For Those Of Us Who Loved The Dove Campaign
According to a study, moderately heavy models lower our self esteem, as do super thin models. Models should either be "moderately thin" or "extremely heavy" to maximise our self esteem. What?
"Looking at moderately thin or extremely heavy models led to an increase in self-perception of thinness and an increase in self-esteem. By contrast, seeing extremely thin or moderately heavy models focused women's thoughts on how heavy they felt."
I don't know what the difference is between a "moderately thin" model and an "extremely thin" model would be; they all seem extremely thin to me. But I wonder why medium-sized models would make us feel bad about ourselves. I don't think I felt that way looking at the Dove campaign--although reading about all the guys who thought those women were "disgusting cows" didn't exactly make me feel great.
Link found through Fat Chicks Rule.
"Looking at moderately thin or extremely heavy models led to an increase in self-perception of thinness and an increase in self-esteem. By contrast, seeing extremely thin or moderately heavy models focused women's thoughts on how heavy they felt."
I don't know what the difference is between a "moderately thin" model and an "extremely thin" model would be; they all seem extremely thin to me. But I wonder why medium-sized models would make us feel bad about ourselves. I don't think I felt that way looking at the Dove campaign--although reading about all the guys who thought those women were "disgusting cows" didn't exactly make me feel great.
Link found through Fat Chicks Rule.
posted by mo pie at 8:05 AM
6 Comments:
I loved the Dove ads! I loved seeing HEALTHY women.
I hated what ugly bald guys said about them. I call it the "George Costanza Syndrome" when not so hot dudes demand beauty and perfection from everyone they see, like they're entitled, simply because they're male.
That is it. I am DONE. I HAVE HAD IT!!!
Has it occurred to anyone either inside the fashion establishment or in "mainstream America" (meaning those who just swallow what's given to them, not Mo and her deconstructing readership) that given the CONSTANTS of
1) camera distortion of both height and weight and
2) the relentless American media onslaught,
we have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA how big ANYONE REALLY IS?!?!?!
/rant
And what Laura Bora said.
My stab at the model categories:
"extremely thin" = looks like she needs to be hooked up to an IV, stat
"moderately thin" = no discernable curves or muscles, but appears to actually ingest foodstuffs on a semi-regular basis
I'll vote for camera distortion--because the camera makes one look heavier, moderately-sized models make one think, "She's my size (or somewhat smaller than me) and she still looks fat--I must really be a whale..."
I had to sound like the antagonist, but I kind of see how the study could've had those results. I think with the extremely thin models, us normal women already know that we're bigger than they are, so some of us who want perfect bodies will already feel defeated. When we see moderately heavy women like in the Dove campaigns, maybe it's bc we realize that these are what the majority of normal women look like, and perhaps it's how we ourselves look. Of course, seeing those real bodies next to model bodies, we're going to feel less happy about our "real" bodies bc we actually identify with them bc we are unsure if we look like them or not. I love the Dove ads as well bc I appreciate the fact that they are being different and promoting healthy body image as beautiful. However, inside my head there's still an evil tiny voice that really hopes I don't look like them. I know that sounds awful, but it's the truth for a perfectionist like me who still struggles with body acceptance.
On the flipside, with extremely heavy women, most of us can feel comfident that we are thinner, so we feel better off comparably. With the moderately thin models, maybe this is how we imagine or hope that we really look in our heads, and they look good on paper, so it's a hopeful projection of what we might look like.
anonymous has a good point. In addition - those moderately heavy women are still airbrushed. So if they are my size, they still look better than me because they have no cellulite, etc. They might be a bit heavy (compared to the sticks), but they look toned.
littlem - you crack me up. I love your rants.
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