blog entry

Are fashion magazines the devil?

Who isn’t subject to little body image angst, right? Well, according to an article in the most recent issue of Ms. Magazine, body image issues among young women and girls are on the rise and mass media is to blame.

In the article, Caroline Heldman, assistant professor of politics at Occidental College, writes that low self-esteem and unhealthy body perceptions are often side effects of self-objectification (when we view our bodies as an object to be consumed by others - usually, men). And though the tendency to self-objectify has been around for a while, Heldman argues that the increasingly provocative mass media, which bombards women with images of female bodies shown as outright objects, is feeding the trend and it’s reaching even our youngest girls. The average American is exposed to 3000 to 5000 advertisements a day (many sexually charged) – up from 500 to 2000 a day in the 70’s, and girls as young as 7 years-old are exposed to clothing, toys, music, magazines and television programs that encourage them to be sexy or “hot”.

Heldman states that this onslaught of objectifying images often times leads to increased self-objectification, and those who self-objectify are more prone to depression, low self-esteem and have less faith in their own capabilities. It can also result in decreased cognitive functioning, poorer academic performance and motor skills, and cause girls to view themselves as powerless sexual objects. Kenyon College psychology professor Sara Murnen concurs with Heldman’s findings and adds that girls “are taught to view their bodies as ‘projects’ that need work before they can attract others, whereas boys are likely to learn to view their bodies as tools to use to master the environment.”

The most interesting way Heldman suggests to combat the tendency to self-objectify is to avoid media that compels us to do so. Even by the author’s admission, that’s a tough one because that basically rules out a majority of the movies, TV shows and magazines out there. However, her research with college-age women indicates that “the less women consume media, the less they self-objectify, particularly if they avoid fashion magazines. By shutting out media, girls and women can create mental and emotional space for true exploration.”

What do you think? Can you give up your trusty fashion magazines? Do you think seeing airbrushed picture after airbrushed picture has an effect on the way you view yourself? I wonder if we started consuming less and creating more, we'd start viewing ourselves as tools to master the universe.