Thesis exploration for Communications Design graduate program.

1. TOPIC 1:
REDEFINING
BEAUTY IDEALS VIA
DIGITAL MEDIA
Victoria Potente
Directed Research – Spring 2015 | Rodger Guilfoyle

2. “Most of us realize that the media
displays only the prettiest photos of people,
yet we compare ourselves to those images.
We never get to see those photos
juxtaposed against a picture of that
same person looking unflattering.“
- Gracie Hagen
Contemporary photographer
("Illusions Of The Body" series)

3. “The female body is a masterpiece of design:
an eternal natural classic, as well as an
inexhaustible source of inspirational form
and design.“
- Stephen Bayley | Women as Design
“Homogenize all women with the same
wants/needs/desires to embrace each
other … it’s just not applicable to women
who use the internet.“
- RosieX | co-creator of cybergrrl.com (online community for women)

4. STATEMENT:
The media has shaped beauty ideals over
time; however, in the digital age consumers
can challenge ideals in the expanding online
community. Communications must address
the acceptance of realness that digital media
is cultivating. Seeking creative solutions with
a positive aesthetic that champions
uniqueness and personal value will evoke
a more engaging visual language.

5. EVOLVING BODY IDEALS
1800s - Victorian women
expected to be curvy.
Tight-laced corsets worn
to obtain tiny waists
Late 1800s/20th Century
'Gibson Girls’ with long, hair
(up) & hourglass figure
1920s – Flappers hid
curves; boyish body type
preferred & bound chests
"The "perfect" Body: 100 Years of Our Changing Shape TODAY.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
"The Ideal Woman Through the Ages: Photos." DNews. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
1940s – Bodacious with
long legs & curvaceous, but
not exaggerated
(e.g., Betty Grable)
1950s – voluptuous
& sexy (e.g., Marilyn
Monroe )
1960/70s - boyish, thin &
impossibly long legs
(e.g., British model Twiggy)
1980s – muscular, fit & lean
(exercise craze)
1990s - waif look; matchstick thin &
skinny; (e.g., model Kate Moss); also
augmentation
21st Century…? – thin; toned;
average; augmented; full-figured

6. BARBIE’S “ICONIC STATUS IS A SALIENT ROLE MODEL FOR YOUNG GIRLS”*
*Dittmar, Helga, Emma Halliwell, and Suzanne Ive. "Does Barbie Make Girls
Want to Be Thin?" Developmental Psychology 42.2 (2006): 283-92.
Model Kate Halchishick traced Barbie’s proportions onto her own body.
(via @sbadsgood)
Digital artist and researcher Nickolay Lamm “visual sociology “ pieces
If Barbie was a Woman, her waist would be
39% smaller than anorexic patients, and
her body weight to low to menstruate
(Rintala & Mustajoki, 1992).

7. CHALLENGING BEAUTY IDEALS / CHAMPIONING REALNESS
"Illusions Of The Body" by Gracie Hagen
• Subjects pose in traditionally "sexy" poses, which are juxtaposed with images showing their
bodies in an "unflattering" light
• Calls into question the ideals of what bodies are supposed to look like and authenticity of
traditional attractiveness

8. SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGNS CHAMPIONING REALNESS/AUTHENTICITY
Dove ”SELFIE” & Other Real Beauty Campaigns
Director: Cynthia Wade | Producer: Sharon Liese | Production Company: Recommended Media

9. SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN CHAMPIONING INNER BEAUTY
”NYC GIRL’S PROJECT" by Samantha Levine
• First city in nation to tackle girls’ self-esteem and body image
• Girls young as 6 and 7 struggle with self-esteem and body image
• Over 80% of 10-yr old girls are afraid of being fat; 40-70% are dissatisfied with two or more body parts
• Mayor Bloomberg launched to combat the very serious health impacts of a negative image, such as
obesity, eating disorders, alcohol use and teen pregnancy
• Initiative to help girls believe value comes from character, skills, and attributes – not appearance
Images: Copyright 2014 The City of New York

10. HYPOTHESIS:
Giving platforms a more visually positive
treatment can foster deeper interest that is
relatable to today’s women. Design can help
us connect on a deeper, personal level where
women can observe, discuss, learn, laugh,
and even cry together -- helping each other
gain or renew strength and confidence,
while challenging beauty ideals.

11. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Edut, Ophira. Body Outlaws: Young Women Write about Body Image and Identity.
Seattle: Seal, 2000. Print.
Terry, Jennifer, and Melodie Calvert. Processed Lives: Gender and Technology in Everyday Life.
London: Routledge, 1997. Print.
Hill, Daniel Delis. Advertising to the American Woman, 1900-1999.
Columbus: Ohio State UP, 2002. Print.
Bayley, Stephen. Woman as Design: Before, Behind, Between, Above, below.
London: Conran Octopus, 2009. Print.
"NYC Girl's Project - About The NYC Girl's Project." NYC Girl's Project - About The NYC Girl's Project.
N.p., n.d.Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Levine, Samantha. "I Created a Campaign to Boost Girls' Self-Esteem and Was Almost Too Self-Conscious to Promote It."
The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 01 Nov. 2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Bahadur, Nina. "Dove 'Real Beauty' Campaign Turns 10: How A Brand Tried To Change The Conversation About Female Beauty."
The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
Bahadur, Nina. "'Lustworthy' Photo Series Is A Stunning Reminder Of What You Never See In Advertisements."
The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 17 Dec. 2013. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
"The Militant Baker: LUSTWORTHY: THIS IS THE TRUTH (FROM J+L).” N.p., n.d.Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
Brooks, Katherine. "Stunning Nude Photo Series Challenges What It Means To Be 'Attractive' (NSFW)."
The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 06 Dec. 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
"Ideal to Real Body Image Survey." NBC’s The Today Show and AOL.com, 24 Feb. 2014. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
Dahl, Melissa. "TODAY Style." TODAY. N.p., 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
Wilson, Mark. "Barbie's Lead Designer Defends Barbie's Crazy Proportions."
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025620/barbies-lead-designer-defends-barbies-crazy-proportions. N.p., n.d. Web.
17 Feb. 2014.
Dittmar, Helga, Emma Halliwell, and Suzanne Ive. "Does Barbie Make Girls Want to Be Thin?" Developmental Psychology
42.2 (2006): 283-92. Willettsurvey.org. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. <www.willettsurvey.org/TMSTN/Gender/
DoesBarbieMakeGirlsWantToBeThin.pdf>.
"The "perfect" Body: 100 Years of Our Changing Shape TODAY.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
"The Ideal Woman Through the Ages: Photos." DNews. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
"From Stigma to Supermodel." Rick Guidotti:. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

12. BIBLIOGRAPHY
TODAY/AOL IDEAL TO REAL BODY IMAGE SURVEY NEW RESEARCH FROM TODAY AND AOL.COM EXAMINES OUR OBSESSION WITH
HOW WE LOOK AND THE POWERFUL INFLUENCES – BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL – THAT IMPACT HOW WE FEEL ABOUT OUR BODY
IMAGE. FEBRUARY 2014
Is Self-Identity Image Advertising Ethical? Author(s): John Douglas Bishop Source: Business Ethics Quarterly, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Apr., 2000),
pp. 371-398 Published by: Philosophy Documentation Center Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/385788. Accessed: 02/02/2014
04:10
Following the Trail From Narcissism to Fragile Self-EsteemMichael H. Kernis Department of Psychology and Institute for Behavioral
Research University of Georgia
The Developmental Costs of High Self-Esteem for Antisocial Children Author(s): MadhaviMenon, Desiree D. Tobin, Brooke C. Corby,
Meenakshi Menon, Ernest V. E.Hodges and David G. Perry Source: Child Development, Vol. 78, No. 6 (Nov. - Dec., 2007), pp. 1627-1639
Published by: Wiley on behalf of the Society for Research in Child Development Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4620728.
Accessed: 02/02/2014 04:42
Comparing Society's Awareness of Women: Media-Portrayed Idealized Images and Physical Attractiveness Author(s): Chyong-Ling Lin
and Jin-Tsann Yeh Source: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 90, No. 1 (Nov., 2009), pp. 61-79 Published by: Springer Stable URL:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/27735225. Accessed: 02/02/2014 05:22
Attentional bias for negative self-words in young women The role of thin ideal priming and body shape dissatisfaction Linda
Johanssona,*,Lars-Gunnar Lundhb, Gerhard Anderssonca Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Tradgardsgatan 20,
Box1225SE-75142 Uppsala, Sweden Department of Psychology, University of Lund, Swedenc Department of Behavioural Sciences,
Link€oping. University, Sweden Received 8 December 2003; received in revised form 20 April 2004; accepted 27 May 2004
SOCIAL COMPARISON, ETHNICITY, BODY IMAGE, AND MEDIA EXPOSURE TO THIN-IDEAL MODELS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY A
Dissertation by CORTNEY SODERLIND WARREN Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2006
Is Obesity Stigmatizing? Body Weight, Perceived Discrimination,and Psychological Well-Being in the United States* DEBORAH CARR
MICHAEL A. FRIEDMAN Rutgers University Journal of Health and Social Behavior 2005, Vol 46 (September): 244–259
Does Barbie Make Girls Want to Be Thin?The Effect of Experimental Exposure to Images of Dolls on the Body Image of 5-to 8-Year-Old
Girls Helga Dittmar University of Sussex Emma Halliwell University of theWest of England Suzanne Ive University of Sussex
Copyright 2006 by the American Psychological Association 2006, Vol.42