Today's
holiday was created by a group of girls ages 8 to 16!
On
the Mind on the Media website, a poster reads, “I watch. I
see. How about a little respect for me? Better movies, better TV!”
In
the year 2000, the girls who made up the editorial board of New Moon Girls magazine decided to combat all the messages about beauty and
thinness in the media, film, advertising, and music with activities
to raise awareness that these messages can be harmful to women and
especially to girls. Now, thirteen years later, computer manipulation
of photographs is so common that the concept of beauty is even more
unattainable...and therefore unhealthy.
The
website features resources under the “Take Action” tab and lots
of statistics about the effects of media on body image. For example, in
2000, companies spent about $12 BILLION advertising to children in
the U.S. By now the figure is up to $17 billion per year! Also, the
average young person sees 3,000 ads per day!
Here's
a couple of shocking statistics: 80% of 10-year-old American girls
say that they have been on a diet. Also, asked what they would request
with a magic wish, the number one choice for girls ages 11 to 17 is
to be thinner!
 |
| Check out "Beauty Redefined" to see more examples of ridiculous photo manipulations. Here, we see a beautiful AND ALREADY THIN model, left, transformed into a freakishly thin woman on the right. |
Examples
of photoshopped and whitewashed photos can be found at Beauty Redefined.
We
COULD be urging our girls to aspire to be people who make
contributions to society rather than to be freakishly ultra-thin with
smooth, perfect skin. Check out this photo shoot by Jaime
Moore.
Also
on this date:
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