The Image of Beauty

I don't read a lot of magazines and when I do they're art magazines like Juxtapoz or music magazines like ATM. One of my favorite magazines is called Adbusters. It's an example of how the same media that companies use to bombard us with images on thin women muscle men can be used to call out these companies on their questionable methods of marketing and imaging. Adbusters strives to bring to light the twisted images that American media presents to not only Americans but, thanks to globalization, the rest world as well. There was one image in one of the most recent Adbusters that showed a map of the world and each country had a color to eat. the colors went from light orange to dark red which referred to the amount of obesity found in that country. The U.S., Canada, the U.K., Mexico, and Australia were the fattest countries and were colored dark maroon. That kind of media you wouldn't find in any other magazine except maybe Time but apart from that I couldn't imagine an obesity map right next to a skinny model in a Louie Vuitton add. After reading and watching the articles and videos that were assigned I couldn't help but think of why the media of America would push such a unhealthy imagine on our culture.  I can guess that the media profits off people wanting things that they don't have, so I guess they would want to advertise an image opposite that of the advertising target. Alternatively, I figured that maybe the media just chose a skinny model out of personal preference and that our culture began to feel self-conscious about that image and started eating more fast food? I just don't know. I do know that all the images we see everyday effect our subconscious minds and carve out cultural expectations. If you want to learn more about the effects that media has on our subconscious check out this resource:

Engeln-Maddox, Renee and Steven A Miller. Talking Back To The Media Ideal: The Development And Validation of the Critical Processing of Beauty Images Scale. Psychology of Women Quarterly. Cambridge: Jun 2008. Vol. 32, Iss.2; pg. 159.

5th Assignment

Before watching this film I had a very limited knowledge of genetically modified foods and there seemed to be a wide spread negative connotation that went along with them. I now no longer feel that I have a problem with GMO’s or the business behind them. I understand why company’s would be given the right to patent a certain type of seed they developed. Patents do not last forever so in the future the product will have to be distributed freely. However, in the early stages of development a company needs to make money in order to further their research. Money is the key to all scientific research. My argument as to why I don’t believe foods should be labeled as GMO is similar. Many Americans, like me, have this preconceived notion that anything genetically modified is bad. This means that if food was forced to have a label there would be a serious decrease in profits for those company’s, reducing their research funds. To this day it has not been proven that there is any ill effect from genetically modified foods. If there were any problems the products would be ripped from the shelves and these companies would be out of business. There are plenty of ingredients in many things we eat that have been tested even less then GMO’s but people don’t seem to have nearly the same resistance to those items. I feel that if this is an issue that truly worries someone they could easily look up these companies and their products online and avoid them while shopping.

Christoph, Inken. "Knowledge, attitudes towards and acceptability of genetic modification in Germany." Appetite 51(2008): 58-68.

2nd Assignment

In the back of my mind I had always kind of known that animals on factory farms were not treated well. Throughout my life I had heard general stories, but never anything specific, nor had I seen any videos or read any articles. You can imagine my shock when I was completing this assignment. I was floored by the horrible treatment that these animals must go through. It’s a very weird feeling for me. On the one hand I eat meat on a regular basis and my small level of income requires me to buy the cheaper selections. I enjoy the taste and feel it’s an important part to my diet. However, I know after watching the film I will never be able to buy meat without thinking about their treatment. But I, like many Americans, will more then likely not reduce my meat consumption. For one reason or another I have grown the ability to view these kinds of graphic scenes and quickly move on. I’m sure much of this can be attributed to all of the media we are constantly overwhelmed with. I truly believe that when I graduate and begin working I will now make the conscious decision to buy free range meat. That fact in itself means that this assignment had the intended effect on me. The more knowledge that is spread about the treatment of these animals the better.
Olkowski, Helga. The city people's book of raising food. Emmaus: Rodale Press, 1975.

Pollan, Michael. The omnivore’s dilemma: a natural history of four meals. New York, New York: Penguin Press, 2006.

It has always been interesting to me how the media can convince most people that being extremely skinny is what is beautiful, it is almost universally agreed upon, and yet obesity levels in the US continue to rise. I feel as if the media may no longer be at complete fault on this issue. It seems more and more the skinniest women are often criticized for having these serious eating disorders and a more healthy weight is encouraged. I don’t necessarily believe that it is wrong for Americans to idolize a healthy weight that is achieved through a good diet and exercise. The only reason I can think of as to why obesity rates continue to rise is that it is just the American way. It is quickly and easier to grab a fast food meal on the go, then to shop organic and eat all healthy meals. Sure there are those people who can eat whatever they want and never gain weight, but that is in no way the norm. Being healthy is a lot of effort and time. Some may be too busy, while others may simply not care. I find it interesting that the media is always said to have a huge influence over our decisions, when apparently they are only powerful enough to make us want something not actually make the effort for it.

Lowe, Michael. "Hedonic Hunger: A new dimension of appetite?." Physiology & Behavior 91(2007): 432-439.

Body Image

I found this assignment very interesting, especially after reading the articles and watching the films. The question posed, “Why do you think we live in a culture where people are increasingly larger and heavier, where obesity has been on the rise for years, yet the media projects extreme thinness as an icon for female (and often male) beauty?”, I feel has always been in the back of my mind, but I have never taken the time to sit down and rationalize why this could be. The first thing that comes to my mind on why American’s are so overweight is because of the timely schedule that we run on. Working American’s work much more than some other countries, leaving us less time to go home with our families to enjoy a nice home cooked meal. This leads me to my next point. About 50 years ago, it was very uncommon for women to have a job; instead they were stay at home wives or mothers. These days however, many women work which means that they are not always home to have a meal prepared for their families. I can’t seem to fathom why our media portrays a skinny society. Who ever said that being skinny was attractive? Why isn’t being over weight attractive? These questions I have wondered for quite sometime. The one thing that I feel greatly effects the way media portrays women and men, is Hollywood. Most actors and actresses are very “healthy looking” and are skinny. Because we see these people so much, it makes viewers feel that they have to look like them. Actors and actresses are pretty, have a great amount of money, have big houses, drive nice cars…who wouldn’t want to live a life like theirs? These are my own personal opinions and I feel that Hollywood is a major factor is this particular area.

Martin, Katie, Ferris, Anne. "Food Insecurity and Gender are Risk Factors for Obesity." Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 39(2007): 31-36.

Body Image- Aaron Petroff

think the reason that the media is pushing the "stick thin" figure, is because we are increasingly becoming fatter. If they advertised being fat as being attractive, the public would not have to try anything new or different because they are already becoming fat. But because we are becoming fat, the media wants to advertise something we are not becoming, so we will buy the products to become that way. Basically, I would bet that as soon as we start slimming down again, the media is likely to advertise being a bit chunky as the new beautiful thing, so we will buy products that will help us look this way. I think it is all a marketing ploy to get us to buy new products, even if the products are not realistic.
The media portrays their idea of “beauty” as a person who is far beyond what is actually possible. What the public does not know about the pictures in the magazine is that most of the models are airbrushed much more than we originally thought. We think maybe they are touched up but in fact they may look completely different in person. When girls see a supermodel, or guys see another guy in a fitness magazine, we naturally desire to look like them. We have been conditioned to think that the people in the magazine are perfection, so we would like to be like them. This thinking tricks consumers into believing that if they buy that Tommy Hilfiger shirt, they may suddenly look like the model, when this is not the case. On a deeper level, this thinking also leads people to extremes when they are trying to achieve a certain look. Both women and men may develop eating disorders, they may drastically change their lifestyle, and may stray from being themselves, all in an effort to look like another. In Canada alone there are over 50,000 women suffering from anorexia or bulimia. While not as many men suffer from the disease, there is a certain portion of men who have this problem.
In “Killing Us Softly,” the speaker explains how some advertisements have created “models” who have eyes from one person, the nose of another, lips of another, etc… This means that our idea of perfection may not even be attainable. I think that the speaker was correct in saying how representing a human as an object, not a human, will soon lead to violence. It is easier to justify violence or mistreatment towards an object than it is to justify it for a human. All of these problems that I have listed are directly related to advertising. It is not to say that the advertisements don’t serve their purpose, they usually help sell the product. But the ads can also have a very negative, destructive effect on those who view them. It is not fair to expose men and women to impossible ideals of “perfection.” It is not fair to make them think that they can achieve these looks if they buy the product, and it is not fair to make them think that if they don’t fit the image, they are less than perfect. The speaker also pointed out how women and men are portrayed differenty in their advertisements. Women are very passive, and not too active. Men are portrayed as very active and in your face. It shows the inequality that the media is creating between men and women.
Overall, the world would probably be a better place if advertising were illegal. There would not be so many insecurities among our people, and we would all be happier for it. But with the dehumanization, misconceptions, and overall unrealistic elements of advertising, this will never be possible. Women will always be made objects, men will always feel bad when comparing themselves to the muscle men of the Calvin Klein ads, and most people will spend a good portion of their young lives trying to become somebody that they will never be able to become.


Grabe, Shelly. "The Role of the Media in Body Image Concerns Among Women: A Meta-Analysis of Experimental and Correlational Studies." Psychological Bulletin 134May 2008 460. 31 May 2008

Chocolat

I rented Chocolat over the Memorial day weekend and ended up really enjoying the movie. I found it interesting how the Chatholic church viewed the chocolate shop and extravagant feasts especially during lent and how serious it was taken around the town. It was funny how threatening the chocolate was to the mayors role in town and how he used the sermons of the young priest to manipulate the people against chocolate. Chocolate really had this supernatural power to it whether it was Juliette Binoche guessing someone favorite treat, or the special cocoa nuts that enhanced one's sexual desires. The spinning Mayan disc was interesting how Binoche assigned a chocolate treat to the image a person saw in the disc, suggesting some tie between the imaginative subconscious and one's taste for food (or at least chocolate). Judi Dench's role I thought was strange how she was a diabetic and her overindulgence eventually did lead to her ultimate death but she went out with a smile on her face. Ultimately the chocolate was so powerful that it brought the whole village together in a new way and even won the heart of the mayor in the end. Food really is a powerful thing and I'd like to experience that power on a level like Chocolat. Here's an interesting source on the subject:

Schwartz, George R. Food Power: How Food Can Change Your Mind, Your Personality, And Your Life. New York : McGraw-Hill, c1979.