WOMEN & BODY IMAGE

What do these images say to us?

FOOTBINDING IN CHINA This practice started in court circles and spread to the wealthy. Eventually the families of the young girls in the countryside realized it could be a ticket to wealth and social mobility.

“EVEN MIRACLES TAKE A LITTLE TIME”

IMAGES OF WOMEN How do we view women’s bodies? Are women judged by their bodies more than men are? What effect do our images of women have on us?

INDUSTRIES PROFITING FROM WOMEN’S BODIES Hollywood Fashion industry Beauty products Fitness industry Diet industry Cosmetic surgery

CELEBRITY PLASTIC SURGERY Do media images of women affect how we see ourselves?

OBJECTIFICATION OF WOMEN Objectify: To treat or regard as an object To represent an abstraction as a physical thing Sexual objectification Occurs when a woman’s sexual parts or functions are separated out from her person Or when they are regarded as REPRESENTING HER

OBJECTIFICATION THEORY Women routinely experience sexual objectification through their life experiences and gender socialization Conditions girls and women to Regard and treat themselves as objects Evaluate themselves based on bodily appearance

SELF-OBJECTIFICATION Internalization of observer’s perspective Causes “body surveillance” Increases shame and anxiety about appearance Decreases awareness of internal body states Decreases experience of peak motivational states Increases risk for Eating disorders Depression Sexual dysfunction

FASHION INDUSTRY Today’s plus-sized models are between women’s sizes 6 and 14 Nearly half of US women are size 14 or larger Fashion models are usually size 0

EXPORTING OBJECTIFICATION Eating disorders were relatively uncommon outside of the US until the mid-80’s and 90’s Rates are increasing as globalization increases Starts among the affluent and spreads to lower socioeconomic classes Japan, Germany, Korea, Fiji are examples

YOUNG GIRLS &ADOLESCENTS By age 6, many girls wish to be thinner than they are May have already attempted to diet Influenced by both peer groups and media

YOUNG GIRLS &ADOLESCENTS Body dissatisfaction in young girls increases risk for: Low self-esteem Dieting behaviors Eating disorders Obesity Depression

CHILD BEAUTY PAGEANTS For-profit, one of the fastest-growing industries in the US Grosses over $5 billion annually Girls can start as soon as they can sit up on their own

LOLITA Images of sexualized young girls are increasingly common Progressively younger girls are being depicted Tension is between the cultural taboo and female power to provoke sexual desire

WOMEN OF COLOR Historically, African American and Latina women have been more accepting of larger body types This trend is reversing with increased influence of mass media Women of color in the media usually conform closely to the white beauty ideal Latina women are especially heavy consumers of beauty products

WOMEN OF COLOR

DISABLED WOMEN Truly invisible in the media Must deal with psychological assault of social stigmatization Comparison to the ideal often leads to negative body image Can contribute to increased anxiety, depression, and impaired self-concept

PREGNANCY Contributes to change in social role perception Often leads to increased feelings of body satisfaction Many women are dissatisfied with their weight and shape during the postpartum period

BREASTFEEDING Prior to the 1980’s, public breastfeeding was considered a form of indecent exposure Sexual objectification of women and the breast lead to hostile attitudes toward breastfeeding in public Women who score higher in self-objectification are less likely to breastfeed their infants

OLDER WOMEN Age-related changes Change in body fat distribution Decreased skin elasticity and wrinkles Chronic health problems People typically gain about 10 lb. per decade of life— associated with lower mortality

OLDER WOMEN “Double standard” of aging Body image increasingly related to ability and less to appearance Body dissatisfaction is similar among older and younger women Negative impact is less

WOMEN & BODY IMAGE

ACTIVITY Are advertising and media depictions of women unethical? How can we insulate our young people from the media’s negative effects? Is this an individual or community responsibility?

ACTIVITY Is the forum of a beauty pageant the best way to address the invisibility of disabled women? Is this empowering and barrier-breaking, or just encouraging more objectification?

ACTIVITY What is the role of the ubiquitous media images of the idealized version of a western woman? How do western ideals of “freedom” come into play? Does exporting our values help or hurt women in other cultures?

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REFERENCES Kessler, K. (2010). Self-objectification, body image, eating behaviors, and exercise dependence among college females. University of North Texas. Retrieved from Kite, L. (2011, February 28). Beauty Whitewashed: How White Ideals Exclude Women of Color | BEAUTY REDEFINED. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from women-of-color/ Liechty, T., Yarnal, C., & others. (2010). The role of body image in older women’s leisure. Journal of Leisure Research, 42(3), 443–467. Loth, K. A., Bauer, K. W., Wall, M., Berge, J., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2011). Body satisfaction during pregnancy. Body Image. Martin, C. L., & Baugh, E. J. (2011, April 26). Minority women, media, and body image. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from Moradi, B., & Huang, Y.-P. (2008). Objectification theory and psychology of women: A decade of advances and future directions. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 32(4), 377–398. doi: /j x Painful memories for China’s footbinding survivors. (2007, March 19).NPR.org. Retrieved from Pruis, T. A., & Janowsky, J. S. (2010). Assessment of body image in younger and older women. The Journal of General Psychology: Experimental, Psychological, and Comparative Psychology, 137(3), 225–238.