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Celebrate Love Your Body Day!
by Cindy Kuzma, 10.14.03
"We need to look at the whole human being and celebrate the diversity of bodies ... " |
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Did you know that the "ideal woman" as depicted in advertisements and other media weighs in at 100 pounds, stands five feet seven inches tall, has blue eyes and blond hair, and wears a size five?
So, good for you if you happen to be Cameron Diaz (although, she's actually a little too tall). But what if you're five feet two, a size 10, or have red hair?
Well, it just might be time to tell advertisers that you're beautiful, too! Every year, the National Organization for Women (NOW) Foundation promotes Love Your Body Day to help girls and women send this message to the advertising, cosmetics, diet, and fashion industries.
Even before fashion mags and iet pills, women's bodies were used to generate profit, explains Dr. Sharlene Hesse-Biber, a professor at Boston College and the author of Am I Thin Enough Yet? The Cult of Thinness and the Commercialization of Identity. For instance, the Miss America pageant started in the early 1920s as a way to sell more newspapers and to get tourists to stay at the beach longer by showing a little skin. It might make you angry to think how women's bodies have been used to make money. But the good news is that you just don't have to sit back and take it.
On October 15, Love Your Body Day, take a look in the mirror and love what you see. "We need to look at the whole human being and celebrate the diversity of bodies, the diversity of who these individuals are, and the different gifts they give the world," says Dr. Hesse-Biber. And don't stop there. Although some companies make big bucks by making us unhappy with our bodies, we have the power to fight back! Here are some ideas from the NOW Foundation to try:
- Participate in The Mall Project. Go to the mall with your friends, but this time, leave the credit cards at home. Check out five of your favorite stores — music stores, clothing stores, department stores, etc. Take a step back and really look at the ads in each store. Where are they placed, and what are they selling? Do they use positive or negative words and images? Give each store a rating — either woman-friendly or not. If they don't make the grade, think twice about whether you really want to lay down your cash there. Consider writing a letter to the store's manager or corporate headquarters.
- Make your voice heard. Write a letter to the editor of your city's newspaper about billboards or TV and radio ads that portray women as objects. Or write an article for your school newspaper about how harmful these images are to women and girls.
- Have a party. Invite your crew over — tell them to wear whatever makes them feel comfortable and good about their bodies. Have everyone bring a sweet snack to eat, without the guilt. You can get videos from the NOW Foundation and have a discussion about how the media affects your body image. Or, keep it freestyle and just talk about the parts of your bodies that make you happy. Get creative and draw self-portraits, or portraits of each other, that show your inner and outer beauty.
- Get your school involved. Ask your teachers if you can have a class discussion about harmful advertising. And make sure your school has a policy that deals with people who make fun of kids because of their size. If you hear your friends making fat jokes or obsessing about dieting, tell them that while it's important to be healthy, every body is beautiful, no matter how big or small.
Most importantly, remember that the only person who has control over your body image is you. As hard as advertisers might try, they can't sell you a negative body image if you won't buy it! |
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