Double Entry Journal #4

Quote:
 Adolescent girls describe the ideal teenage girl as 5'7", 100 pounds, size 5, having blonde hair and blue eyes; however, a girl with these proportions is in the anorexic and amenorrheic range (Thompson & Heinberg, 1999). In fact, messages found in magazines "support, and even encourage, the perception that female happiness and success is tied to physical appearance, with ultra-thinness being the hallmark of beauty" (Thomsen et al., 2001, p. 134). Additionally, articles about nutrition in teen magazines actually place an emphasis on physical attractiveness rather than health. (Sauer & Robles-Piña, 2003)

Reaction:
Whoa - I can't believe that most girls describe the ideal teenager this way. It seems as if the message they are receiving through media are so out of whack with reality that girls can't properly gauge what is a reasonable weight for someone this height. I also doubt a girl 5'7 and 100 lbs would be anywhere near a size 5. Which is interesting to me because it makes me think that most teenage girls are aware that a size 0, for instance, is too small and abnormal, but they aren't making the same connection when it comes to weight. 

This summer I taught a media class at a summer camp for girls, and we talked about the images of women we saw in the media. One of the girls was a singer, but she said she was discouraged to pursue singing as a career because she doesn't look like the other singers she sees. It was disheartening to hear young women give up on a dreams because they don't "look the part." It made me wonder how many uber-talented girls this world is missing out on because of this.

We also discussed the changing image of female idealness between the present day and the 1800's - when bigger women were seen as the ideal. My understanding is that this had to do with money - the bigger a person was, the more they could spend on food and leisure, so it was a sign of wealth. What is interesting to me is that in a lot of ways, today's world is not all that different. I can imagine myself being able to afford a gym membership, weights and other exercise equipment if I had more disposable income. I could eat organic, fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean meats every meal (no more Wal-Mart 70/30 ground beef for me!). I could buy the nutritional supplements, diet pills and protein shakes, if I thought that might help.

Additional Resource:
 In the media class, we also watched the extended trailer for a movie called "Miss Representation."  When I read this week's article, it made me immediately think about this movie, which is all about how women are portrayed in the media.



(Newson, 2011)

Sources:

Newson, J. S. (Director) (2011). Miss representation [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5pM1fW6hNs

Sauer, H., & Robles-Piña, R. (2003). Magazines: What adolescent girls are reading and the way they shape body image. Retrieved from http://www.advancingwomen.com/awl/winter2003/SAUERR~1.html