Women And Body Image: Ten Disturbing Facts
A real woman vs. a model. Photo credit: FaceMe
Deeply disturbing women and body image facts:
1. The average American woman is 5’4” tall and weighs 140 pounds. The average American model is 5’11” tall and weighs 117 pounds. The photo above, although taken in the Netherlands, demonstrates this pretty well.
2. The average size of the “ideal” woman, as portrayed by models, has become progressively thinner over the years and has stabilized at around 20% below the average weight. This thin ideal is unachievable for most women. A 1995 study found that three minutes spent looking at models in a fashion magazine caused 70% of women to feel depressed, guilty, and ashamed.
Models in New York. Photo credit: Christopher Peterson
3. It is estimated that 40-50% of American women are trying to lose weight at any point in time.
4. One out of every four college aged women has an eating disorder.
5. Almost half of all women smokers smoke because they see it as the best way to control their weight. Of these women, 25% will die of a disease caused by smoking.
Models often smoke to control their appetite. Photo credit: styleserver
6. At age thirteen, 53% of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies.” This grows to 78% by the time girls reach seventeen.
7. In a sample of male and female high school students, girls had higher body dissatisfaction scores than boys on all measures. Girls reported magazines as their primary source of information regarding diet and health. Boys reported their parents as their primary source of information. These are the typical messages girls can expect to get from women’s magazines:
8. A majority of girls in a 1999 study (59 percent) reported dissatisfaction with their body shape, and 66 percent expressed a desire to lose weight. Only 29 percent of the girls were overweight.
9. At 5’9” tall and weighing 110 lbs, Barbie would have a BMI of 16.24 which is considered severely underweight. Because of her ridiculous proportions (39” bust, 18” waist, 33” thighs and a size 3 shoes!), if she was a real woman, she wouldn’t be able to walk upright – she would have to walk on all fours. Note that the target market for Barbie Doll sales are girls ages 3 to 12.
Photo credit: Angelina
10. Nearly 11.7 million cosmetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures were performed in the United States in 2007. Women had nearly 10.6 million cosmetic procedures, 91% percent of the total.
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If you enjoyed this article on Women and Body Image Facts, you might enjoy these too:
What Do Women Want?
Ten Ways To Hate Yourself As A Woman
Sources: Cosmetic Surgery Statistics, National Institute On Media And Family, About Face, American Academy Of Pediatrics, Get Real Barbie Fact Sheet, Taft College
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Melanie Thomassian responds:
Posted: January 28th, 2009 at 10:52 pm →
So, with this riding on the back of the article on plastic surgery, does this mean the answer to all these problems is a nip ‘n tuck? j/k
Very sad stats!
MomGrind responds:
Posted: January 28th, 2009 at 10:58 pm →
@ Melanie Thomassian: Well… according to #10, this is exactly what women are doing in an attempt to feel better about how they look. You are right – this is sad, and it’s no coincidence I am publishing this article right after the one that argued in favor of plastic surgery.
Lindsay responds:
Posted: January 28th, 2009 at 11:04 pm →
Wow, this is a heavy list. The idea that after three minutes of reading a magazine, 70% of women felt so bad about themselves really struck me. If it only takes three minutes, I can’t imagine what happens to the millions of women who regularly receive a variety of magazines every month. Not to mention that the study took place in ’95. I can only imagine how much Photoshop, airbrushing and makeup techniques have advanced since then. That, and the number of magazines that have issues online… it’s a very sad realization. Thank you for compiling this list.
Mike Goad responds:
Posted: January 28th, 2009 at 11:49 pm →
In my view, it’s up to parents to try to establish some kind of sensible reality for their daughters and it can be hard. Our daughters are long gone from the nest and neither has pursued that unreal ideal body — at least not to my knowledge. That being said, they inherited a tendency towards being thin, though the oldest had put on some extra pounds in recent years — which is being worked off by sensible meals and long walks in the hilly neighborhood they live in.
My wife fits right in the middle for your item #1, then. She’s 5’8″ and about 135lbs. Not bad for a 56 year old lady. I think she might have weighed 110 lbs when we got married in 1972, but she wasn’t trying to be that thin. Skinny was natural for her 11 other siblings, too, when they were young. While she doesn’t need to, she is trying to lose a few of what she considers to be extra pounds. She’s doing it sensibly, though, by walking and eating better — no drastic dietary measures.
Barbara Swafford responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 12:03 am →
Hi Vered – When I read this, “A 1995 study found that three minutes spent looking at models in a fashion magazine caused 70% of women to feel depressed, guilty, and ashamed”, I realize how dangerous it can be for young women to be reading fashion magazines. It’s no wonder we have so many young girls with eating disorders.
Kelvin Kao responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 12:11 am →
Wow, statistics certainly is great at telling people about what reality is like. The images we see every day certainly have great influence.
Oh, and watch this: Bratz Dolls May Give Young Girls Unrealistic Expectations Of Head Size
Daphne responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 1:11 am →
Hi Vered,
Wow, this was an eye-opening post. It’s amazing how many women and girls hold themselves hostage to this mental model of a ‘perfect’ body. You’re doing a great job on this site to help put things back into perspective. Keep up the great work!
Noble Savage responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 1:35 am →
Thanks for putting these stats together. Very sad indeed.
Mark responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 3:06 am →
The media has decided to force feed our society what they want us to believe is an ideal look. Unfortunately many people buy into the garbage! Okay I better stop now…getting heated up.
Davina responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 3:33 am →
Hi Vered. I’m 5′ 5.5″ and just over 140lbs. So, according to these stats, I’m well within the average for North American women. I was surprised by this. Most of my life I’ve been between 128-135 lbs, so right now I do feel overweight — especially since my clothes don’t fit like they used to.
the weakonomist responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 5:26 am →
Where are some stats about how many obese women are in this country? I find that far more disturbing than the girls who feel inadequate because they are simply average.
Lance responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 6:11 am →
Hi Vered,
These are sad and even frightening thoughts – especially for me, the father of a daughter on the cusp of becoming a teenager…
That said, I want to share what I think is some good news. I received a calendar in the mail yesterday from a friend of mine. The calendar is in support of a US women’s rugby team. And each page had either someone from the team, or a group shot. On all the pages with individuals, they all listed their height and weight for these women. And by any standard of beauty you’d get from what you’ve listed above – these girls would all have been overweight. 5’5″ 150 lbs. 5’4″ 145 lbs. etc. etc. None of them were less than 130 lbs, and it might have been 140 lbs. And they weren’t decked out in skimpy outfits. It was workout clothes. Or team uniforms. Shots of them on the field. In the gym. In their kitchen. With little blurbs about exercises they do, or what motivates them, or what they put in a smoothie. And I couldn’t help but think that this is a message worth sending…
MomGrind responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 6:12 am →
@ Lindsay: “If it only takes three minutes, I can’t imagine what happens to the millions of women who regularly receive a variety of magazines every month” – exactly. Scary thought.
@ Mike Goad: “she wasn’t trying to be that thin” – this is important. I am thin too, but I’m not starving myself. I eat well, mostly avoid junk, almost never eat when I’m not hungry, and exercise several times per week. But if someone is trying to weigh 20 pounds less than what’s normal for her body, she’ll need to do unhealthy stuff to achieve that.
@ Barbara Swafford: “dangerous” is an excellent choice of a word. It IS dangerous. What we may consider as a pleasant, harmless way to pass time could push certain young girls over the edge and into an eating disorder.
@ Kelvin Kao: I don’t know about that link, Kelvin. I really don’t think it’s funny.
@ Daphne: “You’re doing a great job on this site to help put things back into perspective” – I hope so.
@ Noble Savage: Sad and scary. And a little hopeless, because I don’t think things are improving at all.
@ Mark: I just don’t get why it’s “ideal.” I mean, those models have beautiful faces, but they are way, WAY too thin. How could this have become a beauty ideal?
@ Davina: If you feel like your “best” weight is a bit lower, then sure, eating and exercising sensibly to get back to that place are fine. What bothers me is the thought that in a few years my daughters would look at a skinny model who may or may not be smoking and starving herself to keep her weight down, and try to look like her.
@ the weakonomist: The obesity epidemic, which affects both genders, is a serious problem that warrants a separate discussion. However, I disagree that it’s more disturbing than 14-year-olds hating their bodies and developing eating disorders.
@ Lance: This IS a wonderful message. Strong, healthy, active women who are not portrayed as sexual objects. Now let’s keep working together until all women in the media are presented this way.
MizFit responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 6:49 am →
I already fret about this and my daughter is THREE.
In a way I feel wholly unprepared and as though Im just flying by the seat of my pants with the childrearing stuff and even more so with this.
I CLING to the fact that ‘they say’ children mimic what they see.
I have so many flawsissues but this isnt one.
)
(check back with me when she’s grown and see if I screwed her up in the other ways
Juliet - LifeMadeGreat responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 6:51 am →
Hi Vered
Gosh, this is sobering. I wonder what things look like in the rest of the world…
Juliet
Dr. J responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 6:56 am →
Those are sad and unfortunate statistics. I don’t have any real answers. I would hope that parents could set good examples for their children with what they do and what they say, and this would lead to changes in our societal paradigms.
Daphne responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 6:59 am →
@ Lance, thanks for sharing about that calendar. This is the stuff we all need to see – both women and men – to show us what ‘normal’ and ‘healthy’ really mean. Your comment was very heartwarming.
Maxo responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 7:08 am →
I tell me two daughter the following multiple times a day:
1. I love you.
2. You are beautiful.
3. You are an awesome person.
I can only hope that this and other things I do carry on to them when they become teenagers.
Another problem, besides billboards and magazines, is the commercials on TV. I buy DVDs of my children’s favorite shows so that they can watch them without the commercials. The image portrayed in commercials that come on during children’s shows is that of over consumerism in a quest to look like and be like the annoying children in the those commercials (which are always thin and wearing expensive name-brand clothes.)
Writer Dad responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 7:41 am →
I agree with Mike. There’s a lot of crap out there. It’s unfortunate that there’s so much to sift through, but it’s our job as parents to give our children their best image. If mom and dad don’t buy the magazines, kid sister’s a lot less likely to have her eyes stuck in the middle of the pages.
Maxo responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 7:51 am →
@Writer Dad:
“If mom and dad don’t buy the magazines”
Exactly! Parents act all the time like they have no control over the situation. We are the ones with the pocket books, so we are the ones in control.
Happiness Is Better responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 8:12 am →
Sounds like people need to focus on happiness within instead of seeking happiness via an outside means. This is certainly much easier to say that to do, but it is a starting point. We do not have kids, but I would feel bad if my daughter didn’t feel “good enough” because she wasn’t a certain weight. It’s difficult, but a lot of these “expectations” could be mitigated by limiting exposure to advertising. A good way to go this is to limit television time.
Great article!
Writer Dad responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 8:21 am →
yup.
zoe responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 8:42 am →
It is an unfortunate reality that we live in a pop culture world full of airbrushes images of other people’s ideas of what ideal beauty is, packaged up and sold to us truth. Cultural beauty ideals are part of how our species selects mates for genetic fitness. It’s all about what is perceived as a healthy to produce the most fit offspring.
Though I have no body image issues of my own, it pervasive in my thought process in choosing a sperm donor. As someone who is a bit above average height and naturally thin, I’ve had it pretty easy. When thinking about a donor for my children, tall and athletic are requirements for me because in my mind that gives my future offspring that best chance at also being tall and naturally thin (attractive by cultural definition).
Fight it as we may on a conscious level, this need to conform to cultural standards of beauty is deeply embedded in our DNA.
Bamboo Forest - PunIntended responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 9:04 am →
I don’t know what men out there think these models body type is attractive. So I don’t know why these models aim for a physique that isn’t appreciated.
I’m dumbfounded.
veena responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 9:33 am →
I think parents and teachers have a responsibility towards teaching young women to love themselves for who they are rather than what they look like. i think a good positive message at home and school can effectively undo and counter the damage made by magazines and ads and movies.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 9:35 am →
@ MizFit: I agree. You are a wonderful role model.
@ Juliet: I think Americans are especially obsessed with youth, money and thinness.
@ Dr. J: I agree that a lot of this is up to parents. I just wish, as a mother, I didn’t have to overcome these horrible media influences.
@ Maxo: You’re doing your best, then. The rest is up to your kids. I agree that commercials aimed at kids are just as bad as those aimed at grownups.
@ Writer Dad: Completely agree. I refuse to buy women’s magazines.
@ Maxo: Sometimes kids still see things that we don’t want them to see. Have you read this
post of mine? It’s a few months old but it deals with my kids looking at a magazine display in a store. So, when my kids to get exposed to these messages, we always talk about it. They already know that photos of models in magazines are being airbrushed.
@ Happiness Is Better: “a lot of these “expectations” could be mitigated by limiting exposure to advertising. A good way to go this is to limit television time.” True. Although, as I said above, sometimes our kids still get exposed to these messages, and then it’s important to discuss it with them.
@ zoe: I agree that a lot of this is about genetic fitness, but is still doesn’t explain the terrible thinness of those models and how it has become an ideal. Surely our DNA doesn’t tell us extreme thinness is healthy? Half of those models are probably not even fertile.
@ Bamboo Forest: EXACTLY! These models are beautiful, but their bodies – this extreme thinness – how can anyone find it attractive? And what do I do when my daughters reach the age when their bodies naturally develop curves and they think they’re “fat” because they’re not severely underweight?
@ veena: “i think a good positive message at home and school can effectively undo and counter the damage made by magazines and ads and movies.” – I certainly hope so. I don’t think schools here are doing this, but I sure am.
Miranda responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 9:41 am →
Thank you for sharing this. It is important to talk about real images of women with our daughters AND our sons. It made me think as well: Why do I want to lose 5 pounds? I’m still within a healthy weight range, but I still have this thought that if I lose 5 pounds I’ll feel happier about my body. I know it’s probably not true — but I can’t seem to shake that thought.
Memarie Lane responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 9:49 am →
I had a friend in high school who took meth (speed?) because she thought it would help her lose weight.
I am one of those freaks who is naturally skinny, I have to work to keep weight ON, and then it hovers around 95 pounds. I am 5’4″. As such I also have born personal witness to the other side; people being rude and hateful toward skinny people. I’ve dealt with this hatred all my life as I’ve struggled to keep up a healthy weight. People assuming I have an eating disorder or, as a child, that my parents weren’t feeding me. Everywhere I go I have to make a show of eating even when I’m not hungry so people won’t think I’m anorexic, and then I have to refrain from using the bathroom so they won’t think I’ve gone in there to vomit. People need to realize that a weight problem is a weight problem at either end of the spectrum.
apricot tea. responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 9:52 am →
This is so sad; I wish there was something that can be done to change all of these statistics. For the sake of the younger generation, especially.
I’ve definitely struggled with my self-esteem image because of magazines & the media. I distinctly remember being envious of my white, blond haired, blue-eyed Barbie dolls because to me, that was perfection. It’s disgusting, really. & again, I wish it would change.
By the way, Vered, I was totally planning on trying to do a post about this; I have a real passion for self-esteem issues regarding the media. You took the words right out of my mouth. :] Thank you.
Don Mills Diva responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 10:35 am →
I have heard a lot of stats before but they absolutely bear repeating. And they are still shocking when pulled together.
Sigh. We have such a long way to go.
Lawyer Mom responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 10:54 am →
I hate to admit it but I’ve certainly been body-brainwashed. When I go to the doc for my annual checkup and it’s time for the big weigh-in, I turn around and put my back to the scale and tell the nurse NOT to tell me the number. To stay well between the weighs and keep body dysmorphia at bay, I stick with mags like the Economist and catalogues like Chicos.
Kim Woodbridge responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 11:12 am →
I agree with Writer Dad about parents not buying the magazines but we can only control so much. These images are on television, the internet, on billboards and on the sides of buses. When they become teenagers they will buy the magazines if they are interested in them or they will read their friend’s copies. We can’t keep them in a bubble or keep them from being exposed to things that we disagree with. We can, however, provide guidance, love and support.
Carla responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 11:15 am →
Though I eat right (better than most even “healthy” people know) work outand so on, I refuse to own a scale or look at the numbers in the doctor’s office.
I don’t know if my dissatisfaction of my body came from the media (I was never into magazines or TV as a teen), but I did have two naturally thin cousins that I always felt inadequate around though I wasn’t overweight myself.
The funny thing is, as I get older, my discomfort with my body and metabolism grows. Bitterness over not being able to enjoy desert or having to work harder. Resentment for having these two choices: obsess or get fat.
I think for many of us, it comes from within, not from the outside media.
Dot responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 11:40 am →
Re: 3 minutes with a women’s magazine — that’s awful. I didn’t know that.
@Maxo – “I would hope that parents could set good examples for their children with what they do and what they say, and this would lead to changes in our societal paradigms.”
Only until the boys get around other pubescent boys and the girls get around other pubescent girls. Then these crazy images become the boys’ desired objects and the girls’ desired body images. Did you listen to your parents when you were a teenager? I know I didn’t.
Tracy responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 11:47 am →
What a coincidence, a dear friend sent me an email today railing about the same issue because of the whole “controversy” over Jessica Simpson’s weight. How is that our business? Why is it a controversy?
@Writer Dad, I agree parents shouldn’t buy the magazines but it’s difficult to censor everything when Star and Us are available at almost every cash register. You get the message from the covers.
I do think it’s a shared responsibility. Publishers should aim to publish quality content not just ‘Eww, fat, ewww skinny” and the public needs to stop paying good money. Why do we buy these? To make ourselves feel bad about ourselves? To make ourselves feel better by snarking at the 10 worst beach bodies?
Maxo responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 11:47 am →
@Dot – “Did you listen to your parents when you were a teenager? I know I didn’t.” Right. That’s why it is so important to start early. I know my children’s life (ages, 7, 5, and 1 all girls) currently revolve around me. I can only hope to instill as much emotional security in them now as I can and hope much of that will carry on in their teenage years.
As a teenager I was as insecure as everyone else, but I had already decided before then that I did not like the media images, nor the kids that seemed to worship media images above what they where taught every Sunday morning.
I would be curious to know if there is any good research out there that shows effective ways to help our children fight these pressures. I am certain that what many parents do, which is encourage them to fit into this poorly designed mold and fund it along the way, isn’t a very effective strategy.
RC Rambles... responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 12:13 pm →
At one point in my life, I smoked and used “diet aids.” I knew all this was bad for me then, but I so wanted to be one of the “ideal.”
In college I had a roommate who was a size 4, and came by that rather naturally (good genes and a high metabolism – it also didn’t hurt that she and a few of her friends LOVED rollerblading – something that has killed one of my ankles every time I tried it). She would frequently diet (her attempts to be a size 2 or smaller), and mention how anyone who was a size 6 or higher was fat (giving me a pointed look each time). At that point in my life, I was lucky to be a size 10 but was actually pretty healthy (just had a horrible carbohydrates habit) – I still felt miserable, even though deep down I knew she was wrong. Our other skinny roommate, a size 6, was also given looks, after all.
Prior to that, in elementary school/junior high, I remember the “most popular” girl telling me I was a “fat pig,” repeatedly. This would be back in the days when my figure looked like the pictures up above – my mom was constantly altering pants and skirts, to keep them from sliding off my waist and hips – and she always got me the “super slim” sizes.
I think back to both of these people. Both constantly read these magazines and watched “high-fashion” shows, lived life by what the “stars” were doing and were pretty unhappy themselves. This article gives me a new possible motivation to their behavior toward me. I wish I could have been smarter and braver back then, and realized how unrealistic they were.
tom responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 12:32 pm →
People need to stop listening to bullshit information that the media gives to us. They give us filtered news, news that put us in fear because of violence, weather,etc. and if they have any credible people on the show, they usually bash them.
Turn off the tv, read a book.
Sara at On Simplicity responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 12:35 pm →
Okay, I really, really want to know how I came out of adolescence without many body issues to carry into my twenties. I was addicted to Barbies and obsessed with making paper dolls, most of which made Barbie look like she’d had a few too many truffles. My parents didn’t shower me with “you’re okay just the way you are” messages. It was really a non-issue in my house–neutral. I went to a college where image was very important and living Barbies were close to norm. I’m not 100 percent thrilled with my body, but I still choose pasta and pastry over perfection. Where did the advertising industry go wrong?
Friar responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 1:20 pm →
I wonder, this poor self-image women have about themselves and their weight? (Or men, for that matter).
Could there perhaps be….any OTHER contributing factors to this problem?
Like not exercising regularly? And/or eating junk and not enough healthy foods?
Nahhhh.
It’s the media’s fault.
It’s ALWAYS the media’s fault.
Maxo responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 1:33 pm →
@Friar: Yes, when women (and men as you point out) who are perfectly thin, or too thin, are fretting that they are too large there is a problem outside of fast food and inertness.
Your argument doesn’t really hold up. There is a difference between always blaming someone, or something for faults, and correctly pointing out flaws where they exist. Research has shown conclusively that the images that the media throws at us has a significant influence on us. Correctly pointing out this problem is different than blaming all problems on the media, which you are claiming without merit.
Marelisa responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 2:42 pm →
Hi Vered: The woman who won Miss Hawaiian Tropic International a few years back goes to my gym, and men don’t really fawn over her. When I was living in the States I was taking French and there was a former model in my class (she would do runway shows in Milan) who was 28, but she looked much older because she smoked in order to keep her weight down. This post also makes me think of Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman”. Parents should teach their daughters that at the end of the day a woman’s weight doesn’t really matter, so it’s much ado about nothing. Just eat well and exercise, other than that, it all depends on you body type.
Media Portrayal Of Women | responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 3:32 pm →
[...] Articles: Women’s Magazines Plastic Surgery Pressure Photo Retouching: Just Say No Women and Body Image: Ten Disturbing facts Subscribe: Email Or Feed [...]
MomGrind responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 5:22 pm →
@ Miranda: I think countless women feel this way. I’m pretty sure it’s these media messages that makes you equate losing a few pounds with being happier.
@ Memarie Lane: I completely agree. When I’m stressed or very busy I tend to lose my appetite and then I usually become thin enough that people sometimes refer to me as anorexic. I actually wrote a post about it a few months ago. I have since gained those couple of pounds back so people don’t harass me anymore (although they still comment endlessly about how “skinny” I am). The big difference between your situation and that of an anorexic is that while you are trying hard to maintain a healthy weight, an anorexic is trying hard to maintain an unhealthy weight. I wish people would see that.
@ apricot tea: “I distinctly remember being envious of my white, blond haired, blue-eyed Barbie dolls because to me, that was perfection” – you should totally write a post about that. What I’ve written here is simply a compilation of facts. But you have a personal story to tell – an important one. I think you should tell it.
@ Don Mills Diva: Absolutely. As I told apricot tea above, nothing in this post is original. It’s all been said before. But I wanted to say it here, on my own blog.
@ Lawyer Mom: I think it’s very hard NOT to become brainwashed.
@ Kim Woodbridge: “We can’t keep them in a bubble or keep them from being exposed to things that we disagree with. We can, however, provide guidance, love and support.” I completely agree.
@ Carla: “I think for many of us, it comes from within, not from the outside media” – I’m not so sure. I’ve seen your photo. You are gorgeous. The fact that even as a child you equated being thinner with being “better” tells me that somehow, somewhere, you were exposed to this message. There’s no reason for anyone who’s not overweight to feel they’re less attractive than someone else just because that someone is thinner. That is, no reason other than the media telling us we should feel this way.
@ Dot: This is exactly why I’m talking with them now, before they are teens. We talk about photoshopping, about the fact that the most important thing is to be strong and healthy and to eat as healthfully as possible. My oldest talked about a girl in her class who’s “really skinny”. She sounded pretty neutral about it, so I just said that people come in many shapes and sizes. In this house, “skinny” does not equate “fabulous.” Strong and healthy does. Will these messages survive their teen years? I doubt it. But I hope they will still somewhat help them to maintain a high self esteem even faced with those awful messages they are bound to be faced with soon.
@ Tracy: The media is ridiculing Jessica Simpson and calling her “fat” for going from a size 2 to a size 8. It’s crazy.
@ RC Rambles: “and were pretty unhappy themselves” – exactly. Anyone who feels the need to be cruel towards others and belittle them, does so because of deep unhappiness. This doesn’t excuse their behavior of course, but it explains it.
@ tom: Good advice, but it’s easier said than done.
@ Sara: “It was really a non-issue in my house–neutral” – perhaps this is the explanation. And if so, I’m encouraged!
@ Friar: I agree with Maxo. The media IS at fault for causing women who are within the normal weight range to think they’re fat.
@ Marelisa: This is one of the things that baffles me the most – extreme thinness is not even attractive to most men. “Just eat well and exercise, other than that, it all depends on you body type” – very true.
Maxo responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 5:58 pm →
@MomGrind: “It’s a few months old but it deals with my kids looking at a magazine display in a store. So, when my kids to get exposed to these messages, we always talk about it.”
I just read it. I saw a magazine this week that had a fully nude woman with her hands over herself at a CVS. These are the kind of things that children of all ages will see as it was in the main isle.
My sister, who is pregnant, asked me to start bloging about my ideas on parenting and you post inspired me to talk about the importance of instilling self-respect in children. It can be read here. The solution I offer is to give children controlled (as much as can be) exposure to these images for the purpose of talking about them with your children. I believe very strongly in talking to your children. My oldest daughter has discussed a range of topics with me including drugs, war, starvation, violence, self respect, religion, death and others. People are often amazed when she’ll butt in a topic and have all of these talking points on the subject. Of course, it’s just verbatim what I have told her, but I hope it gives her a good starting point for now and a positive base for when she starts thinking for herself.
Just like absolutely no TV, no candy, or no computer is not healthy, shielding our children completely from the media doesn’t help our children. Healthy exposure with an explanation is the best bet IMO.
Evelyn Lim responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 7:04 pm →
I’m also concerned about how magazines are portraying what the right body image or shape should be to my kids. My kids take pride in their looking good and I acknowledge their efforts with compliments. However, I will often add that inner beauty is more important than outer beauty. They will go like “huh…?? what is inner beauty?” Despite explaining to them, I am not sure that they are truly understanding what I mean. Perhaps one day, when they are old enough, they will. In the meantime, I rarely ever buy women’s magazines.
Stacey / Create a Balance responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 8:52 pm →
I know I’m not solving universal problems by saying this, but my first response to this post was “thank goodness I have boys.” I wish you the best in raising your girls. They are fortunate to have a mom who is so aware of the benefits of having a positive body image.
Natural responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 8:57 pm →
i just read this stat on another blog and was like wow: At 5?9” tall and weighing 110 lbs, Barbie would have a BMI of 16.24 which is considered severely underweight.
the only thing i wish i had were bigger uh, breasts. not huge, just a little something to fill out my clothes.
i’m trying to drop a few pounds, but not to look like any model in a magazine. models are way too thin. they look sick, and hungry.
disturbing facts indeed.
Hunter Nuttall responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 10:04 pm →
Did you see this follow-up to that photo? The same billboard, but vandalized.
“When I didn’t had my camera with me, I saw a girl in raging on this billboard. She than took a black marker and wrote: ‘Ik ben seksistische plaatjes spuugzat.’ (I’m sick of sexually tinted images.).”
Patricia responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 10:12 pm →
Another good post Vered, and I think communications are the best along with eating right and exercise – where is the joy?
Last night at book group, I was with 30,40 and 50 year old women who work out 6 days a week and look fabulous, they were all so proud because everyone has lost more than 6 pounds since the holidays. Not me!
At first I was a bit discouraged, then I heard what they were doing and with whom and their feelings of jealousy with each other after the fat calipers were used…I watched them walk in their high heels and glide across the room, nibbling on apple slices and that soy bean dip…
I talked about the racism part of the Novel: The Secret Lives of Bees and they all talked about growing up and finally one very thin woman shared about her abusive father and if she could tell young girls anything – she would say eat healthy and exercise…”I am loosing all my teeth from my anorexia in my youth”. Then all the rest shared their throwing up stories and other trials…and what they would tell young girls – our 73 year old beauty shared about her daughter now having kidney dysfunction from her eating problems.
There was not one woman in that room who had not been dieting all of her life – including me.
I wish I had had your stats last night…
How to be your own person, own weight, own look and how does one find their own level of healthy – Powerful stuff to teach the girls…early
MomGrind responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 11:04 pm →
@ Maxo: I agree it’s very important to discuss these issues with children, at an age-appropriate level of course.
@ Evelyn Lim: “I rarely ever buy women’s magazines” – Good. I truly believe they are very damaging to women.
@ Stacey: In a way, it’s easier to raise boys. But as Miranda said above, parents of boys still need to teach them to respect women and to know the difference between the images in the media and reality.
@ Natural: I agree that models are too thin. But I worry that if you asked most teenage girls, they would think models look fabulous.
@ Hunter Nuttall: Ha. I’m amused. Vandalism is illegal of course, but in this case, I’m secretly happy.
@ Patricia: “There was not one woman in that room who had not been dieting all of her life – including me.” This is so sad. Thank you so much for sharing your story, Patricia.
Brett Legree responds:
Posted: January 29th, 2009 at 11:17 pm →
Friar mentioned your post to me tonight. I enjoyed reading the post, and the comments.
I have a question/comment – can someone please explain to me why it is the media’s fault that people (not just women) have poor self-esteem?
Stop consuming what the media is feeding you, and use your brain. Teach your children to do the same. If you cannot… maybe you shouldn’t be a parent?
If I believed everything the media told me, well, I would then believe that all crimes are committed by men between the age of 20 to 25 of a certain skin colour. I’m not being a smart-ass, I’m quite serious – if I watched the evening news from the largest city in my part of the country, and believed everything they said, well, I’d get the wrong impression.
If I formed my impressions of what the United States looked like from popular TV shows, I would believe that everyone lives in large cities (when in fact I know that there are many, many small towns, just like mine).
I know that what the media portrays is not right – I really do, and it is wrong. But it also starts with us. Stop consuming the media.
Friar responds:
Posted: January 30th, 2009 at 12:09 am →
@Brett
Hear! Hear!
And if we listened to the media, we’d believe that all men are incompetent boobs who can’t change a diaper or cook a meal properly, who need to be constantly rescued by their all-knowing wives, who are the ones who REALLY run the household!
Friar responds:
Posted: January 30th, 2009 at 12:14 am →
To continue this debate:
Wasn’t it Eleanor Roosevelt who said
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”….?
Rupal responds:
Posted: January 30th, 2009 at 4:17 am →
Great post…I don’t have children of my own, but I can only pray that I have the strength to keep it together long enough for my kiddos to learn by example! My parents were pretty open about whatever I wanted when I was younger and yet I still managed to make it out of adolescence unscathed (which is more than I can say for many friends suffering body image issues). Maybe that is the trick: being open and honest with your kiddos. Who knows. I’m here to learn from the great mom’s out there!
btw- thanks for your comment on my guest post over at Mizfit yesterday. I definitely think that our underlying motivation for fitness is an evolving thing as we age!
Hope you have a great weekend,
Take care ~rupal
Mark responds:
Posted: January 30th, 2009 at 7:04 am →
Have a wonderful weekend!
Suzie responds:
Posted: January 30th, 2009 at 8:46 am →
Poor Barbie i had no idea
Sagan responds:
Posted: January 30th, 2009 at 9:31 am →
Wow that’s quite the list. Thanks for all the information!
zoe responds:
Posted: January 30th, 2009 at 10:05 am →
I don’t how or why extreme thinness became the ideal. I agree that it isn’t healthy, and I it sure isn’t what I consider to be ideal. I’m just saying that it’s unfortunate that that is what has become the ideal, and it’s unfortunate that we are programmed to try to conform to it.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: January 30th, 2009 at 10:47 am →
@ Brett and @Friar: This is exactly why I wrote this article: to raise awareness. We can certainly protect our self-esteem and body image from the media’s definitions of beauty and acceptability by becoming critical viewers of the media messages. Media messages about body shape and size will affect the way we feel about our bodies and ourselves only if we let them.
However, children and adolescents have no way of defending themselves against these messages unless they are given the tools to do so. This is exactly why parents have such a major role in raising kids who have a high self esteem. In my ideal world, schools would also have a major role in equipping children to deal with life, by offering classes on media and advertising, but I don’t see it happening any time soon, so it’s mostly up to parents.
@ Rupal: Discussing these issues openly with our kids is one of the best things we can do for them.
SpaceAgeSage -- Lori responds:
Posted: January 30th, 2009 at 1:08 pm →
Vered,
As you write in your raising kids who have a high self esteem post:
“Tell them they are perfect just the way they are. Reinforce the idea that people have a unique combination of talents and strengths and that there’s more than one way to be smart, beautiful, or successful.”
Jannie Funster responds:
Posted: January 30th, 2009 at 2:40 pm →
It is a crying shame young girls are trying to measure up to such ridiculous standards. It makes me mad just thinking about such a narrow idea of “beauty.” Such a misguided illusion.
Danifer (Jennifer) responds:
Posted: January 30th, 2009 at 4:10 pm →
I think about my weight and the way I look at least 20+ times a day. And I agree, when I see magazines or tv shows with beautiful, fit women, it makes me depressed and envious. But, it also gives me some motivation. Until I start feeling better about myself and then I see another add or show and it starts all over again.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: January 30th, 2009 at 5:27 pm →
@ Lori: I absolutely agree that parents have an important role in teaching children to ignore media messages.
@ Jannie: I agree. The photo of the models especially made me feel bad for young girls who are trying to look like that.
@ Danifer: “I think about my weight and the way I look at least 20+ times a day” – sounds about right. I often think of all the time and energy (and money) we waste on our looks and how wonderful would it be to channel that energy into other areas.
Ruth responds:
Posted: January 30th, 2009 at 8:43 pm →
One thing that gets me is hearing women put themselves down (in various ways) around their children and especially daughters. I think society has us so conditioned to be dissatisfied with ourselves that we don’t see that we’re also the ones perpetuating the problems. It makes me think of my husband’s severely depressed father who I believe contributed to my husband’s depression by constantly repeating that life is not worth living.
My mother was surprisingly content with herself. While I haven’t always been happy with my body, I’ve never had an eating disorder or even gone on a diet. I do work out but right now I like my body. A lack of women’s magazines and commercials (we only watched taped tv…) until I was in my late teens may also have contributed.
Mia responds:
Posted: January 30th, 2009 at 11:09 pm →
There are so many of us who believe that the mainstream media has it all wrong and weight and size of varying degrees are wonderful. I wish “they” would hear us, or that we could rise up to become the “they” that makes all the “rules”.
Giovanna Garcia responds:
Posted: January 31st, 2009 at 1:26 am →
It is hard for women to feel good about themselves when the media keep showing us these models. That is why I love what Dove’s is doing, and I wish more company would do the same.
Thank you, for this post. It remind us all that we are beautiful in our own way.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Brett Legree responds:
Posted: January 31st, 2009 at 7:47 am →
@Vered,
You are right about schools and so forth, and it is up to the parents for sure. I am happy that you wrote this, don’t get me wrong, so don’t stop doing this. I guess I just wanted to stress the importance if it being up to us as well (and I hope I didn’t come across as too strong!)
What Giovanna says about the Dove commercials is spot on, too. I am familiar with them and it is a step in the right direction for sure. Showing real people.
Mel responds:
Posted: January 31st, 2009 at 10:11 pm →
As I get older, I stopped finding the women in magazines beautiful but as a teenager, I was just in awe with the ‘perfection’. Maybe it’s because of my knowledge of photoshop, but it all looks “fake”, almost cartoonish now. But yes, it doesn’t help the feeling of being inadequate at times.
Dara Chadwick responds:
Posted: February 1st, 2009 at 10:54 am →
I’ve seen many of these statistics before, but they’re always thought-provoking.
I’ve just written an about-to-be-published book about my experience with the mother-daughter body image legacy and how I’m working hard to change things for my own daughter. I’m also a magazine writer — I’ve written for many mainstream women’s magazines — and I think it’s vitally important that we teach our children to look critically at media. Because of my job, my daughter has a much greater understanding than most young girls about how magazines are created and the role of advertising in selling magazines. She enjoys reading magazines, but she and I talk a great deal about what she’s looking at and reading. I think those conversations about media — not just magazines, but also music videos, the Internet, etc. — have to happen between parents and kids.
Robin responds:
Posted: February 1st, 2009 at 5:15 pm →
I look back at photos of myself when I was in my teens and 20s, and I see a relatively normal-weight person, yet at the time I thought I was grossly fat. I know I was influenced by the images in magazines etc – they played havoc with my already embedded inferiority complex.
Nurit responds:
Posted: February 1st, 2009 at 6:32 pm →
This is really tragic. I am especially worried about the young girls.
MommyNamedApril responds:
Posted: February 2nd, 2009 at 8:38 am →
this article made my heart heavy :-/
Cath Lawson responds:
Posted: February 2nd, 2009 at 11:22 am →
Hi Vered – these figures are terrifying. And Barbie dolls should be banned. I get a lot of google searches from kids along the lines of “how to look like Barbie”.
And the magazines piss me off. They’ll write a few stories on “how to feel happy with your body” and bang on about how they’re against models who are two skinny. Then five minutes later, they have waif-like models on their covers and they’re teaching folk how to drop a dress size in two weeks.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: February 2nd, 2009 at 1:55 pm →
@ Ruth: “right now I like my body” – this sentence is like music to my ears. I wish every woman could day that.
@ Mia: “or that we could rise up to become the “they” that makes all the “rules” – well said. This article, and many others like this on the internet, will hopefully help. I really am on a mission to get women to stop reading women’s magazines or at least to read them critically.
@ Giovanna Garcia: “we are beautiful in our own way” – we are.
@ Brett Legree: I’m happy you voiced your opinion. A little controversy is good for a blog.
Agree that showing real people is a step in the right direction.
@ Mel: I went through as similar process. What I now view as extreme thinness seemed like perfection when I was 14.
@ Dara Chadwick: “it’s vitally important that we teach our children to look critically at media.” Absolutely. If we don’t, our kids will just consume these images and believe them. Congrats on the book!
@ Robin: I think many women can relate to that – feeling grossly overweight when in fact their weight is completely normal.
@ Nurit: Me too. And I have two of them at home.
@ MommyNamedApril: Same here.
@ Cath Lawson: Women’s magazines do have this impossible duality. Those searches that you’re getting are scary!
I’ve Emptied My Feedreader Into A Blog Post — Teach My Children Well responds:
Posted: February 2nd, 2009 at 5:46 pm →
[...] Things I’d buy right now if I won the millions 1. Country house estate 2. Eternity ring for my wife 3. New laptop 4. 15 T-Shirts 5. A big fridge [...]
Julian responds:
Posted: February 4th, 2009 at 1:04 pm →
I saw a UK tv show recently where they were trying to find the average British man and woman according to height and body weight. They went to a busy shopping mall and weighed and measured people all day. At the end of the day they hadn’t found anyone who was ‘average’! Great post, it illustrates the craziness of it all.
Dennis responds:
Posted: February 5th, 2009 at 10:21 am →
Just a short quick note: the average American woman looks much better than some scrawny model anyday !
Do You Feel Sexy? - Fit After Thirty responds:
Posted: February 6th, 2009 at 12:49 am →
[...] Take a look at some of these statistics related to body image and women, listed on MomGrind.com. [...]
MomGrind responds:
Posted: February 7th, 2009 at 6:26 pm →
@ Julian: Interesting!
@ Dennis: I think women should eat healthfully, exercise regularly and be at the “best” weight for their own body. For most women, this is not skinny nor obese but somewhere in the middle. There’s nothing wrong with being thin, as long as it really is your natural weight and you’re not starving yourself to get there. Unfortunately, most models (but not all) do starve themselves, especially right before fashion shoots and fashion shows.
Kelly@SHE-POWER responds:
Posted: February 7th, 2009 at 10:29 pm →
Powerful stats, Vered, and utterly depressing. Reading this makes you wonder if feminism has liberated us in terms of work, while the media and our own neurotic vanity has made sure women are just as enslaved as ever.
Plus, I think one could argue that not only are unrealistic body images making us feel bad about ourselves, they’re actually killing us. Despite the staggering growth of the multi-million (billion?) dollar weight loss industry over the past 25 years, people in the developed world have only grown fatter. We are becoming so fat some scientists are worried children today may not actually live as long as their parents’ generation. Is this a coincidence? I don’t think so. We are so inundated with conflicting messages about what we look like and what we should eat, and what is ‘good’ and beautiful (ie. thin, white and under 25) people have lost all sense of themselves and their own bodies. We can’t recognise when we’re hungry. We can’t even recognise that we can’t all look the same. Some of us are rounded and that’s beautiful. Some of us are angular and that’s beautiful too.
While warped beauty images are a serious issue, I think they’re just one piece of a much larger problem. Society has lost sight of what’s important, and we are addicted to flash over substance. I might try to elaborate on this in a post. Haven’t been into blogging at all lately, but I’ve been thinking about this stuff a lot lately. Will ping this article if I do.
Great job here. Stumbled.
Kelly
Scarlet responds:
Posted: February 8th, 2009 at 4:02 am →
Shocking. Genuinely shocking……what can you say?? So many people would poo-poo this as ‘over reacting’, but it’s not at all. And what’s so frustrating is the amount of people who dont see this kind of media communication as a problem! It makes me absolutely FURIOUS! As a result I tend to be a bit of a bore to my friends and family as once im on a subject like this it tends to get me quite fired up!!
I just hope & pray that I am an important enough influence in my childrens lives to ensure that they NEVER feel they have to conform to this rubbish!!
MomGrind responds:
Posted: February 8th, 2009 at 11:21 am →
@ Kelly: I would LOVE to read your thoughts on this in your own post. I miss your writing.
Thank you for the stumble!
@ Scarlet: “I just hope & pray that I am an important enough influence in my childrens lives to ensure that they NEVER feel they have to conform to this rubbish!!” – same here. I know the media will have SOME influence on them, but I’m doing my best to minimize that influence by raising them to love themselves and to look at media messages critically.
Zandria responds:
Posted: February 13th, 2009 at 12:33 pm →
That’s some sad stuff right there…
CenterforEatingDisorders responds:
Posted: February 19th, 2009 at 2:19 pm →
“At age thirteen, 53% of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies”, this statistic is very scary. American women are definitely obsessed with beauty and perfection and the age that their obsession begins is getting younger and younger. Darryl Roberts, Director of the film America the Beautiful, interviewed 200 women and only 2 felt that they were beautiful. Darryl’s film takes an in depth look at American womens obsession with beauty. We were able to interview Mr. Roberts and ask him questions about his film.
Personal Trainer responds:
Posted: March 1st, 2009 at 11:01 pm →
Very unfortunate how women feel their bodies must be like these genetically gifted (or not) skinny women.
Lipo Dissolve Nightmare: A Cosmetic Procedure Gone Wrong | responds:
Posted: March 17th, 2009 at 7:54 pm →
[...] was originally posted as a comment to my article on Women And Body Image. I contacted the writer and asked her permission to publish her comment as a separate post, because [...]
Kellyg responds:
Posted: March 19th, 2009 at 1:37 pm →
I used to be the average 140 at 5’5″. Since then, I started taking medications that caused me to gain 15 lbs in one month. Over the past few months, my weight started to climb to 170. I have managed to get it down to 154, but I am still unhappy. I cry and throw tantrums about it to my husband. My doctor told me that she wasn’t going to get on my case about being overweight because of the medications I’m on. That made me depressed and helpless.
I remember feeling like this even when I was average. I was a size 10 and was still upset. My friend who was about a size eight kept complaining of being fat which made me feel like I was obese. It hurts when your skinny friends think they’re fat. You feel for them yet question yourself.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: March 19th, 2009 at 2:24 pm →
@ Kellyg: what amazes me about your story is that you felt the same even when you weighed much less. I get what you’re saying about thin women complaining about being “fat.” This is totally due to media exposure, because if not for the media’s “ideal” of a size 0 or 2, why would a size-8 woman think she’s “fat?”
Spectrum responds:
Posted: March 21st, 2009 at 8:46 pm →
I find this comment ridiculous, unless your referring specifically to Barbie’s shoe size of which was not clearly defined. “Because of her ridiculous proportions (39” bust, 18” waist, 33” thighs and a size 3 shoes!), if she was a real woman, she wouldn’t be able to walk upright – she would have to walk on all fours.”
To say that such people must walk on all fours shows extreme prejudice on the authors part and immediately degrades her article. Obviously this must be a sensitive area for her one way or another. My wife has a “Barbie body” and does not need to walk on all fours. If you hadn’t displayed such prejudice leading us to feel you must have physical issues yourself, you could’ve had a really nice article. Now, I can only feel pity. Try going to a gym, seek professional dietary help, never give up. There’s always a way. It takes “persistence and time.” I doubt if you’ll print this anyway, but please be kinder.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: March 21st, 2009 at 9:00 pm →
@ Spectrum: This is a collection of facts found elsewhere on the web. References are at the bottom of the article. I’m guessing it’s the size 3 shoes that would make it impossible for a real-life Barbie to walk.
Your comments on my own physique are irrelevant, unnecessary and completely off base, as you would have realized if you had bothered reading anything in this blog beyond this page, prior to forming an opinion on me. So who’s being judgmental here?
E responds:
Posted: March 23rd, 2009 at 3:54 pm →
I agree with Memarie Lane… and some of the others who mentioned this…. I’ve been naturally thin with a large frame (so I appear even thinner) and ALL through High school I was teased. I ran Track and Cross Country so I worked out like crazy. I ate close to 4000 calories a day and still was 5’6 and 100lbs. People CONSTANTLY made snide remarks in the cafeteria. I couldn’t use the bathroom in during lunch because it just made the comments worse. Once I finally filled out a little (at 25) I still get funny looks when I finish my husbands dinner at resturants. I still run and have the tendency to indulge myself when we go out… so whats the crime in that?! I’m just saying that all thin people aren’t anorexic, but the women who get paid huge amounts to be scrawny…. thats just disgusting.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: March 23rd, 2009 at 4:10 pm →
@ E: People shouldn’t judge others based on weight, period. Perhaps our society will get there some day, but obviously we’re not there yet.
alan responds:
Posted: March 28th, 2009 at 2:46 pm →
Too much focus on weight, rather than body compostion. Focussing on weight can lead to frustration. Go to the gym your weight dosent always change due to lean muscle gain. Focussing on body fat% is better.
Clinton responds:
Posted: April 13th, 2009 at 4:24 am →
Your article elicited two “responses” from me.
Firstly, when reading this sentence – “The average size of the “ideal” woman, as portrayed by models, has become progressively thinner over the years and has stabilized at around 20% below the average weight” – my immediate thought was that, although the assumption being made is that most models are too thin, does it not actually mean that the average weight of society is too high! If all of the “normal” (ie non model types) all binged and put on weight would that make the ideal weight even more unrealistic or would it REALLY mean that the average person is just too fat! Let’s be honest and say it as it is. Most people are overweight!!
Yes, I know BMI measures are controversial but I am in the perfect range when it comes to BMI (yes, I am lucky in that it is genetics but also regular exercise!). In fact I am slap bang in the middle of the perfect range and yet I am often told I am thin! This is probably because most people around me are actually carry a little more weight than they should. Just because they have created a new perception of what average is, it does not make me, who has an ideal BMI, thin! The truth is they are all a little, or more than a little in some cases, overweight. So stop justifying people who are overweight.
Models are always picked on for their weight, and yes I agree some of them are underweight, but look at triathletes, or any top sportsman (excluding all the drug taking and weight pushing sports). Do you think they weigh the same as the “average” man on the street? Does this mean they are portraying a bad image of the ideal weight?
The second response is that it is not so much the models that create the bad body image in young girls but the over the top photoshopping that happens to most photos that appear in magazines nowadays! Even the girls who are already thin are photoshopped! This is what creates an unrealistic ideal!
Anyway just some of the things on my chest after reading this article!
MomGrind responds:
Posted: April 13th, 2009 at 7:37 am →
@ alan: I agree that focusing too much on the numbers on the scale is a mistake.
@ Clinton: Your making two very valid points. I can’t argue with the fact that more and more Americans are overweight. I also agree that excessive airbrushing in magazines contributes to self image problems for women who read these magazines. I wrote about it here.
I still find that fashion models are dangerously thin, and that since they are supposedly beauty ideals, this creates a problem for young women who idolize models and the fashion industry.
Danny responds:
Posted: April 18th, 2009 at 7:03 pm →
A majority of American women are overweight because they don’t know how to eat right. The stereotypes you see every day in magazines and their constant need for affirmation of beauty is mostly DRIVEN by women and not men.
Fat 2 Fit Radio » Blog Archive » Fat 2 Fit #63 - Navy Fitness responds:
Posted: May 2nd, 2009 at 8:31 am →
[...] Mentioned in the Show: Navy Fitness Program Weight loss drugs are useless Women and body image David’s blog 200 by [...]
Muscle Building Program responds:
Posted: June 8th, 2009 at 5:15 pm →
The number on the scale is not important at all. The real measure is body fat percentage. For example, I weigh 240 pounds at 12% body fat and 5’11″ tall. The BMI would tell me that I’m extremely overweight or obese or whatever it says – I don’t even look at it because it’s such an idiotic measure to use for anyone. Trying to give idealized body weights is simply idiotic!!! THERE IS NO PERFECT RANGE. People are built differently. THERE IS NO IDEAL BODY. I don’t care what anyone says. Do you know how many different factors go into someone’s body type? BMI is useless, useless, useless. Would you rather weigh 140 pounds and be 12% body fat, or weigh 110 pounds and be 25% body fat? I know which one I would choose.
bodas responds:
Posted: June 25th, 2009 at 8:19 am →
Many women look at those images and think this would be a real woman. But they are created with a high percentage with Photoshop.
nacia responds:
Posted: June 25th, 2009 at 2:30 pm →
as for the barbie stats, they are wrong. so Spectrum I highly doubt your wife or anyone has “barbie” proportions:
IF BARBIE WERE REAL If Ken Were Real
barbies height: 7’2 7’8”
barbies chest: 40 in 50in
waist: 22 in 43in
neck circumference: 12 in 23.4in
neck length: 6.2 in 6.35im
This was taken from ” Body Image and Adolescents” by Jillian Croll
A great article i recommend for both Men and Women is :
“How Men Really Feel about Their Weight? by Ted Spiker
10 Ways To Hate Yourself As A Woman | responds:
Posted: July 1st, 2009 at 10:05 am →
[...] Be your own worst critic. Remind yourself every day that you are imperfect, ugly, fat and old. What a loser you are. You should listen to the Facebook ads that explain that [...]
Retouching | responds:
Posted: July 5th, 2009 at 6:25 pm →
[...] and so the “perfect” ideal that those photos create is damaging to women and creates body image issues, because it sets impossible beauty [...]
Juliet R responds:
Posted: July 16th, 2009 at 6:52 am →
Hi, just reading this and it is pretty scary. In response to one of your comments though I don’t think is is just in the US that people (esp. women) are obsessed with money, weight, youth etc. I am in the UK and things are just the same. I am 25 and often feel old (sometimes feels like anything over 21 is way past it!!), overweight (I am 5’8 133lbs) and unattractive as I don’t feel I fit the what I feel is the beauty “ideal”. I find it hard not to get pulled into it despite a wonderful boyfriend who tells me I am beautiful and not fat and a successful career. I worry soo much about passing on my hang-ups on to my 8 year old daughter – although I do try to hide my insecurities around her.
stefanie responds:
Posted: July 25th, 2009 at 1:02 am →
I notice this all the time that when I am on break at my job with my male coworkers…they will barely acknowledge a healthy weight or slightly overweight girl walking by but a little tiny size 0 walks by and they crane their necks looking at her.But whats the first thing they would do to get that girl?Invite her out for dinner…puke…
GGS High Fives for Five Great Posts | Girl, Get Strong! responds:
Posted: August 1st, 2009 at 12:07 am →
[...] Woman and body images-distrubing facts by Mom Grind [...]
Christine responds:
Posted: August 21st, 2009 at 12:56 pm →
I played with Barbie dolls all my life and they never gave me an unhealthy body image. Reason for that is I never needed to look up to Barbie as what I should become. She was just a toy, not a person. I enjoyed acting out life scenarios with her and designing clothes for her to wear. She wasn’t an idol for me. My mother was my role model and I wanted to be like her. I also had a close knit family who were always there to remind me that I was, and am, good enough.
A Warning Label for Retouched Photos responds:
Posted: September 23rd, 2009 at 10:02 am →
[...] problem is that extremely thin, airbrushed photos of models in magazines can cause serious body image issues and even trigger eating disorders, especially in tweens and [...]
In a Barbie World: Wanting to Want My “Imperfections” « Around the Godde-Sisters Table responds:
Posted: September 24th, 2009 at 5:57 pm →
[...] v In 2007, women had nearly 10.6 million cosmetic procedures and 91% of the total 11.7 million cosmetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures were performed in the United States. (See http://momgrind.com/2009/01/28/women-body-image/) [...]
Wobbly Bits « What about this? responds:
Posted: September 28th, 2009 at 8:11 pm →
[...] by the cosmetic, fashion, magazine, and diet industries, all play parts. Here’s a link to an article called Women and Body Image: Ten Disturbing Facts. The author’s first point clearly [...]
David responds:
Posted: September 30th, 2009 at 11:44 am →
I wish women could worry less about being skinny. We men don’t think the skinny “ideal” is ideal any more than women believe the ideal man is 300lbs of muscle.
Evidence?? Look at the difference between the models used to sell to woman (e.g. fashion/ bridal mags) vs. those used to sell to men (e.g. muscle and car mags, general mens mags).
Cees responds:
Posted: November 15th, 2009 at 11:37 am →
Thanks, this is good to know. Hope a lot of women read this. Actually writing form Spain, the country with one the highest rates of surgery for body improvement. And also where girls do surgery at a very young age already.
Leanne responds:
Posted: November 28th, 2009 at 11:07 pm →
I’m glad I’m not the only one that feels that way I do.
Unfortunately, it takes less than 3 minutes for me – more like 3 seconds.
I never buy women’s mags because they depress me and I can’t understand why any women who feels bad about their body image would buy one – how stupid is that! Also, I gave up TV 5 years ago. But unfortunately I can’t escape the bombardment of billboard advertising that feature soft porn, skinny women in not much clothing
adelaide responds:
Posted: December 2nd, 2009 at 11:04 am →
what about the boys? how do we help them counteract their skewed perceptions of female beauty?
Sean responds:
Posted: March 7th, 2010 at 6:20 pm →
It’s a sad situation, but most americans are overweight and need to work at losing weight. It’s a clear-cut, black and white health issue. If your fat, then you are at higher risk for almost every illness. However, I think it’s even more important for women to feel beautiful for who they are, since body image can be changed and altered fairly quickly, where as someone’s personality is who they are and is less mutable. I tell my girlfriend she’s beautiful for who she is and I really think that prevents her from looking at the mirror as often.
Karina responds:
Posted: April 1st, 2010 at 3:02 pm →
Hello,
My name is Karina, and I work as a college advisor at a high school. I am a graduate student learning about how to talk to students about certain issues, so I am hoping you will be able to help me. I recently had a conversation with a student that really tested my knowledge on more difficult topics students have to deal with.
She is having body image issues and seems to have become depressed about this. I have referred her to the school counselor, but she does not feel comfortable speaking with her. She only wants to talk to me, but I am not sure where to go. She tells me that she just wants to talk, but I think it is a good opportunity to educate her or bring to light the subject of how society can hinder the way we see ourselves.
Anyway, I was hoping you could give me some information– not necessarily on what to tell her, but what to do. Maybe there is some sort of “counseling protocol” when students come in talking about body image issues. I have looked around for what I can do, but haven’t found a step-by-step outline of what to do first. Instead of immediately having this student speak out about body image issues or join a support group, there has to be some things I can suggest for her that are less public and more private.
I see her weekly, so I’m wondering if there is something I can start with her. Maybe start with very general conversations to more specific? At what point should I be more concerned? Right now, I want to help, but I’m not sure what to do.
Any information would be greatly appreciated. Maybe you can pass along my email to student workers who have an idea of what could be done in situations like these?
Thanks so much,
Karina
MomGrind responds:
Posted: April 1st, 2010 at 7:49 pm →
Hi Karina,
I replied via email.
Girls Body Image | Blogger For Hire responds:
Posted: April 3rd, 2010 at 10:51 am →
[...] How can you admonish the media for filling women’s heads with unrealistic images of what a woman’s body should look [...]
To Each Her Own – Beauty and the Breast responds:
Posted: April 27th, 2010 at 5:48 am →
[...] an article entitled Women And Body Image: Ten Disturbing Facts, MomGrind tells us [...]
Mark responds:
Posted: June 1st, 2010 at 9:20 am →
Most girls do need to lose weight. I think the body image problem is 90% chubby girls in denial thinking that they are sexy and wear tight cloths that look awful. The average woman is overweight and does not have an attractive body. I rarely see a girl who is too thin, but most women I see are too out of shape to be attractive. So many articles like this just add to the denial of women thinking they are attractive just because they think they deserve to be and that it’s someone else’s fault that they aren’t considered sexy. Worry about majority of girls and women who are letting their bodies go and not the tiny percentage of too thin girls.
When men start getting a gut they don’t pretend that it is sexy and wear tight shirts, they either except that there body is getting ugly or they exercise to get back an attractive body. Girls should learn in their teens to take care of their body and stay fit. After around 16 year old a girl’s body is fully developed and should not be gaining more weight.