For today's assignment I'm going to have you do a couple of things. First, please read the two assigned articles. Next, please select a health or fitness magazine (if you are male select a men's magazine, if you are a female select a women's magazine). Spend some time reading or viewing the magazine. Now, tell me how this magazine "defines" or constructs the concept of "health." You're going to have to think deeply about how the magazine frames health and what it means to be healthy. How is this depicted visually and textually? What are the socio-cultural ideals presented in these magazines? Following from our last conversation, who might be vulnerable to these representations and why? Can you make an effects claim and ground it in theory? Finally, how did reading this magazine make you feel about your own physical self-concept?Due: Sept. 16 @ 5 p.m.
1) Now, tell me how this magazine "defines" or constructs the concept of "health." You're going to have to think deeply about how the magazine frames health and what it means to be healthy.
ReplyDeleteI went to the fitness magazine website instead of a physical copy. It appears to construct health for women by toning, and allows for some amount of bulk. It means regularly exercising for a purpose, being a goal-setter-and-achiever, and eating veggie desserts. For men, it’s more bulky and defined. Also, being healthy is a super-happy thing to do all the time. Pay no mind dears to how dehydrated and miserable that guy has to be to get his muscles to stand out like that – he’s smiling.
2) How is this depicted visually and textually?
The first thing I saw when opening the website was a header about running for fun, and an image of female legs running. I don’t think this magazine is for athletes really, because those weren’t athlete legs with major muscle development- they were softer. I also think that because the text talks about being motivated for short work-outs and focuses on beauty and self-efficacy feeling good as the primary motivations for exercising, for example:
“Just 22 minutes per day will make you look and feel great—even in your skinniest skinny jeans.”
“The five-foot-four-inch blonde is a tornado of energy, sprinting around her Flywheel classes doling out high-fives, encouraging words, and happy dances to riders in need of a pick-me-up.”
3) What are the socio-cultural ideals presented in these magazines?
a) be white – seriously, where’s the diversity?
b) be about 30
c) setting and achieving fitness goals is the golden means for happiness and fulfillment.
d) have a tight tummy, and toned arms, and a self-disciplined fitness regimen.
e) I think this is one of those ways we judge a person’s righteousness in a secular culture. In our more secular western culture, we no longer look for things like chastity as a manifestation of self-discipline, so we’ve turned to other things, like fitness to be a measure of how self-disciplined someone is.
ReplyDelete4) Following from our last conversation, who might be vulnerable to these representations and why?
Those who are developing identity such as adolescents, or I’ll propose the idea of those re-developing identity because they’ve had some major life change. Those who already have some other emotional or physiological issues, latch on to some cultural thing given to them, to be the manifestation of their illness. This is one possible latch. It seems like a healthier latch choice than some other alternatives…but any obsessive behavior, even obsession over health, is unhealthy. It seems from the article on volleyball players, even the psychologically healthy become affected – such as the volleyball player who said comments on her body didn’t make her want to practice bulimia, but it did bring down her game – she shouldn’t have to sacrifice game skill at the alter of body image.
5) Can you make an effects claim and ground it in theory?
Self concept is grounded in the identity development of socialization…and normative beliefs. Compartmentalization of self-concepts brings to my mind the negativity bias theory…if the positive and negative pulls in one compartment are equal, won’t the person give more weight to the negative? Uses and Grats – people use women’s magazines for the purpose of comparison. Self-comparison upwards leads to depression and self esteem issues. It does make me wonder about role models – what are the factors that make the role model more on the positive, inspiring, side? Or more on the negative, self-comparison, side?
6)Finally, how did reading this magazine make you feel about your own physical self-concept?
Thankfully I’ve had a lot of time to come to terms with my own body-concept. I’ve lived through all kinds of body sizes and forms, and found happiness in all of them, so I didn’t feel as pulled into compare myself as I would have in my teen years…though I’m not immune: I caught myself comparing body aspects like my ankles, hair, clarity of skin, and I think I did latch on to the idea of emotionally feeling better when I’ve been in more fit phases; which allowed me more strength and stamina to keep up with the rest of my life.
Exit thought: One of your papers discussed models and actresses being more boxy or boyish – is our youth obsession driving so far as to want a child’s body? – I think that’s kind of creepy- pedophile-ish aspect of our culture (shudder).
This is one assignment i need to make conscious effort to be dispassionate about, especially coming from a different culture where you hardly notice any media, society or peer pressure compelling people to conform to certain body type. Fact is, anyone who feels too big or fat may want to consider a visit to Nigeria- We love our women BIG!
ReplyDeleteWell, back to more germane discuss.
Reading through the assigned article, i realized how much of a superficial observer i have been of issues around media and body language. Except that it is more profound in the media, the society seem to be an accomplice at reinforcing the influences.
Flipping through the pages of "Men's Health Magazine" it was obvious, their concept of health is defined by outward appearance. They glorify fitness, sex, and health style to the extent that the more muscle you have, the more you are loved, accepted and successful in life. To accomplish this, the magazine through trainers initiated programs like 'Get back in shape" an 8 weeks intensive exercise routine for the gullible.(just my opinion).
To make the routine plausible and appealing to the youth and young at heart, pictures of perfectly sculpted body of middle age men adorn the entire magazine. Exercises were display with the men looking quite satisfied, all smiles and without breaking a sweat to accomplish their body goals. Apparently conscious of their target audience, they deployed apt textual messages to motivate to action...
"...but you can't sit around and wait for the right time to burst out
of your rut forever. There will always be something in your way-
Work deadlines, a steamy relationship, a fussy child, an injury.
That's why today is the perfect day to finally make a change"
The Magazine attempt to capture the realities of day-to-day challenges to validate why readers Must get into their program for a chiseled Midsection.
This gimmick leaves the youth, particularly Teen most vulnerable because their mental perception of what they look like is easily distorted, leading them to engage in risk behaviors when they feel they don't measure up to the impossible goal set before them.
The reality however, is that studies have shown that exercises once considered to be effective way to trim belly fat, get lean and fit and look younger...have now been shown to cause middle-age belly fat, loss of lean toned muscle and inflamation that causes people to age faster.
A fitness and fat loss expert and Author of Max Workouts, Sin Ohtake revealed that after age 35, the body homonally changes and you start to gain weight easier, especially around the stomach area.
It is on record that 69% of girls in 5th-12th grades reported that magazine pictures influenced their idea of a perfect body shape-(National Ass. of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders). Another study by Rader Program found that "Adolescent girls were more fearful of gaining weight than getting Cancer, Nuclear war or loosing their parents.
If that is not scary enough, The Center for Disease Control in a survey of adolescents ages 14-18, revealed that more than 59% of females and 29% of males were trying to lose weight. Over 18% of girls and 8% of boys had gone without food for 24 hours or more to lose weight in the last 30 days (CDC,2004)
The media cannot feign ignorance of this studies, hence their inability to give prominence to this dangerous trend make their action consistent with Propaganda Theory because they simply intentionally suppress potentially harmful information ,practices and ideas.
To a large extent, i sympathize with those who are incapable of shifting their focus away from how they don't measure up to the images in the media. My values, perception and self concept is not built around Mirror, Man, Media, Magazines or Movie star portrayals. I know my body is a gift and i have a responsibility to keep it healthy and happy the Lords way and not the worlds way.
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ReplyDeleteA few of the articles that I read in Men’s Health included:
ReplyDelete“The One Exercise Workout for Anytime You Don’t Feel Like Working Out”
“4 Daily Exercises Every Navy SEAL (and Every Fit Guy) Should Do”
“6 Mistakes That Will Keep You Fat”
“The Move That Makes Your Belly Disappear”
Each articles I read featured handsome men with more muscle on one arm than I have on my entire body (yes I am drawing comparisons). The text is interesting in that it makes the reader feel that doing Navy Seal exercises and 1,000 crunches a day is the norm. Very few men achieve the standard of fitness described in these articles.
Men’s Health is the world’s largest men’s magazine and has an average of 38 million page views a month. The numbers speak to the fact that millions of people are reading and processing these messages. The magazine includes articles on fitness, fashion, nutrition and sexuality. The danger is that reading about the “ideal male” again and again will influence ones normative beliefs. Continually falling short of these ideal behaviors may create self-loathing and depression in completely capable and “normal” individuals.
Those that succeed in living the standard set in Men’s Health magazine may be doing more harm than help. According to the content in the magazine, successful men are those that are physically strong and good at sex. But certainly the mastery of these two areas does not translate to ones overall health. Some men are genetically incapable of being 200 pounds of muscle no matter how diligent they are with their workout routine. My mom’s brother worked for years in the gym in an attempt to look like men in fitness magazines. He tried every kind of protein and workout available, but ultimately never got much bigger. Eventually he gave up and moved on with his life, but this is a common behavior for many males and females.
The tone of each of the article I read was very assumptive and unapologetic. It describes the proper behaviors for becoming what you should already be. This can be extra dangerous for teenagers that are perhaps in the most important socializing period of their lives. Some may turn to magazines to gratify their need for validation of current behaviors or to look for new behaviors altogether. Pressure comes from all angles to look, act, and feel a certain way. This can lead to a life-long pursuit of changing oneself to be what others have established as the norm. Each article targets one area of the body that needs improvement. One of the lines I pulled from my reading was: “Building your back can make you appear slimmer, even if you haven't lost an inch around your middle.” Over time these messages add up and play a major role in the development of normative beliefs.
I can’t say that the articles I read from Men’s Health had no effect on my own physical self-concept. I am an avid runner, but ever since I broke my foot a few years ago, I haven’t been as active. Reading these articles made me feel the urge to get out and get into better physical shape. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is interesting that I began comparing my current physical state to that of those featured or described in the articles. I am a competitive person and seeing others who are capable of doing something that I am not pushes me to do better.
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Deletewhoa Jason! i felt the same way too after reading content from men's fitness for about half an hour. I started thinking that i could improve my workout routine which somedays are better than others. I think that is a good point you bring up that some guys are never gonna look like the magazine pictures. I feel like i am one of those guys. I could get strongger and more fit but I will never be that huge. Some of us just cant expect that nor need to. That would not be healthy for me at least
DeleteI reviewed the September issue of Men’s Health. The publishers tout the magazine as providing “information and tips on fitness, health, career, relationships, nutrition, recipes, weight-loss and muscle building.” Articles in the issue hit on all of these topics with titles such as, Add Years to Your Life, Abs and Arms, Save Your Marriage, The Ultimate Pushup Workout, The Verdict on Saturated Fat, and How to Survive a Fall. If one was to follow all of the recommendations (or even some) and do the various exercises, they couldn’t help but experience health improvements, no matter their current physical or emotional state. That said, the magazine frames health as being physically fit with defined arms and legs, and ripped abs. To be healthy, one must also have a healthful low fat diet and nourish their relationship sexually and emotionally. Personally, I had little issues with the content of the articles. I felt its messages did in fact promote men’s health, as the title indicates. I was also left inspired to try some of the suggestions.
ReplyDeleteVisually, Men’s Health depicts men that appear to be in superior shape with less than 3% body fat. I can make that assumption on percentage because I was once there. Throughout high school and college, I boasted 2% body fat, a six-pack (not to brag) and well-defined muscles. That was because I ran track, worked out six days week, and avoided refined sugars. I was in great shape and felt healthy physically. So, those Men’s Health models, in essence, do depict a physically healthy male. I find nothing wrong with that. My days of running, working out religiously, and avoided cookies and brownies are long gone. I would love step back into my 21-year-old body and have the physical physique of the male models in Men’s Health. The reality is, that’s not happening. There’s something call testosterone in us males that decreases with age and there is no escape from the physiological change. I’m okay with that, but with exercise and a healthful diet, I know I can prolong those changes. Still I have no desire to put in the time and effort necessary to try to achieve that youthful body.
Health is more than one’s physical appearance – how I feel emotionally and spiritually plays a big role overall. Unfortunately, a young teen flipping through Men’s Health does not see photos that display emotional health; they get a steady diet of men with bulging muscles and ads depicting metrosexual “pretty boy” males. On its face, those appear to be the socio-cultural ideals that represent a healthy male presented in Men’s Health. How many teenage boys are actually reading the articles; they look at those “pretty boys” with big muscles and aspire to be like them, at whatever cost.
Social comparison theory comes into play when looking at the effect of how “real men” are depicted in Men’s Health. I think any male viewing the magazine can’t help but compare their physical physique to those in the photos: Am I as muscular as him? Can I look like him? What do I need to do to look like him? Those are some questions males may ask. The danger lies is obsessing in looking like the men in the magazine and neglecting familial and religious sectarian responsibilities.
Reading the magazine made me feel I need to step up my game to become more physically healthy. That’s a positive effect. I use to model. My photos can be seen on books, a cereal box, Miracle Whip jar, semi trucks, billboards, print and online ads, and in fitness centers at Marriott Hotels. I can’t escape the images of my younger and more athletic self. I feel proud of the magnificent shape I use to be in, but at the same time, seeing that I am no longer that young man in those photos makes me feel a little (just a tiny bit) self-conscious of my shirtless body. At the same time, those modeling photos help to inspire me to work harder to be in good physical shape, while also attuning to my emotional and spiritual needs to achieve an overall healthy balanced lifestyle.
I will agree with you that after looking through the magazines, I did feel inspired to improve my well-being by eating more healthy and exercising a bit more, but today, I ate Panda Express for lunch. Social comparison theory plays a huge part in this because I feel, well at least for the women magazines, that they are directed at the reader and if the reader is not looking or feeling like what is depicted in the pictures, then they must change. In order to do this, they give all these aesthetic suggestions on how to look like the models/celebrities. This just made me think of the Old Spice commercials where Isaiah Mustafa says, "look at your man, now back to me" is another way to compare the bodies. It's a great and hilarious commercial, but it glorifies the outward appearance.
Delete
ReplyDeleteIt was so weird reading these two articles and skimming through the June 2015 issue of Women’s Health Magazine to the point that I realized how much of an effect media has on how I visualize my own health. After looking at the issue, I went and took a peek at all of the 2015 covers. Nine out of 10 covers showed the stomach and thighs (in more sexual poses). I also noticed that the articles that made the cover we about your "best butt", "best shape ever", "your sexiest body","bikini body".
Visually these magazines show health (women’s) in two ways. Healthy is thin or healthy is defined. I really felt like I agreed with the phrase “normal...would require being perfect” as the girls expressed what they felt was normal in regards to women’s beauty(Thomsen, Bower, Barnes). I think this makes sense in how media depicts being healthy too. I feel that media (magazines) show that healthy means perfection. We are constantly seeing exercises and diets throughout the magazines and I feel that in order to be “healthy” on their standards, I must also be on a diet and workout often.
The ideals presented match what the volleyball players and anorexic out-patients were mentioning. Beauty and health means tall and thin, with a boxy look rather than curves. We see these, what I call “doctored” photos and think these women are real. Truth is, how many of these pictures are “normal pictures”. We have defined what “normal”, “healthy”, and “beauty” are, based off of altered photos.
I think all young men and women are vulnerable to these images and the ideals presented by the media. What is even worse is that we believe what the media is telling us. If the media says thin and tall is healthy and beautiful, then I guess it must be true. Men are expected to have six-packs and defined biceps in order to be fit or healthy and attractive (physically). I know guys who diet and workout so much that it is NOT healthy, but more strain to their bodies.
The effects of this type of media is that we destroy and injure our own bodies to try and become what the media tells us is healthy. We develop a self-concept that we are not healthy enough because we don’t look like the pictures. Like the anorexic outpatients, we too our vulnerable to going to the extremes to become what we see in the media (Thomsen, McCoy, Williams).
To be honest, these readings made me realize how vulnerable I have been to these messages. I have never had an eating disorder, but I have seen myself consider extreme diets to “drop a few pounds”. I have seen myself angry that I don’t have solid thighs or a totally flat tummy. I totally related to the volleyball players. Although I wasn’t super great at sports, I have always been the tallest girl. It was hard to accept that my friends weighed 120 lbs, but that if I, at 6’2” ever weighed that little, I would probably be dead. I would never be a size 2 in jeans or a 32-C bra size, but I found myself still trying. If my family circumstances were different (more difficult like the out-patients), I wonder if I would have been vulnerable to an eating disorder. A little scary to think about.
Shae'la, you bring up a good point about "doctored" photos. I believe this happens a lot. It's so easy to make someone look thinner and remove any imperfection from their skin. I've done this to others on Photoshop, with their request. If someone wanted me to thin their mid section, it easily done in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately, teens probably aren't aware of the doctored photos and take all images at face value.
DeleteI think a great study (I don't know if it's been done) is to see how well people can identify how much a model is photoshopped. I know with my design/advertising background I can see more than most of my peers, but I'm still probably not as good as I think I am.
DeleteYour submission is quite apt..."The danger lies is obsessing in looking like the men in the magazine and neglecting familial and religious sectarian responsibilities". It is okay to desire the body as depicted in Magazines or perhaps fantasize about the body of our youth. I was an active member of a Martial art group in my Teens, and boy, i was really ripped and it didn't come cheap. I had to contend with long hours of rigorous training sessions, rehearsals and workouts which deprived me of some fun times with family. But how selfish that will make me today, considering the time and commitment it will require of me to get a "six-pack abs".
ReplyDeleteYou can see in the points highlighted by Jason Freeman:
“The One Exercise Workout for Anytime You Don’t Feel Like Working Out”
“4 Daily Exercises Every Navy SEAL (and Every Fit Guy) Should Do”
“6 Mistakes That Will Keep You Fat”
“The Move That Makes Your Belly Disappear”.
All devoid of the time/commitment it will take to achieve that goal. Even in instances where it is stated, how realistic are these goals?
As an affectionate father, I am content with my "6-pack abs" (a loving wife and 5 adorable children) which makes your statement, quoted above, very profound.
I looked at an older “Health” magazine. It was from December 2010 and Janet Jackson was on the cover of “how she got her great new shape!” Inside the magazine, it did have a few things on what people would think of as “health” like how to cure your cold instantly, how to stop breast cancer before it starts, and quite a few ads of medications like Cymbalta and Humira (they were in small print, of course). However, I think this magazine constructs the concept of “health” because it mostly shows the aesthetic appearances of beauty like staying gorgeous, how to get a great chest, and the use of models to advertise holiday dresses. They have the ideal look: thin and flawless. This magazine frames health by the way you look and what you put on your outer appearance. They substitute health for beauty. There’s an article that’s entitled, “The World’s Best Stay-Gorgeous Secrets,” and the picture above has a plethora of cosmetics and the subtitle underneath says, “We traveled the globe to find the ultimate youth-boosting moves.” This magazine also encourages that in order to “stay gorgeous” the best way is to look as young for as long as you can. It’s giving the impression that young is the only gorgeous. There was only one article near the beginning entitled, “The Single Best Body-Confidence Booster” with how to embrace yourself and how to appreciate “diverse, gorgeous body types… including yours.” It was very small and easy to overlook when reading the entire magazine.
ReplyDeleteThis type of message seems to target older adolescents and 20-35 year olds because this is when women are growing into their bodies and are seeing them develop and settle. When women have children, their bodies start to change again. It’s a constant battle. Very few women are okay with getting older. Most women aren’t ready to start getting older and having their looks change. Personally, I am not ready to get older. I don’t want my looks to change just yet. I also think that anyone who wishes to change to "look thinner" or lose a couple pounds are the most vulnerable and those who are athletic. They are always striving for that perfect physique that is never attainable unless there is Photoshop.
I did start to reflect on my own self-image. I started to compare my body with the models showing yoga exercises and the outfits they were wearing as well. Maybe not comparing myself with them, but I was more judgmental of how they looked; if they had a flat tummy, small arms, and if their technique was decent. I feel like most, if not, everybody struggles a little bit with our self-concept of how we look physically. It has been a struggle with me since I became a more serious ballet dancer. The physicality of a ballerina is crucial. They need to have a very lean body that is attractive to the art: long legs, long arms, flexible feet as well as the entire body. In a ballet class there are full length mirrors that stretch across an entire wall, sometimes two walls. Dancers are vain. They are always looking at their bodies to make sure that their bodies are aligned and where it needs to be to execute the dance steps correctly. The downside of these mirrors increase their own judgement of themselves as well as others and comparing themselves to each other. So I guess I still sometimes struggle with that mentality of comparing my body to others or judging other women on how they look. I try not to compare/judge and, instead, use the mirror and watch my body on how I execute the dance steps and how I can improve. It has been something I was surrounded by a lot through my adolescent years. I feel lucky that my ballet teachers never told me to lose weight, and I never heard them say it in front of other girls. I only heard it discussed among my peers of how they feel about their own bodies and compare them to other dancers or professional dancers. That makes you consider how your own body looks compared to others. It's kind of a vicious circle and a struggle that I know I will probably have to work on for the rest of my life.
Hi Sara, i almost drop my jaw when i read in your write up..."I am not ready to get older. I don’t want my looks to change just yet". Then almost immediately you nailed it with your comment that..."anyone who wishes to change to "look thinner" or lose a couple pounds are the most vulnerable" That opinion is also corroborated by Othello Richards Jr. in what he described as those..."obsessing in looking like the men in the magazine". People need to educate themselves and raise their awareness beyond what the magazines conceptualize as what a perfect body shape should look like. The truth is, there are inevitable involuntary actions taking place in our body often times without notice.The aftereffect of which is aging! I used to pride myself with my focal dexterity years back, today i can barely read without reading aid. Did i ever want the "eyes of my youth" to deteriorate, Nope! Yet, it did. It has been scientifically and medically proven that our skin actually replaces itself every month, our stomach lining is replaced every five days, our liver replenishes every six weeks and our skeleton does it every three months. It is prudent therefore, to care less about changes in the body (which is inevitable) and care more about being healthy and happy.
DeleteI remember dance class being the place where I learned how to do crunchies that didn't make your stomach bulky. Dancers really do want to develop strength in slender lines.
DeleteReading Men’s Fitness was almost a fitness overdose. I feel like that construct of health was in my mind kinda like this, “MUSCLE! PROTEIN! SCULPTING!!!” Lots of these words and pictures to demonstrate what it takes to me a fit man. Guys lifting weights many with their shirts off but not all. But I didn’t see a lot of being able to be fit and being thin. There was no section for cross country runners or basketball player frames. I will give them that they did have articles about obese men losing weight…then becoming ironmen competitors. But I did see one section that had tips how to have a workout plan on a low budget using water jugs and sand bags to lift. I could relate to that one and felt positive feelings about my workout plan. Still the socio-culture of fitness was more defined in the constant pictures of rock hard abs and gigantic biceps. One article warned about the possibility of “how the dad-bod can sneak up on you”. To me it is not as much as being a father as it is not watching your weight two different things. So to associate those together in my opinion is really an attempt to discredit fatherhood. This is further evidenced in that being about men’s health and fitness, there were no highlighted articles about men’s mental, emotional, or social health, including family life.
ReplyDeleteNow I did feel like the teenage volleyball players as they evaluated the women in the magazines in the study by Thomsen, Bower and Barnes (2004). I thought “those guys are taking something that I don’t care to put into my body. They are too concerned about muscles. Being fit is more than just about that. I don’t even want to be that way”. But after reading the magazine for about half an hour I admit that my mind started to think about my own body and work out routines. I started thinking, “Huh I wonder if I should work out harder. I really should. I need a little bit more muscles. I am too thin of a guy. “Weird. But I feel like you always have to look at the whole in context.
The anorexic article by Thomsen, McCoy and Williams (2001) describe what is called the social comparison theory. The theory states that mass media is used comparative or self-evaluative purposes (p. 54). The anorexic women were trying to compete with the women they saw in the magazines (p. 55). Really I feel we are comparing ourselves with fictional characters. There’s a very slight chance that I could realistically be as big as some of those guys in the magazine. Nevertheless we tend to do this in an effort to compete with the ideal and outdo them. I experienced that then in a small sense. I feel like men aren’t as affected by it as much as women. And fortunately I stay away from most of these magazines thankfully in other distractions like TV. But it is very probable for teenage youth to be vulnerable to this type of material, especially male athletes in football or other high strength sports. I have gone to the gym regularly in my young life and have seen many guys and have even had peers who continually keep trying to lift more and more. Being healthy is a good thing but sometimes I felt even content in the magazine was pushing the limit of healthy and impressive. One article “Build muscle and break any plateau with BFR” almost supported the blood flow restriction while lifting weights. The article never said that it would produce massive results and at times gave cautions while doing this to your body. It said that those with vascular disease should not do this. I was a little shocked that it would even suggest such an idea when they are supposed to promote in men’s health. Maybe that’s just me but I don’t want to restrict my blood if I don’t have to.
"Fitness overdoes" indeed!!
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ReplyDeleteAnorexia nervosa and people affected by it have been my fascination for years. Why do they do it? What are they trying to achieve? Were they pretty before they started? Aren't they afraid of dying? All of these questions have occupied my mind for a long time. Having a bit of an obsession with aesthetic beauty myself (hey, I am from Europe and we are all crazy about looks) I can't say I haven't considered a surgery or two. The articles I read (usually online health articles, like the ones on bodybuilding.com) always seem to portray having a flat tummy, a nice round bum and large breasts as being healthy, BUT HEY! How can a small girl with no fat on her have all of these things? I have struggled with this for years. I wanted to look "healthy" and "athletic" not realizing that most of the pictures in the magazines are not even real. I tried though :)
ReplyDeleteNow to people who are most affected by the beauty standards being set by media. As Bayo mentioned, each culture has its own ideals of beauty and what is gorgeous in one country, might not be considered attractive in another country. It does seem, however, that perfectionist culture with high expectations fosters perfectionist feelings in people. "If everyone else around me works out 6 times a week, I must too." Health is unavoidably linked to thinness. Such nonsense, by the way. I mean the most athletic women I know (just like one of the articles points out) ARE NOT THIN. In fact, most of them are overweight in my opinion (because I come from a culture of long-legged skinny women).
The power media has over our body image is truly frightening. Even as adults we are not immune to its damaging messages. Next time you look at that "flawless model", remember that NO IMAGES go into magazines without being photoshopped. Oh, and that she probably doesn't have boobs. Yup.
Media magazines seem to define health strictly by appearance. These girls are probably among the healthiest in their schools because of their regular exercise, yet their perception of health seems to be completely appearance-based. The body mass index measure is well established as a standard even though it essentially uses appearances (height and weight) to measure overall health. The Center for Disease Control Center recently found that BMI is often an incorrect indicator of actual health (source: goo.gl/vFKlis). Those who fit ideals may actually not be healthy. Those who don’t fit ideals may actually be very healthy. Ironically the BMI measure is significantly more accurate than using the images in magazines as a standard.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was particularly interesting that the combination of media messages and peer messages seemed to be particularly potent in affecting the volleyball girls’ self-concepts. When one socializing agent (peer telling girl he looks at her butt while she’s playing volleyball) reinforces another socializing agent photographs in (magazines emphasize beauty rather than ability), it seems that these messages are especially powerful. It was powerful enough that the girl reported that it affected her game because she was focused on how she *looked* while performing rather than simply focusing on athletic performance.
I read a study once that teenage girls perform lower on math test when they are dressed more sexually. The conclusion was that some of the girls’ focus was on how people were looking at them rather than on completing the math test. It seems that a similar problem is happening here. Because of the media messages and other socializing agents, women give some of their focus to one self-concept (how I look in my spandex), rather than another (focusing on athleticism and performance). This focus shift affects how they perform. I think that it’s sad that they aren’t just enjoying the game—enjoying performing well.
I also saw this trend in the Internalizing the Impossible article. When the junior high student lost 10 pounds, “she experienced a new sense of popularity at school” (Thomsen et al., p. 56). This student later started reading magazines and using them as a socializing agent in building her body image self-concept. It seems that the anorexic patients used the magazines for this purpose. It was fascinating (and so sad) that women use articles about anorexia to learn how to be a better anorexic. How can we change how we present media messages about anorexia so as to not encourage the habit? How can we (as socializing agents in the lives of others) make sure we aren’t reinforcing harmful attitudes and messages?
As for my personal body image? I’ve recently been trying to avoid hearing and perpetuating harmful messages. I un-follow Pinterest boards that promote appearance-based health choices. I avoid giving appearance-based compliments to my friends even though it’s such a natural expression in our culture. I exercise with strength goals in mind (run further than I have before) rather than appearance goals. I still feel inundated with media messages and peer messages about body image, but making these choices has helped. I really try to not be the socializing agent in others’ lives who encourages them that their appearance is their most important feature.
I chose to look at Shape magazine, which may have made me dumber by just going through it. First and foremost, it is obvious that this magazine, as well as other magazines mentioned by my peers, are subject to cultural trends...and all tend to follow these same trends of everyone in tiny booty shorts, sports bras, slightly glistening bodies, tanned, toned, sexual superwoman. It reflects the Ferguson quote in the Thomsen, McCoy, and Williams (2001) article: "readers of women's magazines are presented with examples of superwomen, an endless procession of successful, beautiful, and inspirational role models to envy or emulate." I wonder if they try to create devoted readers (even addicted readers, or cult like followers) by promising them cultural happiness and success through pictures and small phrases here or there aimed at connecting with each woman's inner desire to be desirable, all powerful and full of energy.
ReplyDeleteAs Thomsen, Bower and Barnes (2004) mention in their article, shape emphasizes step-by-step workout advice and "scientific" fitness updates. To me this is interesting. Science, though it can provide us with such awesome new information, is also heavily dependent on the framing of the culture that surrounds it. The "scientific tests" that get funding are often linked to self-interests of either researchers or funding agents. Thus, articles talk about "health" on various levels: workouts, nutrition, sex life. Herein lie various socio-cultural ideas: that we are a society driven by pleasure and entertainment with liberal moral boundaries. Based on the magazine, body image is extremely important, and skinny= healthy. Most articles on health and nutrition use this as a central idea and revolve around dieting of some sort. In my mind, because these women look happy, healthy, popular (and that's what we all want, but in comparison to them, I apparently don't have it) I should follow what the magazine says to achieve those results.
As far as vulnerability to these messages go -- I think that all women viewing this magazine are vulnerable in some way. I dare say it's impossible for a woman to look at Shape magazine and not start feeling one way or another about her body and those around her. I am reminded especially of social learning theory as we read about other women and teen's experiences with magazines and the formation of a self concept. We continually are socialized and taught "ideals" from this medium, and often compare ourselves by "defin[ing our] own self-concept by emulating the role models presented (Thomsen et al., 2004, p. 267). This is the greatest effect I can see. I believe it is probably most apparent with teens as they come to begin to form their self-concept and are socialized...but in all honesty I see more 20-30somethings at the gym attempting to fit into this image than anything else.
As I continued browsing through Shape magazine I became more aware of my lack of muscular arms, but I also became defensive, acknowledging how dependent on popular opinion and trends this magazine really is. I became wary that trusting it in any way might make me look like all of the other robotically beautiful blonde bikini-ed models.
In looking at a “Women’s Health” magazine, I learned a few things. First, their definition of “health” and “fitness” is all about looking slim, having flat abs, and having toned arms for tanks and halter tops. Instead of giving advice on real “health,” such as eating enough fruits, vegetables, and getting 30 minutes of exercise a few times a week—it focuses on rock hard “crop top abs,” and “flaunting your sweet cheeks” in a bikini bottom. In addition, much of the “Women’s Health” magazine has nothing to do with actual health. There are more sections on love, sex, and beauty tips than there are on making sure your body receives all the nutrients it needs to stay healthy and strong. Every model in the magazine has perfectly flat abs, no fat, and toned arms. This shows that the ideal definition of “health” according to the magazine is not actual health, it’s a false sense of beauty that no real women can attain.
ReplyDeleteWomen, and especially young women are particularly vulnerable to these types of messages. I grew up in the competitive dance and cheer world. It was all about being thin enough to fit into the costume, looking good in the booty shorts for auditions, and being small enough to be the girl at the top of the pyramid. We looked through magazines at practices to choose our new costumes or uniforms. The girls were always unrealistically skinny and I remember thinking that maybe they didn’t make the costumes in bigger sizes. I had no problems with this until I hit puberty, and even then wasn’t ever fat. But I believed I was, because I was bigger than I had been the year before and no longer was the cheerleader being lifted. The fear of getting fat is something I have struggled with for years and I’m sure it’s in part, because of my involvement in dance and cheer.
In reading the Women’s Health magazine, I was reminded of the Social Comparison theory which explains that people may have a tendency to compare themselves to what they see in the media. Now, as studying the media has become something I am passionate about, I can look at these types of magazines with more critical eyes. I look at them knowing that the images are not attainable, yet they STILL get to me. I see the perfectly flat abs and wish that somehow I could have them, or legs with a thigh gap and think "maybe if I did 50 squats a day I could look like her." But then I turn on my critical thinking brain and remind myself that these images aren't even real. The models aren't perfect in real life, they just look perfect because of editing and photoshopping.
I'm going to do my best to refrain from writing a novel. I could go ON AND ON about this subject. It drives me INSANE that when you search for health magazines, or health topics on Pinterest, or health blogs that MOST of the time you will see the words "thin" or "calories" or "flat" or "drop 15 pounds in a week" accompanied by an airbrushed image of a thin model with perhaps a little definition in her arms and abs. I wish that magazines and health stores could promote nutrition and a balanced diet with a consistent (but not crazy) amount of exercise. Teens are so susceptible to these images. I was one of them. No one ever talked to me about the fakeness of models. I just figured that was the standard. I mean, you even look at BYU's bridal magazine and you see the same body type over and over.
ReplyDeleteA longitudinal study by Dohnt and Tiggeman (2006) suggests that body image issues start as early as age five!!! Cultivation theory was already mentioned in the readings, but I would assume that heavy exposure to this content would alter a person's perceptions of reality. Because I study media and body image, my self-concept is pretty healthy, but it wasn't even just a few years ago. I was one of those high school girls obsessed with having a curveless body that looked like it could have belonged to a 12-year-old boy. And I wasn't alone.
Oh. And one more thing. I also hate how magazines target moms. So many women have babies and then are bombarded with, "Body Back in 5 weeks!" So aggravating.
ReplyDeleteI like how you pulled in another study that body image issues start as early as five years old! It's crazy, but it's true. I think part of the issue that stems from that is possibly the child's mom. You mention that mothers are bombarded with getting their body back before baby, this plays a crucial role on them. And then when they start thinking and saying things to change about their bodies, their 5 year old daughter will start thinking and developing issues with their body.
DeleteAccording to the July/August of Women’s Health, being healthy is defined by how smooth your skin is, how tan you are, the amount of calories you’re eating and burning, how slim your legs are, how toned and lifted “your bum [is] from every angle”, and how un-frizzy your hair is….and that’s just to name a few things. The images, for the most part, consisted of tall, lean, beautiful (by society’s standards) women in tight, short clothing that exposed part of their mid-section to reveal a toned stomach…and apart from maybe 2 ads, the majority of the women photographed were white. The articles focused on what clothes you should wear when exercising, what exotic foods you could buy to make healthier meals, what body parts should be toned to ensure you have “the best summer ever”. To me these images and articles tell me that I have to be thin in order to be beautiful, I have to have a lot of money to spend on food and on clothing that I use to work out because old sweatpants and a t-shirts aren’t good enough, and that I have to work out like Julianne Hough to get the “best body”. So basically, as a poor graduate student, I can forget about being beautiful and healthy.
ReplyDeleteThis magazine presents socio-cultural ideals that most people can’t reach. Not everyone has the money to finance the “healthy-lifestyle” presented in the magazine. Real women don’t go to the gym with a full face of make-up on, nor do they “glow” while exercising. I think women across the board are vulnerable to these representations. Young girls and older women alike may believe that they need to look like the women in the magazine to be attractive and to be healthy. They may feel pressured to go to extremes to reach those ideals and their self-esteem may be low as they compare themselves to the women on the covers. Older women may feel like their bodies are betraying them as they take the natural and normal course of aging. The point is that no one wants to be considered unhealthy or not beautiful. The media is a reflection of society, and if the media is telling and showing you how you should look, you assume society is telling you the same thing and that you need to change.
If I hadn’t read the assigned articles before looking at the magazine, I wouldn’t have been as aware of the blatant and subtle messages shown in the images and words because I’m so used to seeing similar images; I guess I’ve become used to it and it’s become my “normal”. Looking at these lean and beautiful women, I started thinking about how I could change my workout routine to reach my ideal body faster. I started thinking about next summer and what I could do now to look better next year. It’s interesting as you begin to notice how images can affect you subconsciously and how you begin to compare yourself without realizing it or even meaning to do it.
I did want to mention something interesting I noticed while browsing through my magazine. In a section towards the back, there was maybe a half-a-page infographic on Serena Williams. The interesting thing about it was that there was no mention of her body. Not how healthy she was or how beautiful she looked. It focused only on her form while playing tennis and how she hit the ball. Serena is a real athlete—a very successful athlete, and I’m sure she is really healthy; however, she’s not described or even photographed to catch your eye, or placed the same way the other women are. This got me thinking on the article about the young volleyball players. Serena has defined muscles in her arms and big thighs—a contrast to what media considers attractive. In the study, the girls talk about the tug of war they have with wanting to be athletic, but also wanting to fit the mold of being attractive which was created by images in the media and comparisons to their peers. I think if media outlets like health magazines gave more room for athletes like Serena in the space of beauty and health, perceptions and ideals could shift in a more positive direction. Muscles and big thighs of a healthy athlete wouldn’t be considered less attractive.
Image and appearance has been on my mind a lot recently, probably because I spent the last year living in one of the most image-obsessed countries in the world: South Korea. I’m not just saying that as personal opinion or as a demeaning judgement – it’s just the way it is, and Koreans know it. In Korea, image is everything (and that’s not just a cliché phrase).
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, I was hyper-sensitive about my appearance while living there. Fortunately, I fit into the range of many of their beauty ideals, so I didn’t suffer many of the consequences “unattractive” people suffered. However, I did feel a pressure to take care of my appearance more and my overall attitude towards the role/importance of image changed because of media exposure and other direct experiences.
After moving to Korea, I ended up perming my hair twice, buying more expensive/fashionable clothing, doubled my make-up supply, and even had some moles removed. What I considered beautiful/handsome shifted more towards the Korean ideal. Attitudes about appearance I once scoffed at as a youth (I was a bit of a tom-boy), I accepted now.
This change I experienced brings me back to the readings… I think the media do play an important role in shaping (or at least reinforcing) our attitudes and opinions about health and appearance. But, like both of the readings suggest, the media are only one factor. In my recent experience, it wasn’t just the images in Korean media that influenced me (even though they were strong re-enforcers/points for comparison). The overall culture, the attitudes of the people around me, the example and opinions of people I respected, conversations I was a part of, compliments about my appearance, suggestions about how I could improve, etc. – all together persuaded me step-by-step that I should work on my appearance.
I certainly don’t regret making those changes (I don’t think there is anything wrong with feeling a bit more beautiful), but I also am very grateful for other forces that helped me keep it under control. If I didn’t have the religious belief about who I am and what truly makes me valuable, special, or beautiful, I could have certainly let it get out of hand. I did get a taste of the “obsession” that the readings talked about and a pull from the media that could have sucked me in if I didn’t already have strong beliefs about a person’s worth or what is really important in life.
This brings me to the magazine. To people that don’t have a strong base about the realities of self-worth, health, or appearance, these “health” magazines could be very damaging. I looked at “Women’s Health” magazine, which I now believe is titled incorrectly. It’s NOT a health magazine. It’s a beauty magazine. Looking through this month’s issue as well as the covers of the past 20 or so, only about 1 in 5 articles is even remotely related health. The rest of the articles dealt with beauty, how to be sexy, women empowerment, fashion, and love. In fact, on the website, the links at the top of the page are in the following order: Sex & Love, Beauty, In the Mag, Tone it Up, Shop. Health magazine? I think not.
This is concerning because beauty and health are being seriously confused. The images are all of women with perfect, sexy bodies. Even I, a media scholar, looked at the seemingly endless pictures of “healthy, perfect” women and felt a twinge of jealousy and depression about my own healthy-living efforts. Those kinds of images could certainly teach or reinforce the idea that “perfect is normal,” (like the readings suggested) and that a potentially unattainable level of beauty is required to be considered healthy.
In conclusion, I won’t point a finger at the media and say “It’s all your fault,” but I would shake my head at some of them and sarcastically say, “Thanks a lot.”
I picked out the latest edition of Men's Health to look at for this assignment.
ReplyDeleteI don't read magazines except for the occasional sports magazine but have seen men's health and fitness magazines before (at least the covers). Before going out and looking at one of these magazines I had the impression that it would be filled with extremely fit guys with their shirts off that have less than 10% body fat. I was actually somewhat surprised as thumbed through the magazine that there were very few pictures like this. All of the pictures were of thin guys but thinness was the only common element. Some guys looked to be 'gym rats' but a lot of the pictures were of more normal looking guys. The only pictures that showed non-thin (I cannot call them fat because they were not) were the before and after pictures (the before being the non-thin picture). But, overall, I was mildly surprised by the lack of pictures depicting some sort of achievable body standard.
Which brings me to my next realization. The articles were almost completely about diet. Which foods are high in protein and low in carbs, which foods boost metabolism, which foods taste good without adding anything 'bad' to your diet, etc. Next in frequency was workout regimens. These articles gave tips on how to get huge biceps or that perfect 6-pack. It wasn't until I looked into the articles themselves that I could see the norm the magazine was pushing- big muscles and low BMI.
I then read the articles assigned. Due to the fact that both articles focused on women and their reactions to magazines, not all of them were applicable to men. I do see, though, how guys might be vulnerable to these messages- just vulnerable in different ways than a woman might.
I remember reading about Jack Lalane, a pioneer in fitness who was popular years ago. He was apparently a scrawny kid who had been made fun of (maybe also bullied). This led him to seek out ways to control events around him. He saw body builders and decided that was the way to reverse things. In his case, it wasn't being overburdened by out-of-control problems at home that led him to anorexia, but it was problems (insecurities) that led him to weight lifting and fitness for a solution.
I imagine control might be the key to many distorted body images. The control may come from different places, but it is control nonetheless.
I, personally, am well past the stage where I care that much about body appearance. But even at a younger age I didn't care that much. I grew up in a time when super fit male body image wasn't really pushed. Also, I was a pretty skinny kid growing up with a fairly high metabolism so, up until I hit my mid-thirties to forth, I could each pretty much however I wanted.
Nowadays, the reason I do care about my weight stems mostly from how comfortable I am- when I start to put on pounds my clothes fit too tightly for comfort, sitting down on the couch with a large gut is also uncomfortable. So, largely due to discomfort I try to maintain a better weight.
I read the Men's Fitness magazine and noticed how much emphasis was being placed on weight loss and building muscles. What fitness magazines like Men's Fitness disregard is that people metabolize energy and store fat differently. No one can ignore the fact that these models are in fact attractive but they do the mistake of equating it to being healthy.
ReplyDeletePeople have different genetics and allocate fat in their bodies differently. I remember doing a research paper for a class on the healthy weight approach. Healthy weight is the weight someone has when he is eating healthy and exercising regularly. Eating healthy and exercising does not necessarily change your appearance enough to look like the models in those magazines but it does improve your quality of life drastically. What are we looking for in a fitness magazine? If it is to find ways to live a long and healthy life, I think it is the wrong source for that.
The models in the magazine have a full time job of maintaining their bodies to look like they do. The extremely strict diets, which get even more strict the closer they get to the photo-shoot, and workout plans they commit to are not your regular 1 hour a day work out. Basically, you cannot simply look like a fitness magazine model unless you make it your career and actually become a fitness magazine model.
I think teenagers with low self-esteem are the most vulnerable to those magazines. They see those images and possibly equate it as a solution to rejection experiences they have faced. It creates an a standard that is impossible to reach to be in terms with the unrealistic self-concept men magazines portray. Similar to what the anorexic teenagers in the article assigned, they believe that if they look like those models their issues will probably disappear. They do not put in mind that everyone struggles in their own way, and although looks could make it easier for a guy to get into a relationship it takes way more than appearance to maintain a healthy long-lasting one.
I do not feel like the magazine I read had much of an impact on my self-concept. I am okay with the fact that I will never look like those models because I will never prioritize my physical appearance over everything else in my life.
Women’s Health magazine is a nation-wide publication, which prides itself on its ability to entice the very minimal attention of women all across the country. That said, many have wondered if its title could be misleading. The term, health, could mean any number of things. Webster’s defines it as simply: “the state of being free from illness or injury.” With this definition in mind, suddenly that super-model mold is broken, and the concept of what it truly means to have health, or to be healthy has changed. Women’s Health magazine constructs a very different concept of “health” in its pages, revealing women in tight spandex, supportive “sports” bras, and mini shorts. They are covered in “shine” from working out, and every muscle is chiseled. This, is the frame of health it puts out.
ReplyDeleteVisually, these images can entice even the dedicated gymnast, or the enduring runner, making them believe that even they may not be doing enough of what it takes to be “healthy”. On a textual plane, the articles are backed with personal experiences, and tried and true exercise regimes. In fact, they offer quite helpful tips and trick to staying fit, and feeling “good” about yourself.
On another note, feeling good about oneself could be considered a form of mental health. More often than not, this state of confidence, especially in women, is brought about by a confident body image. Therefore, Women’s Health takes the psychological approach to having a healthy mind and body by presenting the viewer with examples of what they consider a “healthy body”. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before.
In such manifestations of body image, and stereotypical conjectures of what being healthy looks like, the older the generation, the less effect it has. With age, we realize these images, and lenses of what is what is just someone else’s spin on the matter. Young girls, however, have a lesser ability to filter truth out of such potentially harmful messages.
I’ll admit, reading Women’s Health got me playing the comparison-game as we often tend to do when it comes to the medias we face in today’s changing world. I folded down a few of the pages I liked, and made a mental note to try some new things. Was my perception of health distorted? Yes. While my knowledge of sanitation wasn’t affected at all, my perceptions on other things changed. Things like mental health. I decided when reading that magazine that I would make a personal goal to not compare myself to other women. For a 23-year-old girl in a world of glitz and glamour competitions, that is a hard thing to do. And I bet they didn’t even plan on such an outcome.
I am also including with my post a clip from a past Dove campaign on health and beauty. What do you think?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei6JvK0W60I&index=13&list=FLOXU4qe21F20_TbVT_xDfFQ
1. I thought the magazine I read, Women’s Health, did an awful job of portraying “health”; more explicitly, although the depictions of female athletes were of strong, capable, realistic-looking women, approximately 80% of the magazine contained advertisements for unhealthy foods, fashion ideas, vacation spots, and sex tips—social-cultural ideals, which are not really related to health, but related to overall women’s interests. I found it disappointing that a magazine created for health purposes contained alcohol advertisements and other unhealthy or otherwise unrelated content; this is definitely not a good source to go to if you are looking for ideas of how to be healthy. This magazine seemed to define “health” as the lifestyle portrayed in movies—as if a woman being healthy means she is constantly having sex, eating whatever she wants, dressing to a “T” each day, and having other productive interests and hobbies, in addition to working out a little bit.
ReplyDelete2. I believe women and men, especially from “tween” age on, are affected by the content of these magazines, which is portrayed on other types of popular media, such as television, movies, books, etc. For instance, women will feel that the images the see are the norm—not only the norm, but what is expected of them from society. As a result, women who fit this norm will likely feel confident, but for the other 90-95% of females, they will feel inadequate and concerned about their appearance—which can lead to body image disturbances and internalizing behaviors. Moreover, I believe men will be influenced by these images as well. Specifically, they will likely come to expect certain appearances and behaviors from women (that vary according to age group). As such, females will feel even more pressure to adhere to social norms, such as the thin-ideal, or dressing in fashion-forward ways.
3. In all honesty, reading Women’s Health did not affect my own physical self-concept in a negative way—if anything it reinforced my personal positive views of my body. Interestingly, I actually played volleyball in high school and I really identified with the Thomsen (2004) article, in that I felt secure and powerful regarding my physical performance in volleyball, but somewhat insecure in the size of my thighs and butt (at that time). Since finishing my volleyball career 4 years ago, I have lost 20 lbs. of muscle in my legs; however, I have continued exercising in the same ways as when I played volleyball (weight training, cardio) and have been able to keep my body in very good shape. As such, when I see depictions of women in Women’s Health, I identify with the way their body looks and feel proud that I have worked so hard to take good care of my body. However, I do recognize that it is not common to identify with the images seen in magazines, and as such, realize that magazines that portray thin, muscular, yet feminine women (i.e. women with the “perfect body”) would be intimidating and disheartening to others who are not confident in their body, leading women to feel poorly about themselves.
Due to the fact that I know little to nothing about being healthy, much less women's health magazines, I started my study with "Women's Health Magazine". But it didn't take long for me to decide I didn't want to try to review THAT many sex articles in a row. Upon seeing the frequency of that particular magazine being used by my classmates, I decided to also take a look at "Muscle and Fitness: Hers".
ReplyDeleteIf an alien were reading Women's Health, they would think humans would all starve if we didn't get regular, romantic, and completely fulfilling sex at any time of the night or day. The quality, frequency, and dynamics seemed to be the hinging factor of one's happiness. Because improving your foreplay techniques makes you... healthier?
Beyond that, I was surprised to see how often health equated to being able to wear the clothes you wanted. "How to wear spandex pants anywhere you go" was the first article I observed. It contained a series of tips on how you can tone your legs in order to look great at the gym, work, and at home... in that order? Without changing your clothes? Does anyone else think that's a little gross? From even a cursory review of the issue I was able to find similarly oriented article titles connecting fashion with physical health; Dare to Bare in Your Daisy Dukes, Tank-Top Arms, Crop-Top Abs, Halter-Top Hottie. It sounded like a series of construction worker cat-calls. These all accompanied a series of women running on the beach, taking selfies with girlfriends, and smiling at a significant other in a bed of clean white sheets.
But the final major topic I found included empowerment. Reece Witherspoon was the interviewee of the article, "Tips on Harnessing Your Power". Her advice included the importance of having purpose, ambition, grit, support, and charity. This actually surprised me at first because although she suggested reading books with women in powerful lead roles, I didn't think charity would fit into the "Girl-Power" paradigm. Well, there wasn't any need to be surprised because the example given was to be charitable to other women entrepreneurs. Another nugget included that you don't have to be a good friend to people who are not a good friend to you. The self-indulgence and hypocrisy of empowering women right into believing that health means looking sexy enough to have a lot of sex, was giving me a nose bleed. I had to move on.
Muscle and Fitness: Hers is a sister magazine designed for men. The first image I saw was very muscular woman standing with her hands on her hips looking as though she could break my small body with her thumb and forefinger. She was smiling, of course, but I was a little intimidated to continue on. Eventually, went on to find the entire magazine was full of similarly tan muscle-laden women in a variety of workout poses. Their faces were serious and focused and unlike Women's Health, their hair was never flowing freely in the wind. Naturally, each article focused on a different workout routine, tips for speeding up your metabolism, staying focused, or nutrition guides. The food section though mentioned being "slim" only once that I could find but "Fat burning" and getting leaner were the major topics.
The magazine was not immune to some of the Women's Health ideals. I did see instances of "Sculpting a Sexy Physique". Conspicuously missing from the magazine was any mention of relationship or mental health. There was not mention of family or balancing life as long as it didn't include how to fit in a little more workout time into your day.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, then entire magazine was a little intense. In contrast to the fun and flirty verbiage of WHM, M&F:H used harsher descriptions and unforgiving languages. I'd have to say that between them, they both had a rather matter-of-fact tone. I'm not any more inspired than I saw before reading them to improve my health, but if I had taken either of them seriously I'd be at a doctor's office asking where the extra hours of my life had gone where other people seem to have the time to fit every one of these majorly essential daily routines into their lives.
Socio-culturally speaking, both magazines separate their women readers into categories of the culture they live in. They spoke as though there was only one right way to live your life and that would reflect the people around you with the same attitude. I don't think a woman could invest in either of these lifestyles without having a medium like this to drive them. The guidance they provide is essential because no single person could convince themselves of so many requirements. A woman would buy the magazine for Uses and Gratifications desiring to know more about how to enter into that world. But once there, the magazine does an excellent job of presenting a cultural normative system of beliefs that you have to stay with it- all of it. Thus encouraging a cycle of dependency for self-defeat.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go watch the Republican Primary debate... which is not a cycle of dependency for self-defeat in any way....
I read "Self" magazine with Kerry Washington on the cover. It was actually SUPER interesting because it was not what I expected at all...it was very positive, with a lot of things about being healthy and fit, and phrases like "it's time to speak up", "let your natural beauty shine" and "beautiful by nature."
ReplyDelete1. This whole magazine defined health as being able to move easily, eating well, and being "natural". It had a lot of workout demonstrations, natural makeup advertisements, fresh food, and other nutrition plans and recipes.
2. There are a lot of images of women holding smoothies, close-ups of makeup-free skin, advertisements for water, feminine hygiene products, etc. There is an article about how strokes can happen to anyone of any age. Many of the models are very skinny, but not unattainably or freakishly skinny, and they are all shown being active in some way.
3. The ideals are very realistic and individualistic. It seems to focus heavily on natural/organic lifestyles, and stresses the importance of being fit and eating healthy.
4. The audience is definitely younger women, as opposed to women's health magazines for middle-aged women. The feel is much younger, so I think a lot of college students are vulnerable to these representations. Although they are not necessarily negative, I think there are a lot of potential financial consequences of thinking that it's necessary to only eat organic, buy fancy workout clothes, and spend money on skincare products.
5. I think many people may read this magazine without the intent to apply the fitness and nutrition suggestions, but want to feel better about themselves and be uplifted. This application of U&G is really interesting because it probably isn't the intended outcome for the editors of the magazine, but it is still a positive read.
6. This is one of the first magazines I've ever read that actually made me feel great about myself! It was really positive, uplifting, and I didn't feel like I needed to go out and lose 10 pounds after looking at the models.