Home
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Teeter Totter ~ Finding a Balance Between Me-Hood and Motherhood
Gender: female Date of Birth: January 01, 1973 Member Since: September 11, 2007 Last Signed In: November 20, 2009 Blog Views: 14721 Send To A Friend Sign Guestbook Add as a Friend
Growing That Acorn
Faith Need vs Want A Tight Budget Holiday The Play Priority Disney’s A Christmas Carol – A Mom Review Making it Easy on Yourself When It Rains… You Are Here Halloween with Older Kids September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 December 08 January 09 February 09 March 09 April 09 May 09 June 09 July 09 August 09 September 09 October 09 November 09 Teeter Totter Finding a Balance Between "Me-Hood" and "Motherhood" In this blog I'll be covering as wide a variety of subjects as the duties of a real mom in today's culture. From raising special needs children, family vacations, marriage, relationships, sex, cooking, local to-do, school (both for you and the children), working, hiring a daycare provider, arts and crafts, decorating, holidays, to well... EVERYTHING! No holding back. 
RSS 2.0    |
|
|
Media Pressures on Women
When I read a recent article addressing the controversy surrounding the new Ralph Lauren ad, in which a model has been so over photo shopped that her head is bigger than her waist, I wasn’t shocked. Nor was I stunned to read the publishing editor of Shape magazine talk with ease (and no regret) on how published photos of her finishing a marathon were photo shopped to make her thighs look “thinner” as she thought they were unacceptably big. Nor was I stunned to learn that both Oil of Olay and L’Oreal have photo shopped already beautiful women into mannequin like plasticity. Oil of Olay airbrushed Twiggy to look wrinkle-free and L’Oreal “lightened” Beyonce’s skin. No, what shocks me about all these now very common acts of violating women’s images is that it’s deemed a “common practice.” I could go on for days with the list of magazine covers, advertisements and other media images that are so far removed from the “truth” of what the woman really looks like that it’s ridiculous. To save space, I’ll climb up on my soap box instead. What kind of a world are we making for our daughters (and future daughter’s-in-law) where this is ok? Where you can pick up a Women’s Health and Fitness style magazine to see the woman on the cover looking nothing like any REAL woman could ever look thanks to technology? Open any women’s magazine and you will find a beauty product ad. Now look way down at the very bottom in size .01 font and you will see a lovely little disclaimer. Welcome to the world of un-attainable results and beauty. So, I ask. What are we going to do about it? How will we protect our children from these unrealistic standards and expectations? Here’s what I plan to personally do… boycott. I refuse to play this game, to participate in any way in letting these companies know that I agree with their tactics. Any business that uses photo shopped women into an inch of their glossy skinned lives to push any product is a product I will no longer buy. So long Shape magazine, toodeloo Oil of Olay. Money talks and I want mine to support industries with honor. (Like Dove, click here to see a great, short video on the topic.) What about you? What do you think personally about all of this? 5 comments from 4 users
1
posted by
LadySeaShell
on Oct 9, 2009 at 10:49 AM
Do they do this intentionally to cause controversy and therefore more publicity? Would they try to defend themselves if we absolutely boycott any designers that focus on this kind of prepubescent figure, featuring it as the desirable model of health, beauty and maturity? These designers have been doing it for years.
Is this any different than child pornographers guilty of perpetuating a population of pedophilia? Just because a model is chronologically 18 doesn't mean she has physically or mentally grown into her fully matured body. Or, is it a PSA screaming to feed and educate our young American girls? If you see any young girls buying that image invite her to Black Angus, listen to her and see what she has to say after she's had a good meal and some real love and attention. Protect your girls 9 yrs and up!! posted by
creatress
on Oct 9, 2009 at 10:53 AM
Nice view from the soap box, eh? I could agree with you more. Now you made me hungry for Black Angus. Thanks for that!
posted by
hmoeckli
on Oct 9, 2009 at 04:23 PM
I love Dove. They seem like such a positive, female focused company. You make great points. I completely agree. I think I will be very clear with Em about those photos not representing reality. And I'm always hungry for Black Angus. posted by
anonymous
on Oct 11, 2009 at 10:18 AM
I think that if you build proper confidence into a child from the get go you will not be addressing these issues in the future. I agree with you when you say that it is not good for our kids but we are in a technology age, they have actually been doing this for an extremely long time. I would really hope that everyone does not feel that this is new, BUT we have the advantage because we can sit our kids down in front of a computer and demonstrate how they make girls look so perfect. We can pull up before and after shots of that model on the Internet and show them that it is all fake. Things that we see in todays advertising is never as it seems and can be proven to be altered to our kids. All parents need to do is plant the seed in a childs mind that they lie and it will keep the confidence in tacked that these models are NOT what they seem. Be the realist in your childs life, promote healthy eating and proper excercise and taking good care of the mental health as well. Worry more about the pressures of friends and the thoughts that are put into your childs mind by others directly in their lives not what they look at in a magazine. posted by
creatress
on Oct 11, 2009 at 02:09 PM
Very good, truthful comments. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the subject.
1
|
