1. BODY IMAGE
Chapter 3
Kim Albro
Women’s Health
Spring 2013

2. BODY IMAGE
A subjective picture of one's own
physical appearance established
both by self-observation and by
noting the reactions of others

3. CRITICISM
• When internalize the message that as women, we will be
defined by our looks and our size, not by our character, smarts
or accomplishments.
• We see airbrushed models and products to improve our
appearance

4. CONSEQUENCES
• Thin women earn on average $16,000 more per year than
average sized women
• 57% of hiring managers agreed that qualified but unattractive
candidates are less likely to be hired than attractive
candidates
• 61% of managers (majority men) said it would be an
advantage if women wore clothing to show off her figure

5. THE PRICE WE PAY
• 13.1 million cosmetic surgeries performed in 2010
• 210,000 cosmetic plastic surgeries performed on people age
thirteen to nineteen
• $330 BILLION spent on fragrances, cosmetics, and toiletries
per year
• 13 potential hormone-disrupting preservatives, plasticizers,
and other cosmetic chemicals found in blood and urine
samples from twenty teenage girls nationwide
• Traces of carcinogens like formaldehyde and neurotoxins like
lead found in cosmetics and personal care items

6. MEDIA DISTORTIONS
• Designer Vaginas- this is so absurd to me. I have never heard
of such a thing until this chapter. It repulses me to think that
a woman can’t feel sexual because of the way her vagina
looks.
• Sex sells! “Today there is no soft-core porn on the internet
because it has migrated into pop culture.”~Gail Dines
• Disabled women are seen as helpless victims or heroines that
have beaten the odds, and are almost never portrayed as
sexual beings.
• Examine how your own behavior reflects or supports media
tactics.

7. DOI LOOK FAT?
• Self-worth tied to numbers on the scale
• Fat women are portrayed as undesirable to men and society
in general. Thin is in!
• Poor body image and eating disorders affect women of all
races.

8. SELF-ESTEEM AND BODY IMAGE
• “I like the way my nose marks me.” ~Lisa Jervis
• People who are considered extremely attracted are NOT much
happier than anyone else.
• Surgery does not improve self-esteem
• When we become obsessed with our weight and appearance,
we are unwell physically and settle for less vivid and fulfilled
lives
• Change conversations about weight and appearance to
conversations about well-being
• Learn to love the beauty of your own true nature