Media and Body Image


Every time you turn on the TV, open a magazine, or go to the mall we are bombarded with media's perception of beauty. The constant reminder to be thinner, loose 30lbs, start this diet today and jump on a new one next week. This constant ever changing cycle can really put a strain on the way young women view their bodies and overall appearance. In a sense it is very sad.

As a health educator it is our job to teach girls from a young age that they are beautiful no matter what society says. We can also start teaching at an early age healthy eating habits. Even going as far as having work shops that come in and teach children how to cook health meals that don't involve a stove or oven that way they can make it themselves and not have to rely on their parents, due to the fact that parents aren't always the best example.

As far as the media goes I think it will be a long time before we see a significant change how they portray women and beauty. As apposed to ten years a go I do think we see more minorities in TV shows and commercials, but I also think that they do not depict the overall image of certain races. Hopefully in the next twenty years more campaigns on magazines will say" Love The Body You're In" instead of "Drop Ten in Five Days."