So I was disappointed to read an article yesterday, regarding the controversy around a billboard for the upcoming animated film 'Red Shoes& the 7 Dwarfs' which features a Snow White who is "no longer beautiful." The ad depicted a tall, thin woman in red heels next to a shorter, heavier version of herself holding her heels. The tagline promoted a Snow White who was no longer beautiful. You can check it out for yourself here: http://www.teenvogue.com/story/snow-white-spoof-fat-shaming
The billboard immediately sparked outrage from people who thought is supported body shaming. It implies that the plumper version of Snow White isn’t beautiful because she’s fat. The trailer for the movie posted on YouTube only back’s up their view. It shows dwarfs hiding in Snow White’s cottage, secretly watching her undress (which is a whole separate problem than the body shaming). As they watch her, the dwarfs are visibly excited as the slender Snow White disrobes, but when she takes of her shoes, the previously skinny woman is suddenly fatter. The dwarfs react in horror, implying that seeing a fat woman naked is gross or displeasing, but seeing the skinny woman is exciting a good. Again, the movie appears to be saying fat is ugly.
For their part, movie producers say the film's synopsis promises an empowering message in which Snow White "learns not only to accept herself, but to celebrate who she is, inside and out." The company behind the film, Locus Corporation, has apologized. A spokesperson for the company stated, "…Locus Corporation wishes to apologize regarding the first elements of our marketing campaign (in the form of a Cannes billboard and a trailer), which we realize has had the opposite effect from that which was intended. Our film, a family comedy, carries a message designed to challenge social prejudices related to standards of physical beauty in society by emphasizing the importance of inner beauty."
Body shaming and negative comments they receive can have a devastating impact on a young girl’s self-esteem. Cases of anorexia and bulimia have been found in girls as young as 5. The media bombards us with images of stick-thin models and airbrushed actresses that put even more pressure of girls to achieve the “ideal image”. Consider these startling statistics from a recent survey of girls ages 12-18, by Sugar magazine:
- 78% said they worry about their weight
- 1:5 have been criticized by a family member for “being too big"
- 51% said their parents have hurt their feelings talking about their size
When I was younger and in elementary school, I knew I was a pudge ball but never cared. In High school is when I was bullied because of my weight. As we grow up there is a huge pressure to be thin. We see the models, limited fashions, and the ‘sexy woman’ image of the ideal size. I feel like society still harps on plus size women but we are becoming a little more forgiving. Lately I’ve seen more about how plus size women can be sexy too. I think that in schools we should be teaching healthy choices and the importance of loving yourself no matter your size. I know that some of the ‘too thin’ problem started because little girls saw models that they wanted to be like and start thinking that they needed to be as thin as those models. In France, they passed a bill that bans ‘excessively thin’ models. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35130792
ReplyDeleteI have always carried a little weight around on me since birth. I was a chunky baby and a chunky kid growing up. Thankfully, getting involved in marching band and color guard gave me some motivation to be healthy and exercise but I still never got stick thin. There was a short period of time when I thought the best way to be skinny was to eat dinner and then go puke it up. It took the encouragement of my mom and select friends for me to realize that this was more unhealthy for me than eating.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that the image the media places on young women is the main reason for the cases of bulimia and anorexia today. I think we should require a healthy BMI for all model/ actresses/ public media figures. The media also needs to employee more "thick" or "plus size" entertainers to show these young women that you are not beautiful because of your size.
YES YES YES!!!! I'm so happy this is a topic to discuss!!! I've struggled with really bad depression, anxiety and self image my ENTIRE life!! I was raised to love myself no matter what and screw the people that don't like it! If everyone talked to their children (girls AND guys!) about self image at a young age and about confidence in the skin you're in I think our society would be a little better off. I still struggle with it to this day but I always remember that you are on this Earth for a reason and your "why" and your "purpose" for being here is soooooo much more impactful than how you look or dress. Everyone is beautiful and unique in their own ways. I hate how the media depicts a "perfect" body because to be honest, no one is perfect. They may look gorgeous on the outside but if their attitude sucks, then they aren't gorgeous anymore. I got some chub and I still rock a bikini! WHO CARES!!! LOVE YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete(So I was typing out my comment for about an hour, and hit the preview button and it disappeared, so this will be significantly shorter than I hoped.)
ReplyDeleteGoodness, I saw the controversy with the ad, but not the trailer! That trailer was atrocious! They may have wanted to pursue a message of body positivity, but did not one person on their team say, "Hey, do you think saying she's not beautiful when she's fat might give off the opposite message." While I commend the message Locus Corporation wished to send, I hope that this movie is scrapped before it gets too far. We don't need someone to spell it out for us, we need the media to stop idolizing the "perfect body" and normalize the fact that people are different. And we certainly need less, "What if Snow White wasn't beautiful?" and more, "Love yourself, because you are beautiful."
ReplyDeleteThe topic of body image is a very deep one, that affects different people in different ways. I know a handful of girls who have been body shamed and have developed self esteem issues, because of it. When it comes to young adults and teens, men and women, but obviously more so women, how you view yourself is huge. I feel like if young girls can see all different body shapes, sizes, and races, that would help significantly. I know there are some plus sized models who are women of color, which is a great step in the right direction.
If you want girls to grow up with knowledge of a healthy body image, get schools to teach them about what a healthy body looks like from an earlier age. Simple as that.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with peter the best way to improve people’s perception of body image is with proper education. Sure the media also plays its role but I believe that it’s not the root cause of the problem. These issues have been present in our society for ages and the only way to fix these problems is by bringing attention to them.
ReplyDeleteI feel everybody should love their own body's and don't worry what the perfect body should look like. Everybody is beautiful and amazing, they just have to take initiative in their selfs. If everybody look the same we would be boring people to look at. I also feel that a healthy body should be in shape as well , being over weight will get you at the end
ReplyDeleteGirls need to grow up constantly being reassured that they are beautiful exactly the way they are. Magazines, also, need to widen their realm of model sizes, instead of just 100 pound, 5’8” to 6-foot-tall models that exhibit America’s idea of the “perfect body”. For some people that just not is attainable and it just isn’t fair to young girls to have to see that all the time. Young girls need to know that you don’t have to be super skinny to be beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI was bullied in my late teens for being thin, in opposed to being fat. It did not affect the way I felt about myself. I always felt if I wanted to gain a few pounds then that is what I will do but, I'm perfectly happy being the size that I am right now. I think that it is healthy that a child knows what self-love is early so that they aren't victim to self-hate, and people's carelessness of a child's sensitivity. Self-love is keen to knowledge your body is yours and yours alone. And, if someone tries hurting you mentally, physically, or psychologically then they do not care about you. But, in this case, being considered to be ugly for having more weight is childish so I can see why the production chose to say it with a cartoon. What do adults know about sensitivity, anyway? We're always pushing issues to its breaking point, then at the end of the day wondering if our point of view was heard. In this case, yes. And, it was loud and clear. A child shouldn't even be exposed to the content of the film or even have a sense to acknowledge the scenes in that film so if I am a good parent I won't allow my child(ren) to see it. Self-love starts at home, too.
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