It's vintage post week here while I take a break from blogging. Today's post originally ran on my You'd Be So Pretty If... blog on Jan. 28, 2009.
My daughter tells me I should avoid citing studies in my blog posts. "They're boring, Mom," she says, telling the truth like only an almost-13-year-old can. But the journalist in me can't help it; studies are usually the springboard for digging deeper into a juicy health topic.
Like this one: You may have heard about the recent study by University of Southern California Professor Julie Albright, which found that makeover shows that promote plastic surgery, such as "Extreme Makeover" and "Dr. 90210," make women feel more anxious about their bodies. The study, "Impossible Bodies," surveyed 662 college students in Los Angeles and Buffalo about their viewing habits and body image. "Women are being taught to access power and status through their looks," Albright is quoted as saying.
That's not exactly news, is it?
As I was reading the news release on the study, my daughter happened to pop into my office and peer over my shoulder. "Not another study," she sighed.
"Well," I said. "Let me ask you. We like to watch America's Next Top Model and What Not to Wear. How do you feel after we watch those shows?"
"I feel jealous," she said.
"Really?" I asked, leaning forward and bracing for the impact of a major body image revelation. "Why?"
"Because they have $5,000 to spend on clothes and I don't," she said.
There you have it...straight from the source.
When I finished laughing and shooed her out of my office, it got me thinking. Can a TV show really make you feel bad about your body? We're all watching TV shows, reading magazines and poring over online content through our own personal body image lens. If you're already unhappy with your looks, I'm sure these shows could make you feel worse. But if you're generally happy?
The key, I firmly believe, is to teach our girls -- and ourselves -- how to filter what we see and read. An understanding of digital retouching and staging for dramatic effect needs to be part of our media mindset. And, as always, so does lots of talking about this stuff.
On another media-related note, have you all been following this hoopla over Jessica Simpson and her pants?
Must have been a slow news day.
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