I went to a talk on self-objectification given by Dr.
Jennifer Stevens last night, and it was so eye opening. One of the fascinating things
I found that came out of her research was the mass manipulation that health
magazines carry out. If you look at a health magazine, for example women’s
fitness, just take a moment and look at the cover. Notice how every thing on the cover transforms
health into appearance. It says how to loose fat, to get skinny and look beautiful. They manipulate
us into buying into the fact that heath is determined by how much we weigh, which I am
sorry is utter bullshit. Individuals are being victimized and they have no
idea. I find it so frustrating that these magazines, as well as other popular magazines
such as Cosmo, are presenting these horrible messages and it is having alarming
effects. People begin to associate eating a certain way, and doing certain exercise not for their well-being, but in order to fit into a certain jean size. I can’t
emphasize enough how health DOES NOT = weight, but the media tells us it does.
Even if we don’t by one of these magazines these messages are all around us.
Merely glimpsing at a slogan really quick that says “ 10 ways to fit into a
bikini” resonates with us. I am all for health magazines, only if they
report health in the right way. Magazines need to start captioning their main
pages with slogan such as 10 foods that make you stronger, and are the ultimate
fuel. Next time you buy a magazine that has a fitness section, count how many
slogans and articles titles that equate health to physical appearance. You
might just be surprised.
I love this post. Our society has become so focused on calorie count instead of nutrient count, to the point where people forget what's healthy and look towards things that are less calorie dense instead. Often time, the "10 ways to fit into a bikini" are not sustainable and will not benefit you in the long run. Magazines should focus more on lifestyle, which I do think is starting to happen gradually, and less on appearance. Because if you focus on your health, you'll look good as a result and you'll feel good. And the feeling is way more important than the image.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this. It is so unreasonable that we are all supposed to have one body type when it just doesn't work that way. There are certain people who, know matter how much they work out or diet, will never have the "bikini body". Most diets today focus on the amount of food instead of the type of food. Magazines claim that eating less is more important than the nutrient intake. There is also such an emphasis on your weight, as in the literal number on the scale. Even though muscle weighs more than fat, people are still so concerned with the number. You can look skinny and be healthy, but be considered fat because you're not under a certain number. There is a movement to "love your body" where people are starting to accept people for who they are, but how strong this movement is and if it will ever actually take hold is very questionable.
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