So I'm walking, camera in hand and ipod headphone dangling precariously from one ear (Is it the ear buds or are my ears just weirdly shaped?) when I stumble upon this.
You can spot in the distance the sign which I saw seconds later.....
I've never been one to get fired up over the media and it's influence on body image and gender roles. If anything I didn't want to be seen as getting in a tizzy about it because therapists I met in treatment were so quick to villainize the media. I haven't seen either of these programs and am not commenting on them specifically. What disturbs me is that these two signs are nothing unusual. It worries me that I've passed those posters hundreds of times and thought nothing of it. It's like these messages have grown so pervasive that they're just a part of daily life and become almost subliminal, influencing our values and ideals without us realizing it. A person can avoid reading magazines or watching specific movies if they know they're sensitive to these things but what about when they leave their house to go to the drugstore?
Seeing the efforts of companies such as Dove with their "real beauty" campaign not really make a huge difference is so disheartening. It's like there's this giant unstoppable machine rolling through the streets, gaining momentum and bowling people over. What frustrates me the most is seeing this and feeling powerless to stop it, that outside of typing up some rant on my blog there's nothing I can do.
I walk past a kiddie ballet studio every day and see little girls, faces radiating joy as they prance up to the barre in their tutus. I wish I could scoop them all up, rescue them, run to their mothers and plead with them to protect their daughters. But I keep walking. I want to make a difference, to help people. But first I have to help myself. Then you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be tearing down all those signs with my bare hands if I have to.
help yourself first, then you'll have the strength to help others! things like this in the media make me so angry sometimes..
ReplyDeleteomg this video was sent to me about a year ago and honestly, it is the reason i went into treatment. it is so true--everything she says. why does our society teach us that we must look a certain way?? everyone is different, unique in their own way. this post was beautiful. we can change this.
ReplyDeletelove,
becca
Its really sad to see how much pressure is put onto people now adays to look a certain way.
ReplyDeleteI wish people could learn to be happy with themselves and love themselves for who they are.
xox
Laura
I hate not being able to go a day without having some new weight loss tip or diet shoved into my face; our world is obsessed with looking a certain way, to the point where weight gain becomes more frightening than death. It's just wrong, and the worst part is... it's not getting any better. If anything, it's simply getting worse.
ReplyDeleteLook me up if you need help tearing down those damned signs...
You are so right, Rachael.
ReplyDeleteWe're being sold the image of perfection. We're being forced into believing that to be beautiful you have to be 5 foot 11, rake-thin, with perfect skin, hair and eyes.
Perfection is unattainable. These images are photoshopped, and those runway models are deprived of any normalcy.
There's no escaping it - but we can choose to believe otherwise.
We are all unique, and that uniqueness is beautiful. We are all incredible women with talent, ambition, intelligence - we all deserve to be happy, healthy and enjoying life.
Beauty isn't definable (if that's a word?). Beauty is individual and beauty is something we all encompass.
Screw what the media says! We're amazing, and that's that.
Love,
Eleanor. xo
I hate the media. The other day I picked up a banana and it had a sticker on it that said "LOSE WEIGHT" wtffffff???????????? I think it's a great goal to help yourself and then help others. That's what I want to do too! Get the word out the beauty is not thinness. Thinness is not beauty. I agree with eleanor - screw the media! We're good enough just the way we are!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agree with you here. It's so irritating because it's like, you know that there are all these underlying messages in the media, and even though everyone is aware of it, it doesn't seem to stop anything, you know? If everyone would just worry about themselves, it would probably be a lot easier... don't try to compare yourself to other people and don't judge what other people look like. Which sounds so nice and simple, doesn't it?!
ReplyDelete<3 <3
<3 <3
ReplyDeletei just balled my eyes out watching that video
thank you girly. you motivated me.
Women need to rise up and show that we aren't willing to take this bullshit anymore but we're all just getting so brainwashed. When we all get better, I say we go on some kind of rampage.
ReplyDeleteI wish that everyone could just accept themselves for the way they are. We are all beautiful in our own way. <3 That little girl rocks, I hope she doesn't fall to the media's influence.
and yes. I am so so triggered by the media. I hate it. yet it surrounds us everyday.
ReplyDeleteI hate the media. I can't even walk into 7-11 to grab a drink without being bombarded with a magazine rack covered with headlines of "drop ten pounds fast!" or "how ___ ____ lost the weight in two weeks!" I hate how we let it be okay. That video was so beautiful and inspiring - I'm bookmarking this post so I can share it with others. -Kylee
ReplyDeletelove what you said about helping yourself first..AMEN, you cannot do anything well without being well yourself! love you girl :) stay strong!
ReplyDeleteFab post :-)
ReplyDeleteI believe that while the media doesn't necessarily cause eating disorders directly, it provides a framework in which weightloss and thinness become desirable and accepted parts of life, thus making it easier for ED behaviours to be justified, both by sufferers and those around them.
The worst thing about this, is that these values are touted as the key to happiness, when in fact the reverse is often true. A world in which inadequate nutrition is encouraged and celebrated will inevitably produce a society of unhappy individuals who are unable to function to their full potential due to their preoccupation with food and weight.
We need strong, charismatic figures to speak out against this and to teach us to how to love food and ourselves in a healthy way.
Sorry rant over ;)
Sarah x
I'm with you. I'm so tired of seeing some new weight loss tip shoved in my face or some disgustingly unrealistic and over-sexualized image of women and girls every time I turn around.
ReplyDeleteThe media has become a terrible influence for young women. There is absolutely no doubt about it. Reality TV is another "nail in the coffin" if you ask me. And the fashion industry, that I was a part of, is truly sickening at best. It is NOT easy being a young woman today, or a young girl, or woman of any age for that matter!
ReplyDeleteRachael--thank you for sharing this video! The media has long been something I've wanted to rise up against--specifically because I was a journalism major in college and I hated almost every minute of it. I went into school knowing that I was a pretty decent writer and thinking that the journalism world would be just like the innocent little bubble of my town's weekly newspaper where all I wrote about was people's life stories. NOT SO! I soon realized that the people (and professors) that were in my classes were veritable sharks--they'd do anything to get a story and that was NOT my style. I signed up a few months back to run a Campaign for Real Beauty workshop for women and girls--maybe you might like to help me? Feel free to email me anytime!!
ReplyDelete