Body image in the media is typically represented through very thin models and an emphasis on physical attractiveness. However, some media is starting to provide more positive and realistic portrayals of women. The overarching media narrative around youth culture and crime often portrays negative stereotypes of young people.

1. L / O :
T O I D E N T I F Y H O W T O A N S W E R T H E
Q U E S T I O N U S I N G 1 / 2 O F T H E C A S E S T U D I E S .
Representation of Issues: Body
Image

2. Quick Fire
Leveson stated that women were relegated to five roles
in the media… what were those five roles?
1. Sex objects
2. Wives and mothers
3. Passive
4. Relatively invisible
5. Too fat/thin or too old/young

3. According to The Leveson Inquiry (2012) women’s roles in the press
are limited to five roles
 Sex Objects  A report by Object and three other women's campaign
groups surveyed 11 British newspapers over a fortnight in September.
It found "excessive objectification of women in some parts of the press,
reducing them entirely to sexual commodities in a way that would not
be broadcast on television, nor allowed in the workplace because of
equality legislation".
 Wives and mothers  "Stories, when they appear, portray women in
stereotypes, emphasising the importance of women looking attractive
and of being a good wife and mother, sometimes backing up support
for traditional roles or for promotion of deemed attractiveness with
dubious science.”
 Passive roles  Campaigners have long complained that there is a
pronounced tendency across the whole of the media for women to
disproportionately appear in passive roles - perhaps as victims of
crime - instead of actually doing something.
Leveson Inquiry (2012)

4.  Relative invisibility  Research by Women in Journalism this year,
looking at a month of national newspaper newspapers, found that men
wrote three quarters of all front-page articles and 84% of those
mentioned or quoted in lead pieces were male. The most pictured
males were Nicolas Sarkozy, Simon Cowell, and Prince William. The
only females regularly pictured were the Duchess of Cambridge, her
sister Pippa and Madeleine McCann.
 Too fat/thin/old/young  Earlier this year, an MPs' report
recommended that school children should take part in compulsory
body image lessons. More than half of the public have a negative body
image, "driven by the proliferation of media imagery portraying a so-
called 'perfected ideal' that is entirely unattainable for the vast
majority of people", said Jo Swinson MP, chairwoman of the All Party
Parliamentary Group.
Leveson Inquiry (2012)

5. How much has
this image
changed?

6. How much has
this image
changed?

7. How much will
this image
changed?

8. Even Britney isn’t
safe!

9. Even Britney isn’t
safe!

20. Naomi Wolf – The Beauty Myth
• Wolf argues that women are oppressed
by the pressure to fit into a myth or false
ideal of beauty. Feminism may have
won new rights, but they are still held
back by an obsession with physical
appearance and a very narrow definition
of beauty, which is defined as white,
thin and made- up.
• This beauty myth is socially constructed
and helps to maintain patriarchy, where
men still have power in society. Women
buy into this myth, helping to create
hegemony, where the values are
accepted even by those that are harmed
by them.

21. Naomi Wolf – The Beauty Myth
“the gaunt, youthful
model [has] supplanted
the happy housewife as
the arbiter of successful
womanhood.”
• Beauty is about behavior, not
appearance. The qualities labelled
“beautiful” in women in any given time
period are no more than symbols of
female behaviour considered desirable
at that time.
• Besides weakening women
psychologically, the beauty myth feeds a
multibillion-dollar cosmetics industry,
and keeps women from rising too high
in the workplace by offering a way
around antidiscrimination laws.

24. Statistics: YMCA UK Survey (2012)
 Adults
• 1 in 4 adults feel depressed about their bodies.
• 36.8% of men and 50.4% of women report that they
compare their bodies to people on TV
• 42.4% of men and 30% of women would like their
bodies to look like models who appear in magazines
 YOUNG ADULTS
• 54.1% of girls admitted to body image problems
• 23.7% of boys think that they have body image
problems.
• 25.4% of girls compare their bodies to people on TV
• 35.2% of girls would like to look like the models who
appear in magazines

26. Is this attainable?

30. Jennifer Lawrence.

31. Positive media messages?

32. Dove “Real Beauty”

33. Dove “Real Beauty”

34. The Representation Project (affiliated with
Miss/Representation)

35. American Apparel

37. Discuss how two issues are represented in the media?
Body Image
- Discuss what the representation is stereotypically in the media – start
by mentioning The Leveson Inquiry (2012) and back up with models,
advertisements and magazine covers – be specific! America’s Next
Top Model (TV) Beyoncé GQ/Kim Kardashian Glamour.
- Discuss why the media constructs these images this way (Use Naomi
Wolf’s to support and discuss Miss/Representation).
- Discuss the impact this has on the audience (include statistics from
YMCA 2012).
- Discuss how there are emerging positive messages in the media
(Dove, Miss/Representation and/or Jennifer Lawrence)
Then move onto the second issue – Hoodie Culture/Negative portrayal of
youth.