Annotation and Commentary on the article, "Do Thin Models Warp Girls' Body Image?" (2)

Do Thin Models Warp Girls' Body Image? (USA Today Article)http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-09-25-thin-models_x.htm
(bold italics are directly taken from article)

How many of us have either tried fad diets, or have gone as far as liposuction to be as thin as Paris or Nicole? Well, USA Today reporter Nanci Hellmich discusses some of the reasons why our society is obsessed with being thin. As an experienced reporter and journalist, she has written countless articles relating to societal health issues. She is significantly popular and her many other articles can be found by doing a quick Google search on her name. Her article, Do Thin Models Warp Girls' Body Image, outlines a major reason why so many girls have body image issues. Hellmich mainly attributes these problems to the thin models and actresses in the fashion industry, and the entire entertainment industry as a whole. All women, especially young girls who are very impressionable, see thin women on television and in magazines and look at themselves as if their bodies are not ideal in our society: unnatural thinness is a terrible message to send out. The people watching the fashion shows are young, impressionable women. Furthermore, the fashion and entertainment industry have gone too far in pushing a dangerously thin image that women, even young girls, may try to emulate. This is not only unhealthy to the individuals, but also to society as a whole.

Foreign countries, such as Britain and Milan, have expressed concern in the thinness of the models, but Hellmich explains experts say consumers in the USA will have to demand models with fuller figures for it to happen here. Our society has become so obsessed with thinness that being slim is the only body image seen as ideal, whereas other body types, which may not be as slender or ideally proportional, are never seen as perfect in our society. Our culture has become so intrigued by the promotion of thin and sexy that the majority of women and girls in our society do not like their bodies. Not only is our culture of skinny women and perfect body image affecting people mentally, but it is affecting the health of many as well, since body image issues are likely to lead to anorexia and other eating disorders. The article says, body dissatisfaction can lead girls to participate in very unhealthy behaviors to try to control weight. One idea that struck me the most was that as a culture, we are on a first-name basis with women like Paris Hilton or Nicole Richie. The most celebrated, recognizable women today are famous primarily for being thin and pretty, while women who are actually changing the world remain comparatively invisible. Most of us have a harder time naming women of other accomplishments. The idolizing of models, stars and other celebrities is not going to change until pop culture changes the women it celebrates and focuses on. Our culture has become so celebrity and Hollywood driven that celebrities who are thin and beautiful and who don't contribute much else to society are often more well known than women who actually have significantly contributed to society. However, because some of these women are not as beautiful as Paris or Nicole, they are not displayed in the media as much as these girls. I must admit, I could probably name more celebrities than I could inspirational women who have made some contribution to humanity.

Because our society and culture expose us so much to beautiful and thin models and actresses, our culture has taken this to mean that everyone should look this way; in other words, perfect. The entertainment and fashion industry need to do a better job with displaying diversity. They need to show models and actresses of all shapes and sizes on television and in the magazines so that our society can see multiple body types and figures as beautiful. Culturally, we need to stray away from perfect appearance and focus more on true happiness. This should not include having the perfect body, as is portrayed in Hollywood. I think that this article does a good job in explaining how body image is a problem in our culture, and how this should not be ignored by the fashion and entertainment industry in America.

Nanci Hellmich's numerous articles can potentially be very helpful in my blog postings because she discusses a lot about societal issues and includes current trends and facts; however, my blog differs in the fact that I am mainly focusing on the many aspects of the entertainment industry affecting societal trends, and not just on societal issues alone. While Hellmich's audience includes many USA Today readers and those who are interested in societal problems and trends, mine will hopefully include some of the same audience, as well as those who have any interest in the entertainment industry.