On December 8th, over half the male population will be tuning in to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, the ultimate destroyer of any girl's self esteem. 5' 10" to 6' girls will be walking down the runway, wearing close to nothing, without an ounce of fat or any imperfections. So on December 9th, I'm sure I won't be the only one feeling like I'm being compared to the unreal images of those girls. That's the exact opposite of what Victoria's Secret wants you to do though. By launching a new line, The Love My Body collection, the company is hoping to help more women and girls love their body. Well, Victoria's Secret, if you wanted me to "love my body," I suggest you drop some of the models you currently have, and add some models who look like the real American population of women. With the media being professional at destroying self esteem, a solution must be reach. Right now, seven out of ten American girls believe that they are not good enough in terms of looks, performance, and relationships. Some organizations have begun to work on the issue, such as Dove. Dove began The Campaign Real Beauty in hopes to conquer many women's anxiety and low self esteem, by using real, beautiful, women as their models. Dove is working to bring confidence back to beauty, for women and girls of all ages. By having self confidence workshops, and raising awareness to this tragic problem of low self esteem, Dove is working to prevent eating disorders, drinking/smoking to "feel better," bullying, self mutilation, etc, from ever even starting. Working at the source, and showing girls and women what real beauty is --- being comfortable in your own skin --- will hopefully start to raise self esteem. The media may be destroying self esteem, but organizations, like The Campaign for Real Beauty, are starting to fight the issue, and bring confidence back to American women. Victoria's Secret, you may want to take notes on what Dove is doing, because what they're doing is really working to help women love their bodies, and what you're doing... isn't.
I love this post! I can't agree more with you about how the media presents women and girls and how they need to be "perfect". Everyone can relate to this because every person has at least one friend (if it isn't his or her self) that has body image issues. I also love that you mentioned Dove's campaign, because that is what real women are.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more. The media portrays the body image of women to be flawless, which in reality is near impossible. I also agree with your thoughts on the Victoria's Secret's fashion show, and how that is one of the reasons for why many women feel the need to lose weight. They compare themselves to these models which they should not. Real beauty is not found in someone's body image and physical features. I feel that if Victoria's Secret really wanted women to love their bodies, they would take the same approach that Dove has. It is a nice attempt for them to develop a "love my body" line, but they should try harder to actually make women love their bodies such as having models who actually represent the average women. The media puts too much pressure on women to look perfect, and I love how you mentioned Dove's way to try and stop it.
ReplyDeleteSarah i completly agree with you! Every girl in the Victoria Secret Fashion Show is portrayed as "perfect" but what is truly the definition of perfection?!? I absolutly love what Dove is doing because it shows how women come in all different shapes and sizes, and everyone should accept themselves for who they are.
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