play go here to view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufHrVyVgwRg&feature=player_embedded

Growing up fast and furious:A conference

Preliminary notice. Save this date: Sydney, March 19, 2010


The Australian Council on Children and the Mediaand the Children and Families Research Centre,Macquarie University present:
Growing up fast and furious:Reviewing the impacts of violent and sexualised media on children
Saturday 19 March 2010, 9am - 5pm
NSW Teachers Federation Conference Centre37 Reservoir Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010

An Australian Conference on Children and the Media, with international researchers, Prof Rowell Huesmann (long term impacts of violent media) , Prof Ed Donnerstein (Internet violence and cyber-bullying) , Distinguished Prof Craig Anderson (violent video games), and Prof Louise Newman (Victoria, sexualisation of children), Dr Wayne Warburton (NSW, violent music videos), Dr Cordelia Fine (Victoria, advertising) and Prof Elizabeth Handsley (SA, regulation and classification).

In this important and timely conference leading researchers will review the evidence related to children’s experiences with a range of violent and sexualised media, examine their marketing, and discuss appropriate regulatory responses, including how well our classification systems reflect current research.

Don’t miss this unprecedented opportunity to see several of the world’s leading researchers on children and the media speaking together in Australia.

This certainly looks good to me. Hope to see you there.

Real Beauty: Jodi Bieber

(The picture to the left is one of her photographs - not a portrait of Jodi)

Jodi Bierber is a South African born photographer: She has recently released a collection entitled real beauty. Here is what she says about this:

This project is an extention of a Dove billboard advertising campaign in London showing ordinary women in their underwear advocating and speaking up for Real Beauty. Advertising campaigns don’t usually draw my attention, but this one did. A model sitting next to me on the way from London to Paris emphasised the extent to which Photoshop is used to enhance beauty. She was not in the least bit concerned about the rings under her eyes as these imperfections would easily be erased after her photoshoot. A BBC radio documentary spoke about an increase in the cases of black anorexic women in South Africa, as the full figured body which was once more favourable is no longer as desirable as Western body shapes.

This is a fantastic collection. Go here to see more.

Yet again:Secret Flirt

I can still hardly believe it when I see crap like this being pushed on our young people. ( thanks to Australin Research Alliance Children and Youth) for passing this on.

SECRET FLIRTS
WITH SECRET FLIRTS, BECOME IRRESISTIBLE!
LOVE STORY + LOVE COACH + LOVE MESSENGER = PRINCE CHARMING GUARANTEED!
A LOVE COACH Discover plenty of real, indispensible advice for teens given to you by your best friend and always available on your phone or in your diary! What you should or shouldn't do on a first date for example.
A LOVE MESSENGER A simple communication system so you can chat online with your friends using emoticons (Using the Nintendo DS wireless feature - just one cartridge required for 5 consoles)
A TRUE "LOVE STORY"A young girl who has had enough of not being noticed by boys her own age. Using to the LOVE QUIZ, find out your love profile and what you have in common with the boys and the romantic adventure begins!

A promotional video providing a walk-through of Secret Flirts starts with a groovy young girl giving a sly wink and a Cupid's arrow piercing a pink heart.
The first "lessons" of the game teach girls to do their make-up and choose clothes and accessories.
The next lesson is to "improve your attraction" by going to a hairdresser, a beauty centre and a gym. Then players are ready to listen to advice from the "Love Coach".
"Become more irresistible day after day – then win the heart of the boy of your dreams," Secret Flirt promises.

Example of cultural support of men abusing young girls

P.E.I. baseball player's sex conviction overturned Last Updated: Friday, April 23, 2004 12:51 PM ET
CBC News

A 19-year-old man in Prince Edward Island has had his conviction overturned on charges he coerced two girls to perform oral sex.

Cass Rhynes was convicted in October on two counts of inciting girls under the age of 14 to touch him for sexual purposes.

The judge had sentenced him to 45 days in jail in addition to one-year probation and 100 hours of community service.


His lawyer appealed the decision, saying Rhynes was a passive participant. The appeal court agreed, overturning the conviction on Friday.


FROM DEC. 22, 2003: Baseball hopeful sentenced in sex case

Rhynes admitted to receiving oral sex from a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old girl but said he believed at the time both girls were 14, the age of consent in Canada.
He was 18 when it happened.

He testified he did not intimidate or incite the girls to have sex. One of the girls corroborated that testimony.

The decision means Rhynes will not have a criminal record.

Rhynes was drafted this year by the L.A. Dodgers

I wonder how an 18 year old can be considered to be a PASSIVE participant in oral sex?????
I have used this article in the past to discuss with young men the issues around power/gender/sex/abuse etc etc. It has sparked very good discussions

Scarlett Johansson Speaks Out

Scarlett Johansson felt she needed to speak out about unsafe media portrayal of body image.

"I'm a petite person to begin with, so the idea of my losing this amount of weight is utter lunacy. If I were to lose 14 pounds, I'd have to part with both arms. And a foot. I'm frustrated with the irresponsibility of tabloid media who sell the public ideas about what we should look like and how we should get there."

"The press should be held accountable for the false ideals they sell to their readers regarding body image — that's the real weight of the issue.

Go here to read her full article

Thin Kills

This is an eating disorder awareness video. The song is Shes Falling Apart by Lisa Loeb.

A video that I saw awhile ago and just remembered to put on here.

Miss Bimbo Game - I can hardly believe it

Go here: http://www.missbimbo.com/ to have a look at a game that is everything that is abhorrant about young women and media today. You can become queen of the bimbos ; bimbo of the month blah blah. 'Become the hottest, coolest most intelligent and talented bimbo the world has ever known!'

I found this link via the about face website top 10 gallery of offenders.

Makes me think of this poem by Jewel ( pretty) from her book 'a night without armour'

There is a pretty girl

on the

face

of the magazine

And

all I can see

are my dirty

hands

turning the page