Body image-updated.

BODY IMAGEBy: Kayla Feist

“WE MUST BE THIN!”• Today’s media shows women as sex objects.• We see models in a size double zero and men

expect us to look like that too!• “Recent studies have shown that thin women earn

more on average-about $16,000 a year more, in one study-than their average size counterparts”. – The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective.

• “Another study found that 57 percent of hiring managers agreed that qualified but unattractive candidates are likely to have a harder time landing a job, and 61 percent of managers (most of them being men) said it would be an advantage for a woman to wear clothing showing off her figure at work”. – The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective.

• Most photographs we see of models are extremely air brushed and photo shopped to look perfect.

Beauty isn’t Fair!• Our culture has a white ideal mentality.• African American women have been bleaching their

skin and straightening their hair since the 1850’s • Skin bleaching creams are widely available for

African American women. These products lighten their complexion, but they use harmful products such as mercury, that block melanin to give the skin pigmentation.

• Women of color often use hair extensions, wigs, or hair relaxers to achieve a more ideal appearance.

• “Many of the products can contain significant amounts of carcinogens and allergens such as formaldehyde. The choice for many of us to “go natural” would seem to present a simple solution, but it is a testimony to the embedded white beauty ideals that the choice is fraught with anxiety”. –The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective.

Mirror mirror on the wall……• “Worldwide sales of fragrances, cosmetics, and

toiletries have reached $330 billion per year, with the ten biggest companies accounting for more than half of all sales”. –Boston Women’s Health Book Collective.

• Commercials on TV are constantly showing us how to make our eyelashes longer, our hair shinier, our lips fuller, our skin clearer, and more.

• The majority of beauty products are marketed towards women.

• “The pursuit of beauty is often fraught with health and safety risks – some that are known and others that we’re still discovering. When blood and urine samples from twenty teenage girls from across the country were tested, they found carcinogens like formaldehyde and neurotoxins like lead are often found in trace amounts in cosmetics and personal care items”.- Boston Women’s Health Book Collective.

“Am I orange enough yet?”• Indoor tanning as become extremely popular,

but puts our bodies at a high risk for skin cancer.

• “A recent study of college students found that among those who had repeatedly used tanning beds, approximately one-third met an addiction standard, meaning they exhibited dependency the same way others are dependent on alcohol and drugs”. – The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective.

• Going tanning on a regular basis slowly damages our skin over time, in older age skin will become leathery, wrinkly, and spotty. The picture you see of the woman’s face is what melanoma skin cancer can look like.

“Make me look like her!...”• In 2010 alone there were more than 13

million cosmetic surgeries performed in the United States

• “Of the more than 1.5 million surgical procedures considered more invasive, breast augmentation (296,000) topped the list, followed by nose reshaping (252,000), eyelid surgery (209,000), liposuction (203,000), and tummy tucks (116,000).” – The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective.

• It doesn’t matter if your not rich and famous, even middle class women are getting plastic surgery. Black market surgeons perform cheap surgery's for women that can’t afford to go to the Hollywood doctors. These procedures can be high risk for infection and other problems.

Every Woman is Beautiful• “41 percent of the US women are larger

than a size 14, and only 10% of retailers cater to them.

• The average American woman weighs 165lbs.

• Women’s body parts such as the breasts are made up of fat. We as women need more body fat than men so that we can carry a child.

• Diet foods are extremely expensive, not all of us can afford to eat that way, therefore the processed food companies take advantage of that and reduce prices on less healthy foods.

• “When we are counting calories, over exercising in rote, uninspired ways, and/or spending so much mental energy on self-criticism, we forget what we used to enjoy doing, such as spending time with friends or pursuing our passions”. –The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective.

-The picture below is from a Dove advertisement. It is one of few ad campaigns that show beautiful powerful women of all shapes, colors, and sizes.

Discussion Question……

• What are some issue's that you have experienced with body image? Either positive or negative. If negative, what have you done to make your self feel better?........