Media Em[Bodied]

USD’s CHWP discusses deconstructing media expectations and building self compassion

Angelina Dinsmore / Asst. A&C Editor / The USD Vista

For National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, USD’s Center for Health and Wellness Promotion (CHWP) put on the Em[Body] Revolution. On Thursday, Feb. 28, the Executive Assistant for the CHWP, Claire Gosen, led a discussion on appearance ideals in the media. Six female students of all years came to learn how they can dismantle unrealistic expectations that society places on women. 

Sophomore Alexandra Kracoff shared her thoughts of USD’s culture regarding body image. 

“Going into USD, I heard that there is one type of girl that everyone wants to look like,” Kracoff said. “Once I got here, I quickly learned that what I heard was true. The girls that fit the image of having the perfect body, hair, and clothes are the ones that get the most attention.”

Appearance ideals like Kracoff mentioned are what a particular culture says is the best way to look. Participants were given a worksheet with outlines of the male and female body. They were told to write what is expected of men and women by describing how they “should” look. Responses for men included tall stature, a chiseled torso, big arms, and overall muscular physique. For women, the girls said perfect hair, a small waist, long legs, and a “slim-thick” figure. They turned to discussing the inclusiveness of these ideals. They found that celebrities, models, influencers, and public figures are often included in these ideals, while minorities and members of the LGBTQ+ community are often excluded. 

Next, the participants watched BuzzFeed’s video, “Woman’s Ideal Body Types Throughout History,” in order to show how the ideal body type changes through time. It shows 3,000 years of women whose desired body is determined by their individual society’s standard of beauty. This emphasized that there is not a universally correct way to look, but rather a standard determined by other people. 

Appearance ideals originate from a collection of sources, including family, friends, a significant other, or location. The main source, however, is media broadcasting, advertising, and the Internet. To demonstrate this, the leaders played a video compilation of the objectification of women in media. All the clips came from various music videos from the past 15 years.  Women in minimal clothing were portrayed as accessories to men, always at the men’s sides. They were dancing provocatively in order to fulfill the men’s desires. It was a constant circle of women surrounding one man. The students shared their reactions to the video, saying it was incredibly frustrating and triggering to watch. In addition, they said they never realized how much degradation of women is featured in everyday media. 

The speakers emphasized that internalization of these appearance ideals leads to dissatisfaction in one’s own body image. They went on to share statistics of how societal expectations can be truly unrealistic. In the U.S., the average women is 5 foot 4 and weighs 158 pounds, while the average man is 5 foot 9 and weighs 195 pounds. On the other hand, the average female model in the U.S. is 5 foot 9 and weighs 120 pounds, while the average male model is 6 feet tall and weighs 167 pounds.

All of the statistics and videos invoke the question: why are women portrayed in this way? The answer suggested by the leaders of this group lies in marketing and consumer targeting. Media markets want consumers to believe that they have to look a certain way in order to achieve the appearance ideals for their environment. The media is doing just that, too, as Americans spend $60 billion on dieting products each year, according to Marketdata Enterprises. 

At the end of the presentation, students were shown a final video on social activism. The hashtag, #WomenNotObjects was prominent throughout the graphic video that included clips of real women being utilized, abused, and degraded. 

Junior Stevie Espinosa shared her opinion after watching the video.

“I never really realized how much crime against women was in the media and news until I watched that,” Espinosa said. 

Espinosa chose to attend the Em[Body] Revolution discussion because she has struggled with body image throughout her life. She likes to have positive reminders and stay involved in discussions like this one. 

 “I decided to come because I wanted to be involved in conversation about body positivity,” Espinosa said. “It makes me thankful to go to a school like USD that promotes positive ideals like this.”

USD has many resources for students struggling with body image, including the Women’s Commons, the Counseling Center, the Health Center, and C.A.R.E. Advocates. In addition, the Peer Body Project is coming to USD mid-March. Students can sign up to discuss with peer leaders their struggles with self-image and learn ways to promote body positivity in themselves and the community around them. 

There are many small ways to combat what seems to be a growing problem in society. One idea mentioned was starting with positive talk in one’s small, immediate community that can produce a ripple effect. People can start as small as complimenting friends on their best qualities, not just based on physical appearance. Some people refuse to buy products that choose to advertise in ways that objectify women. Most importantly, students can take their knowledge of what they have learned and spread it to those in their community, in order to deconstruct the unrealistic expectations the media places on every member of society.