You and Body Image?

So I though body image would be a great topic on the show! Nope no real interest!

Here is the podcast.


Can we believe everything we see? This may sound like an obvious question with an obvious answer, NO. But not so fast. Nightline asked the UAE whether something needed to be done to make the advertising industry more honest? Make the images we see more representative of reality. Not that we are in any way suggesting advertisers are not honest, but some of the images that are used in magazines sure do stretch the limits of reality. With the help of photoshop ordinary women and men are transformed and all in the name of selling something. This is the article that got us started. From a business perspective who can fault an editor for wanting the best images in their publication? Better images equal more eyes, equal better circulation numbers that translates directly into more profit through sales of publications on the newsstand. But there is a dark side to this whole eyes on paper scenario. Our youth, and many adults I am sorry to say, are looking at the images in magazines and measuring themselves against them, really. The problem is these images are manufactured and the ordinary woman and man can never hope to attain what is being depicted as perfect, beautiful or handsome. These ideas are not new, here is the trailer to one of my favorite movies on the issue, yet we seem to be doing, saying and thinking as little as possible about the issue. I was surprised that the people didn’t have more to say on Nightline. Even when a teen herself lamented the role of advertising in influencing her self esteem we remained quiet. http://nightline.podomatic.com/entry/2012-05-23T21_36_42-07_00 Maybe the issue is too hot? Maybe the issue is too close to home? Maybe we don’t think we can make a difference? One thing is for sure, unless we start talking and teaching our youth about the reality of advertising and body image, especially given media connectivity today, things are sure to get a whole lot worse.