Faith Hill:
http://jezebel.com/278919/heres-our-winner-redbook-shatters-our-faith-in-well-not-publishing-but-maybe-god?tag=gossipphotoshopofhorrors"
Britney Spears:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1265676/Britney-Spears-releases-airbrushed-images-digitally-altered-versions.html
Dove Evolution:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Research Topic Short Paper
For my research paper, I want to concentrate on the ambassadorship topic I have been following throughout the semester: body image in pop culture. My starting question for my paper is: How does body image portrayed in the media influence the behavior of adolescent girls? I already know that in the realm of pop culture, there is a constant pressure to be thin for models, celebrities, and other public figures. Adolescent girls look up to these people, and view them as role models. Therefore, this idea that thinness is associated with beauty and perfection has an impact on these girls’ thoughts and behaviors. Being a girl myself, I know the pressures to be thin, and I know many girls who have negative body images. I assume that the manners in which body image is portrayed in the media can have a great influence on their behavior and self-esteem. Sometimes, the influence can even be detrimental to girls’ health; for example, some girls develop eating disorders.
After searching Google for some information regarding my topic, I have discovered some interesting articles from credible sources. The first article at the top of the search is from Web MD, which describes the power of media images and how parents can help to foster healthy body images in adolescent girls. The article mentions that younger and younger girls are beginning to feel the impact of the media on body image as they are surrounded by media images constantly. Another article from USA Today describes the dangers of using too-thin models in fashion shows that are watched by young and impressionable girls. A website called Media Awareness has an article called “Beauty and Body Image in the Media” that has some interesting information regarding previous studies done on the topic. I did not know that even preadolescent girls, as young as five years old, are influenced by the media too. Because of the media, many girls are trying to reach an “unattainable beauty.” Another intriguing piece of information I found from this article stated that “women’s magazines have ten and one-half times more ads and articles promoting weight loss than men’s magazines do, and over three-quarters of the covers of women’s magazines include at least one message about how to change a woman’s bodily appearance—by diet, exercise or cosmetic surgery.”
After having done this preliminary research, I now want to investigate other studies that have been done on this topic. I want to know which types of media influence the behavior of adolescents more, such as magazines or television, and I want to know which age group is most affected. I think it would be interesting to find out how the differences in behavior among adolescents after viewing body images portrayed in the media—how many of them are susceptible to develop eating disorders, low self-esteem, and how many of them will not. Also, I want to learn how we can prevent people from developing negative body images. There have to be some measures that the media can take to help this cause, and I want to know if any companies are doing so. I believe that my research topic is very relevant to the world today because the portrayal of body image in pop culture affects millions of girls everyday.
After searching Google for some information regarding my topic, I have discovered some interesting articles from credible sources. The first article at the top of the search is from Web MD, which describes the power of media images and how parents can help to foster healthy body images in adolescent girls. The article mentions that younger and younger girls are beginning to feel the impact of the media on body image as they are surrounded by media images constantly. Another article from USA Today describes the dangers of using too-thin models in fashion shows that are watched by young and impressionable girls. A website called Media Awareness has an article called “Beauty and Body Image in the Media” that has some interesting information regarding previous studies done on the topic. I did not know that even preadolescent girls, as young as five years old, are influenced by the media too. Because of the media, many girls are trying to reach an “unattainable beauty.” Another intriguing piece of information I found from this article stated that “women’s magazines have ten and one-half times more ads and articles promoting weight loss than men’s magazines do, and over three-quarters of the covers of women’s magazines include at least one message about how to change a woman’s bodily appearance—by diet, exercise or cosmetic surgery.”
After having done this preliminary research, I now want to investigate other studies that have been done on this topic. I want to know which types of media influence the behavior of adolescents more, such as magazines or television, and I want to know which age group is most affected. I think it would be interesting to find out how the differences in behavior among adolescents after viewing body images portrayed in the media—how many of them are susceptible to develop eating disorders, low self-esteem, and how many of them will not. Also, I want to learn how we can prevent people from developing negative body images. There have to be some measures that the media can take to help this cause, and I want to know if any companies are doing so. I believe that my research topic is very relevant to the world today because the portrayal of body image in pop culture affects millions of girls everyday.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The Freshman 15: An Overestimate
Being a freshman in college, I immediately was interested in an article that I found on abcnews.com entitled "The 'Freshman 15' Is More Myth Than Reality -- the 'Freshman 3.5' More Accurate, Study Finds." According to the article, a recent study has been done which shows that college freshmen will not gain a huge amount of weight. In fact, it stated that the average weight gain is 3.4 pounds for men and 2.4 pounds for women. Fewer than 10 percent of freshman gain 15 pounds or more, and 25 percent actually lose weight.
The study covered 7,418 students throughout the country; these students had already been recording their weight and height every year as a part of the 1997 National Longitudinal Study of Youth. This study was more expansive than previous studies that had been conducted on the Freshman 15, which had only looked at small groups of students at one college. It was discovered that the little weight that freshmen do gain is attributed to several factors such as: freedom from parental supervision, high-calorie foods in the dining hall, increased stress levels, and lack of sleep.
However, the largest factor in weight gain for freshmen is heavy drinking. According to the study, this was the only factor that had a significant difference on weight gain. Even so, the weight gain isn't that much-- only a pound or less as compared to those who do not drink as much.
Overall, I find it a relief that college freshmen should not be concerned gaining the dreaded 15 pounds in their first year. However, we should still be taking care of ourselves by trying to eat healthy foods and exercise, even though it may be difficult with cafeteria food and a busy schedule. Jay Zagorsky, one of the authors of the study said, "Don't worry about suddenly going to college and becoming a blob...Don't worry about the freshman 15 -- it doesn't exist."
The study covered 7,418 students throughout the country; these students had already been recording their weight and height every year as a part of the 1997 National Longitudinal Study of Youth. This study was more expansive than previous studies that had been conducted on the Freshman 15, which had only looked at small groups of students at one college. It was discovered that the little weight that freshmen do gain is attributed to several factors such as: freedom from parental supervision, high-calorie foods in the dining hall, increased stress levels, and lack of sleep.
However, the largest factor in weight gain for freshmen is heavy drinking. According to the study, this was the only factor that had a significant difference on weight gain. Even so, the weight gain isn't that much-- only a pound or less as compared to those who do not drink as much.
Overall, I find it a relief that college freshmen should not be concerned gaining the dreaded 15 pounds in their first year. However, we should still be taking care of ourselves by trying to eat healthy foods and exercise, even though it may be difficult with cafeteria food and a busy schedule. Jay Zagorsky, one of the authors of the study said, "Don't worry about suddenly going to college and becoming a blob...Don't worry about the freshman 15 -- it doesn't exist."
A Personal Trainer's Journey from "Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit"
Yesterday on Good Morning America, there was a segment about a personal trainer who is going to the extreme to understand his clients. Drew Manning has embarked on a journey in which he makes himself fat over the course of six months, and then becomes fit again during another six-month period. The purpose of his mission, called "Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit," is to understand his clients and the emotional and physical obstacles they need to overcome to become fit. Also, he wants to inspire them to work out and eat right, and show them how to do it on his journey to become fit again.
Manning initiated this project in May 2011 at 193 lbs. Today, he is in the 25th week of the process at 269 lbs. This Saturday, November 5, he will begin the journey from "Fat 2 Fit." Throughout the past six months, he had an unrestricted diet, eating junk food in huge portions, and he did not exercise. On his blog, he always accepted "Food Challenges" from his followers, which challenged him to eat large amounts of food such as doughnuts or corn dogs. Overall, he has gained 76 pounds. When he begins the reverse journey on Saturday, he will invite his followers to join him; he will post his meal plan and exercise schedule so that they can participate and lose weight as well.
During his interview on GMA, Manning addressed the effects that this journey has had on him so far. He stated that he underestimated the mental and emotional consequences; he had thought it would mostly be a physical change. However, he realized that he was becoming more self-conscious about his body, even in front of his wife. He also became too exhausted to keep up and play with his two-year-old daughter, something which had an emotional toll on him. His health obviously declined as well, with his blood pressure skyrocketing. However, Manning said, it was "definitely worth the risk."
Overall, kudos to Drew Manning for going through this difficult journey. Even though there are many health risks associated with his project, I think that the benefits will outweigh the risks. Already, he has inspired so many people, and many of them are bound to follow his program back to being fit. Also, I think it's important because he now has better understanding of the struggles that his clients face. It's easy for personal trainers to tell their clients what to do and not realize how difficult it really is for them. I definitely will continue to follow Manning's progress as he works his way to becoming fit again.
Manning initiated this project in May 2011 at 193 lbs. Today, he is in the 25th week of the process at 269 lbs. This Saturday, November 5, he will begin the journey from "Fat 2 Fit." Throughout the past six months, he had an unrestricted diet, eating junk food in huge portions, and he did not exercise. On his blog, he always accepted "Food Challenges" from his followers, which challenged him to eat large amounts of food such as doughnuts or corn dogs. Overall, he has gained 76 pounds. When he begins the reverse journey on Saturday, he will invite his followers to join him; he will post his meal plan and exercise schedule so that they can participate and lose weight as well.
During his interview on GMA, Manning addressed the effects that this journey has had on him so far. He stated that he underestimated the mental and emotional consequences; he had thought it would mostly be a physical change. However, he realized that he was becoming more self-conscious about his body, even in front of his wife. He also became too exhausted to keep up and play with his two-year-old daughter, something which had an emotional toll on him. His health obviously declined as well, with his blood pressure skyrocketing. However, Manning said, it was "definitely worth the risk."
Overall, kudos to Drew Manning for going through this difficult journey. Even though there are many health risks associated with his project, I think that the benefits will outweigh the risks. Already, he has inspired so many people, and many of them are bound to follow his program back to being fit. Also, I think it's important because he now has better understanding of the struggles that his clients face. It's easy for personal trainers to tell their clients what to do and not realize how difficult it really is for them. I definitely will continue to follow Manning's progress as he works his way to becoming fit again.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Presentation Link
http://www.youtube.com/user/enews#p/u/36/3xDDu5uTtR0
This clip from E! News illustrates how celebrities' bodies are being constantly analyzed and criticized in the pop culture public sphere. This particular clip is about how Snooki was bullied for being overweight, and how she overcame it. I think the way in which the news is presented is interesting. For the majority of the clip, it details Snooki's difficulties and problems with being bullied. For example, it uses three quotes that relate to the harsh criticism she received and her negative self body image. On the other hand, there is only one quote at the end which applies to her newfound positive self body image. The clip doesn't seem to focus on the positive aspects, such as her new healthy outlook on life, until the very end. Also, the news clip is comprised of mainly glamorous images of Snooki, and they seem to be photos from after her weight loss. The photos are primarily used to support her new positive body image and possibly inspire others to rethink their own body images as well.
This clip from E! News illustrates how celebrities' bodies are being constantly analyzed and criticized in the pop culture public sphere. This particular clip is about how Snooki was bullied for being overweight, and how she overcame it. I think the way in which the news is presented is interesting. For the majority of the clip, it details Snooki's difficulties and problems with being bullied. For example, it uses three quotes that relate to the harsh criticism she received and her negative self body image. On the other hand, there is only one quote at the end which applies to her newfound positive self body image. The clip doesn't seem to focus on the positive aspects, such as her new healthy outlook on life, until the very end. Also, the news clip is comprised of mainly glamorous images of Snooki, and they seem to be photos from after her weight loss. The photos are primarily used to support her new positive body image and possibly inspire others to rethink their own body images as well.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
The Consequences of Splitting Reality
In his book True Enough, Farhad Manjoo warns against the dangers of splitting reality. He shows that through different thought processes, such as selective exposure, selective perception, and central and peripheral routes to decision making, people can choose what to believe and can even create their own truths. The consequences of this division and creation of truth are especially interesting to me. In the epilogue, Manjoo describes a concept that I found intriguing: the difference between generalized and particularized trust. The decrease in generalized trust and the increase in particularized trust are consequences of splitting reality.
Generalized trust describes “how likely it is that two strangers from a given community will be willing to trust each other” (223). The level of this trust among Americans has plummeted in the last fifty years. For example, in 1960, “nearly 60 percent said they trust most people,” while in 2006, that number dropped to “32 percent, the lowest ever” (223). This drastic decline in trust amongst each other has led to a decrease in participating in civic activities, such as different groups and volunteer work. I think that this falling trust is a consequence of the increasingly split reality. The advent of new technology, such as television and the Internet, in the past few decades has given people too many options for their news and has altered their perception of reality. Therefore, it is easy to see why by the twenty-first century, not many Americans are willing to trust each other; because the media offers various understandings of the news, they can choose one to believe and distrust all others.
The other type of trust that Manjoo describes is particularized trust, which describes “how we feel about people who are like us—in our families, in our ethnic groups, in people at our company, or in other groups we may belong to” (225). The classic example of particularized trust is the small town, which reminded me of my father’s hometown of Reinbeck, Iowa, which has no more than 3,000 people. Whenever my family visits, it amazes me how trusting everyone is; nobody locks their doors when they go out, and everyone knows and cares for each other. However, there is a problem with this type of trust in that it destroys generalized trust. Because people tend to trust others who are similar to them, then they tend to distrust people who are unlike themselves. Manjoo supports this point with the examples of the Ku Klux Klan or a street gang because they involve high levels of trust within their groups.
In general, the new divergent realities that are appearing everyday are having a serious effect on people’s levels of trust. The escalation of particularized trust is creating prejudices and exclusivity, while the decline of generalized trust is causing suspicion and skepticism among Americans. I think that these consequences can be dangerous because they are detrimental to our country and its sense of community. If people cannot trust other people outside of their own groups, then they will not be able to understand others’ views or cooperate with each other, leading to a lack of unity.
Generalized trust describes “how likely it is that two strangers from a given community will be willing to trust each other” (223). The level of this trust among Americans has plummeted in the last fifty years. For example, in 1960, “nearly 60 percent said they trust most people,” while in 2006, that number dropped to “32 percent, the lowest ever” (223). This drastic decline in trust amongst each other has led to a decrease in participating in civic activities, such as different groups and volunteer work. I think that this falling trust is a consequence of the increasingly split reality. The advent of new technology, such as television and the Internet, in the past few decades has given people too many options for their news and has altered their perception of reality. Therefore, it is easy to see why by the twenty-first century, not many Americans are willing to trust each other; because the media offers various understandings of the news, they can choose one to believe and distrust all others.
The other type of trust that Manjoo describes is particularized trust, which describes “how we feel about people who are like us—in our families, in our ethnic groups, in people at our company, or in other groups we may belong to” (225). The classic example of particularized trust is the small town, which reminded me of my father’s hometown of Reinbeck, Iowa, which has no more than 3,000 people. Whenever my family visits, it amazes me how trusting everyone is; nobody locks their doors when they go out, and everyone knows and cares for each other. However, there is a problem with this type of trust in that it destroys generalized trust. Because people tend to trust others who are similar to them, then they tend to distrust people who are unlike themselves. Manjoo supports this point with the examples of the Ku Klux Klan or a street gang because they involve high levels of trust within their groups.
In general, the new divergent realities that are appearing everyday are having a serious effect on people’s levels of trust. The escalation of particularized trust is creating prejudices and exclusivity, while the decline of generalized trust is causing suspicion and skepticism among Americans. I think that these consequences can be dangerous because they are detrimental to our country and its sense of community. If people cannot trust other people outside of their own groups, then they will not be able to understand others’ views or cooperate with each other, leading to a lack of unity.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Decision Making
In True Enough, Farhad Manjoo describes two psychological methods, the central and peripheral processes, which help us make our decisions. I think that these two mechanisms are important, especially in the context of this book, because they explain how we make decisions. They help us choose what experts to trust and listen to, and this factor plays a part in what we consider to be the truth.
The first and more rigorous method, the central route, "describes a diligent attempt to investigate the facts of a case" (118). This takes up more time, and we will use this strategy when we really want to analyze something. I think that this method is also probably more valid, because we are researching the information in-depth ourselves. On the other hand, the peripheral route uses "'cues'- like emotional reactions or what an expert or a celebrity or some other trustworthy figure thinks- to guide us toward a decision" (118). While this method can be great when we have no free time to analyze the decision ourselves, I think that this method can be particularly dangerous; by using peripheral cues, we are putting all our trust in a person or group.
Overall, I found these two concepts to be intriguing because before, I had never really noticed how I make certain decisions. Now, I will be more aware of which method, the central or peripheral, I tend to use in different circumstances.
The first and more rigorous method, the central route, "describes a diligent attempt to investigate the facts of a case" (118). This takes up more time, and we will use this strategy when we really want to analyze something. I think that this method is also probably more valid, because we are researching the information in-depth ourselves. On the other hand, the peripheral route uses "'cues'- like emotional reactions or what an expert or a celebrity or some other trustworthy figure thinks- to guide us toward a decision" (118). While this method can be great when we have no free time to analyze the decision ourselves, I think that this method can be particularly dangerous; by using peripheral cues, we are putting all our trust in a person or group.
Overall, I found these two concepts to be intriguing because before, I had never really noticed how I make certain decisions. Now, I will be more aware of which method, the central or peripheral, I tend to use in different circumstances.
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