Marketing Thin to the Masses

This is one of the reasons Ephedra got pulled of the market was due to marketing it to teens

I think tabloids There so thin covers do more harm than good.
Teens often pick up tips from those after school eating disoder type movies.

Maybe I'm being non-PC in saying this, but I really think we make too much of an issue of the 'thin' thing, and not enough of the 'responsibility' side.

I'm not talking just personal responsibility either. Governments, businesses and families need to work together on this problem. Education about realistic and healthy body weights needs to take place in our schools and workplaces (yes - even adults need to learn what is healthy and what is not!).

We need to quite pretending that there is no problem, and that the average person's diet is 'just fine', and get to the roots of the problem - too may calories, too many processed foods, too many animal-sourced foods, and not enough movement.

Being a friend does not mean you keep silent when a friend chooses junk food for lunch again. Being a friend means commmenting and offering support and help.

Leanne: I agree, except for your comments about animal-sourced food. I've seen people build great bodies on diets made almost completely of natural animal products combined with weight lifting. This not only applies to the amount of fat they lost and the amount of muscle they gained, but they also stopped getting sick, their blood pressure went down, their cholesterol and blood sugar levels became normal, etc. They also gained quite a lot of bone density and their joints stopped hurting. I think processing and inactivity, not animal foods, are the real killers.

There are many defendable reasons for not eating animal food. One is efficiency; another is ethics. However, nutrition is not one of them, unless you still believe the government's nutritional recommendations.

The women on that cover look revolting, and this is what young impressionable girls are looking up to, and young men are being told is desirable? Apparently whoever is thinner gets the job, so why are stars like Reese Witherspoon and Kate Winslet amongst Hollywoods' highest paid actresses? It IS possible for healthy women to get work in Hollyweird, as long as they have genuine talent and good self-esteem.

Whether it is an obsession with thinness, fatness, curves, whatever, it still gives the negative message that you must look a certain way to "fit in". Personally, when I look at these women I think, "How humiliating to feel the need to do this to themselves for a little bit of publicity, don't they have any dignity or faith in their own acting ability?" Perhaps if young girls could somehow see their idols for what they really are, emptyheaded fame-junkies willing to do anything for their next fix, they might turn towards role-models with a more positive message to spread.

"There are many defendable reasons for not eating animal food. One is efficiency; another is ethics. However, nutrition is not one of them, unless you still believe the government's nutritional recommendations."

I agree completely, when will people learn that it's not the animal products themselves that cause health problems, but the way they are processed. We are omnivores, after all, designed to eat real meat, not hot dogs.

Caramelle-oh:
Reese and Kate as "healthy" girls? Please. Reese shot to stardom after Cruel Intentions and after losing weight. Look at the difference of her then versus now. As far as Kate goes, yes, she may be slightly larger than Calista Flockhart, et al. but she is by far a typical woman. She is quite thin and gorgeous. They may be healthier than most, but compared to someone like me, at 130 and 5'6", who is athletic and fit, they are still quite small. Just because they are better than Nicole Ritchie does not mean they are healthy.

Leanne, I agree with you completely, the media feed into this idea of the "perfect body" and it's unrealistic. In fact magazine photos of models are changed to make them look smaller than they really are. Then all these researchers wonder why young girls have self esteem issues, they're being bombarded with this idea that they're not perfect unless they look like this. The truth is that hardly anybody will ever fit these ideals. Everyone is perfect the way they are. Everyone is made exactly how they should be. People need to stop stressing about fitting into these unrealistic ideals, and just be happy with the person they are.

I think a lot of stars like Nicole Ritchie, Kate Bosworth, Lindsey Lohan, etc., are trying to get thinner so they get attention from the press. They have nothing else really going for them, I guess. If they can claim that they have an "eating disorder", they can get an extra 15 minutes of fame. Celebrities with actual eating disorders don't advertise it...has anyone seen Victoria Beckham lately?? When she was in the Spice Girls, she was healthy but now she's a skeleton and she claims she has no eating disorder.

I think it's horrible that we as a nation are trying to emulate skeleton-like women that probably have less muscle mass than many children. I'm fit and muscular and will NEVER be "skinny" like those actresses (unless I stop eating, start snorting coke, and stop working out) and I look healthy. I think a main key to stopping the insanity is to promote HEALTHY women as the ideal for our young girls...size shouldn't matter as much as overall health.

As if pressure to fit in isn't enough, the endless parade of ultra-thin women in fashion magazines, films and television constitutes an even more powerful influence.

Here's some irony for you, when I went to the story on People's web site there was an ad for Lany Bryant in the sidebar. I think my computer knows I'm fat. Must be spyware.

I'm debating with whether or not I agree with Leanne's post about commenting on what your friend's eating. In my experience, eating disorders are about control. Being a critic usually doesn't help. Unfortunately, unless you are a practicing therapist and someone has come to you willingly there really is not much you can do for someone with this kind of disease. They have to WANT to get better and to WANT help. However, there is something to be said about making sure your friend knows you're there for them. And I would make those comments when food is not present. I think that's the most frustrating thing about it, waiting until someone can ask you for the help you're always willing to give. Force it on them, they're just going to back further away.

I don't even see what the average girl gets from being that thin. Almost every guy I've discussed this with likes a woman that is fairly muscular with a reasonable layer of fat to make them smoother. In other words, they liked slender, but not skinny. Wide shoulders and back were considered a plus. They also believed that an attractive woman usually nourishes her body properly. As one of my friends puts it, "you can tell if a girl's been over-dieting or over-exercising; their face and skin tell the whole story."

Women need to realize that being overly skinny is not attractive to most men, just like men need to realize that the physiques built with steroids are not attractive to most women. A slender, well-nourished body with symmetric, tastefully developed musculature is attractive in both genders, not to mention healthy and strong.

Many guys DO LIKE the skinny type of women. I saw it every day when I still lived in Southern California.

skinny type: hardly any musculature, very small (height), size 0 or 2. That is just THE DESIRED LOOK over there.

Women go for it and guys desire those women.

katy: That hasn't been my experience, but I've never lived in South CA.

Well. I just wrote down what I observed over there :-)
I personally don't think it is a good idea to be that skinny, nor do I think it is attractive.
...but many people (men and women) would disagree with me, I guess.
In Southern Cal. basically all younger women look alike: blond, thin, pink clothes etc. So it is no surprise that everybody wants to look like the actors in Hollywood. And it is no surprise that guys desire such a girl.
I have seen girls doing ridiculous amounts of cardio and stuff, but there have always been only three girls at the gym lifting weights: myself and two others.
I don't get it, since weight lifting is so much fun :-)

"Reese and Kate as "healthy" girls? Please."

I suggest you take a close look at their skin, hair and eyes in comparison to the skeletons they are surrounded by. You can tell whether a person looks after themselves properly by these factors. When I talk about "healthy", I mean that they are at a weight which suits their frame and body type. I have never seen either women referred to as "skinny".

Ryan- thanks for posting a view that I have heard time and time again from almost all the men I know- a girl with a healthy physique, complete with muscles and curves, is SOOO much more appealing to most guys. And anyone who would be attracted to a stick-figure carbon clone who can't find her OWN individuality is probably not someone any of us REAL women would want to date!!! It's really sad that so many people have been duped by the media and Hollywood into believing that this is not only 'normal', but ATTRACTIVE~ I hope those of you who are parents out there are paying attention to what messages your kids get from the dummy box. P.S. If we stop buying the mags, going to the movies, and tuning in, THIS MIGHT STOP!!! (Oh, but we do love a good train wreck, don't we?!)

Going to bed with a skinny person is like going to bed with a bike.
I honestly can say that if a guy likes that that go for it. What a strange
time the two must be having.

I wish they all could be California girls!! :)

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Ryan... I hear that from my husband all the time... "those skinny girls are just GROSS". Unfortunately, he's a 38-year-old man. MEN find women with curves appealing. BOYS look for the skinny. And the girls who are affected by all of this - they aren't doing it for the boys, anyway. Sure, they may say that they are, but they're not. They are doing it because if they're not skinny, the other girls will be absolutely VICIOUS. Having been a girl once, I know. And I have the eating disorder to prove it. Unfortunately, mine went the other way, so now I'm obsessed, disordered AND fat...

Has anyone noticed the irony of People magazine publishing such an article? Their readership is attracted to their articles on the so-called Beautiful People -- mostly from Hollywood. If they left out the pictures of the concentration-camp-thin, scantily-clad female models and starlets, how much readership do you think they would have?

People magazine is a part of the very media that is spreading the you-can't-be-too-thin ideal. Then they put up an article shaking their heads and wondering how anyone could believe that being so thin could be attractive.

Laura--I hear the same thing from my husband. Right now, he actually thinks I'm too skinny and I'm nowhere NEAR the level that those women are at. I've started to gain some weight back and my husband's just all over me..."Wow, your butt is so curvy and round...your tummy's so muscular and curvy, your shoulders are so sexy, etc." I also agree with you 100% that most women aren't losing weight for men, they are doing it to impress other women. Women can be SO catty sometimes...just check out www.theskinnywebsite.com No one's safe :)

...that's why I was saying "if we stop buying it, they might stop selling it." Negative attention is STILL attention. These sick chicks continue to be sick because we continue to go see their movies, and tune into their TV shows, and buy the magazines even when the article is supposed to be scoffing at this trend- BUT THE PICTURE ON THE COVER IS THE SAME!!!!! It's America's latest train wreck; its so grotesque that we HAVE to look... it would be really cool if all of us "normal" people put our money where our mouth is and STOPPED SUPPORTING THIS! Maybe then poor Nicole could eat a goddam meal without the photographers snapping pictures like she was some kind of science project!!!!

In my experience women are far more critical of their bodies, than men are of women's bodies. Sure, men like curvy, sexy women. However, women do not diet to be skinny for men. Women diet to compete with other women. Not everyone can be "too rich," but most can be "too thin."

@Spectra re: theskinnywebsite -- that's a shocker. I couldn't find the bloggers picture anywhere on the site - I wonder how it feel for her/him to be put under that kind of spotlight -- with every physical feature criticized.

You know -- the celebs didn't ask for paparazzi to take photos of them while they are eating lunch, or sitting on the beach, or walking down the street, etc etc.

What if someone took a pic of you first thing in the morning, then posted it on the internet, and then everyone can criticize the crap out of it...

Yeah I know celebs sign up for some degree of public scrutiny... but we need to draw the line somewhere.

For the 'patch' diet...as with other patches such as for smoking cessation, put it over your mouth and it may work!

Out of curiosity I took a quick look at "theskinnywebsite" and wished I hadn't. It made me feel kind of empty inside to realise that this is what passes for entertainment for a lot of people.

I don't ever recall seeing ephedra being marketed to teenagers. I only recall seeing advertised to athletes.

I agree with the accountability/responsibility argument. It all starts at an early age.
What parents allow in their kids lives. It shapes them more than the parenting does. I think a lot of parents forget or don't realize it.

Girls get the message that thin is better in so many ways. Take, for example, sit-coms where you see a gorgeous, very thin actress playing the wife of a schlubby and overweight husband. Happens all the time.

I waste my time telling girls at theskinnywebsite that no, they aren't fat and neither is (insert celebrity like Jessica Biel here), but I know it doesn't help. *sigh*

Well, Jan, that's a start, isn't it? Perhaps if more of us did something like that a few girls might actually listen. I wish I had had the guts to do what you do, but I have to admit, I just took one look and ran!

In the worst case scenario, it works like a mantra to myself... and if one girl who didn't type "oooh Jessica Biel is sooo fat, what a cow!" but who is reading it and still on the fence believes me, then it is a good job.

Sadly I think the ones typing that are too far gone, but there are others.

Ryan said:
I don't even see what the average girl gets from being that thin. Almost every guy I've discussed this with likes a woman that is fairly muscular with a reasonable layer of fat to make them smoother. In other words, they liked slender, but not skinny. Wide shoulders and back were considered a plus. They also believed that an attractive woman usuall[...]

Thankyou Ryan!!
Preparing for an english exam for tomorrow about the how we should be happy with a healthy body and not starving ourselves. This was just the kind of thing that i was looking for to use as evidence that girls DONT need to be thin for guys to like them!

If only girls would keep that in mind whenever they look down at the scales!!

I'm doing a survey for my english class about weight loss and diet pills. It's a short survay, so if anyone would please comment back on my survey, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

1. What is your gender?
Male or Female

2. What age group are you in?
10-20 21-39 40-50 51-69 over 70

3. Have you ever taken diet pills?
Yes or No

4. Did they work for you?
Yes No N/A

5. If you have taken them, did they have any positive side effects?
Yes No N/A

6. If you have taken them, did they have any negative side effects?
Yes No N/A

7. Do you know anyone else who has taken diet pills?
Yes No

8. Did it work for them?
Yes No N/A

9. If you haven't taken diet pills, have you ever thought about taking them?
Yes No N/A

10. If you have taken diet pills, which one(s) have you taken?
_______________________

If you filled out this survey, thank you very much!

Abbey, I'll help you out.

1. What is your gender?
Female

2. What age group are you in?
21-39

3. Have you ever taken diet pills?
Yes

4. Did they work for you?
Yes

5. If you have taken them, did they have any positive side effects?
No

6. If you have taken them, did they have any negative side effects?
Yes - dry mouth and cavities from it, and just being completely high and out of it.

7. Do you know anyone else who has taken diet pills?
Yes

8. Did it work for them?
Yes

9. If you haven't taken diet pills, have you ever thought about taking them?
N/A

10. If you have taken diet pills, which one(s) have you taken?
Prescription amphetamines. I'm not sure what they were, cause my mother would give me them when I was a teenager.

Thank you very much Jan!

the thin craze isnt just a craze its a crzy obsession to most of america. you can tell. larger paople get rejected and just because theyre bigger doesnt mean they need to get down to like three pounds. i know someone who is litterally 85 puonds at 5'4" and is only 15. if thats not sad, then i dont know what is. people who dont think this is a big deal need to shuve it, and if they doint know where to then i'll be more than wiling to tell them. yes, i understand celeberties need to be thin to get more parts, but they need to look at the influence they have on yung girls, and some boys. most little girls and teens and some adults even believe if they dont look like the celeberties that they follow, then theyre not beautiful. and they need to know that thats not true. so all this weight loss obsession needs to stop. what...do they want the beauty weight to be like 50 puonds or something? honestly. people-get a grip.

ok..this is all about money and thats it.
no one cares about fat people or anorexics or insecurities..it IS all about money..and turns out the thinner the girl on the cover the bigger the profit..and the profits are HUGE..how much profit did vogue make in 2005? 9.8 million bucks. the thinner cover models/celebrities the more profit..and a couple extra million in someones pocket is definitely a lot. the more people draw light to this the more people buy and watch things about it and the more money the diet, fashion, food industry makes. so next time you see something on tv about those pin thin models dont talk about it to your friend..dont research it on the net..dont look/buy magazines about it..because the only reason its still a hot topic is because consumers are buying into it..its making companies and CEOs millions and millions of bucks and theyre laughing all the way to the bank.

For my A2 Media Critical research i am looking at Women and the media and am currently focusing on the question:

How do female filmstars influence socities perception of the female form?

i would much apprecative any opinions. thank you.

i think it affects us because, we think we all need to be stick thin to be sucessful