Body image in the media: Good or bad
Throughout the years, individuals have been taught that media give a negative view of what the typical body should look like. But to every negative, there must be a positive.
USU student advisor Megen Ralphs said there is not a lot of positive body image portrayed in the media. She said most body images are portrayed in a very negative way, but there are companies trying to break the stereotype that thin is best.
“I feel the media is slowly taking a role, like the rest of the nation, in fighting childhood obesity,” Ralphs said. “They are helping to challenge kids to get up off the couch and get involved with healthy activities. I just don’t feel the positives come close to outweighing the negative effects in the end though.”
Ralphs said the positive things seen from the media are shows like “The Biggest Loser” on NBC. She said reality shows similar to the weight loss television program are positive and uplifting for people to watch.
“It’s exciting to watch these people transform not to thin and skinny, but to healthy and happy individuals,” Ralphs said.
One company making a difference to stop negative media stereotypes is Dove. Dove has set up the Campaign for Real Beauty. This campaign involves helping women with their self-esteem and attempts to reach women worldwide in an effort to communicate positively with them. In order to do this, Dove features ads on television promoting plus-size models as real women. Students can go to Dove’s Web site for real beauty at www.campaignforrealbeauty.com to get tips on boosting self-esteem, and finding ways to help their cause.
USU student Michelle Clark, sophomore majoring in international studies, said she feels Dove is on the right track to portraying positive body image.
“I think the Dove campaign is a really good idea,” she said. “Dove is finally realizing that women do not have to have the perfect model figure in order to be beautiful. They are helping other women to see that.”
Clark also said magazines help people with their own body image by offering simple fashion tips. She said a lot of women’s magazines help girls with tips on how to dress for their body type and hide what women feel are their flaws. She said they also help in giving women advice to accentuate the good parts of their body.
-nicholas.peterson@aggiemail.usu.edu