"I
have a body! I am not my body! My body is a gift that I appreciate!
My body is not the real me!"
- Iyanla Vanzant Don't Give It Away 1999.
It can't
be denied; body image is a major factor in women's lives. Research has
shown that women are judged by culturally derived standards of attractiveness
(Rosenbaum and Chesney-Lind 1994). Girls are acutely aware of this.
They fully understand men, women, and society will judge them on their
appearance. It has been found that even in the Juvenile Justice system,
attractive females received less harsh treatment from the courts and
comments about attractiveness were found in narratives (Rosenbaum and
Chesney-Lind, 1994). Understanding this along with so much media representation
of how women are supposed to look, it is difficult for women to appreciate
their own bodies. How confusing for girls. As professionals try to encourage
them to be strong, society tells them "not too strong or they won't
be attractive to boys." The media says look sexy but professionals
say don't be sexual. It is difficult for all women to overcome society's
expectations of how women should, look, act, and feel. It is especially
hard for teenage girls.
Some ways
to help girls make sense of this confusing message is to make them aware
of the media's influence on society. They can participate in activities
that clearly show the expectations the media places on women are unrealistic
as well as unhealthy. The girls need to understand that real women do
not look like the models portrayed in magazines and that a 5'8"
girl should not be a size three.
Activities
included in this section:
Additional
information may be accessed by logging on to:
www.kybprogram.com
www.media-awareness.ca
www.anred.com
www.eatingdisorderinfo.org
www.edrecovery.com
