Don't Buy It: Say hello

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Say hello

The winner of "America's Next Top Model" has been chosen! Say hello to Jaslene Gonzalez:

I figured since I discuss body image so much here, it was important to show these pictures. Every young girl watching this show has been told that Jaslene Gonzalez is the picture of beauty. The message this sends is terrible. She is so thin that she looks unhealthy and should under no circumstances be a role model for girls.

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Interestingly, "America's Next Top Model" is hosted by Tyra Banks, the same person I praised in an earlier entry for sending positive messages to girls.

Mixed messages, anyone?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...: ugh, yes Jaslene is skinny. But, it ticks me off how you said America's Next Top Model is showing girls that this is the image of beauty. How dare you to say she is not beautiful. Skinny girls have self-esteem too. Not to mention that Jaslene had confirmed that she does not ave an eating disorder and she feels sorry for the girls who do. I'm sick of people calling others out for being skinny, it's a natural thing for her and if she were to try and change that for your "image" of beauty, she would be doing exactly what anorexic girls do. Do not think of well I'm only saying this because I'm skinny. I'm a 14 year old girl who is five foot five and 160 pounds. I've got curves and I love them and I also love Jaslene's body. Calling her out for her body makes you just as bad as anyone else.; December 2, 2007 at 11:38 PM
Anonymous said...: the bitch looks nasty; October 21, 2008 at 7:09 PM
Anonymous said...: she could just be naturally skinny... they can't not chose her for that if she's the best model.. and she is a really good model.; June 8, 2010 at 11:22 PM

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Scientific Studies

Thin, sexy women and strong, muscular men: grade-school children's responses to objectified images of women and men

" Cultural images that objectify women are noticeable, and girls' responses to such images suggest that girls develop a pattern of response. Those girls who reject the images manifest higher body esteem and seem less vulnerable generally to the cultural ideal of thin, sexy women. Objectification is likely one factor among the "lived experiences" of being female that contributes to the gendered pattern found in the eating disorders of anorexia and bulimia. Smolak and Murnen (2001) argued that the gendered experiences of the "culture of thinness" promoted for girls, a greater experience of sexual harassment and sexual abuse which might contribute to body shame and loss of voice (see Smolak & Murnen, 2001, 2002; Smolak & Munstertieger, 2002), and limitations on women's achievement that focus girls on a good body as the key to success present a particular risk of body image and eating problems among girls and women. Objectification is part of this cultural constellation of factors."

Does Sex Really Sell?

"...does "sex sell," as the old adage goes? One survey suggests that consumers are inundated and fatigued. A recent poll by American Demographics magazine found that 61 percent of the respondents said "sexual imagery" in a product advertisement would make them less likely to buy it, and one-third were downright offended by the whole idea."

Sexual suggestiveness in online ads: effects of objectification on opposite genders

"Conclusions: The findings from the two studies suggest that even exposure to seemingly innocuous sexually suggestive ads can lead to disturbing antifemale sentiments such as objectification. An interesting observation was the finding that the constructs of male and female objectification are conceptually distinct. The null findings for 'Mediated Objectification' in Study 2 also suggests the possible operation of the availability heuristic in Study 1. While the effects observed here pertain to short-term effects only, future research will benefit by examining the effects of prolonged exposure to sexually suggestive material."

An examination of violence and gender role portrayals in video games: implications for gender socialization and aggressive behavior

"...the roles internalized by the child, including gender, become for the child, and later for the adult, a basis for other roles and for action. Thus, the gender role that is internalized by the individual when she or he is young necessarily has a significant impact upon the perspective of that individual and the additional roles she or he assumes in later life."