Sizing Up The Media: Decoding the MessagesPresented by: Leta Marchand BSW, RSWBulimia Anorexia Nervosa AssociationWindsor, ON

Statistics on Eating Disorders1 in 5 women will suffer from an eating disorderYoung men representabout 10% of individuals with eating disorders 70% of women and 35% of men are dieting at any given time 98% of all diets fail and not for lack of will- power Canadian children in grades 3 & 4 say theyd rather lose a parent, get cancer or live through a nuclear war than be fat In one study of 500 schoolgirls, 81% of 10 year olds reported they had dieted at least once

Dying to Be Thin and Our Fear of FatWhat stereotypes and thoughts surround the following words: THIN FAT

Impact the media has on all of us:Average person sees 400-600 ads per day, thats 50 million ads by the age of 60 years. 1 out of 11 commercials has a direct message about beauty 1990s showed that Americans spent $50 billion annually on diet products. This exceeds the projections for the entire federal Education, Training, Employment and Social Services budgets by five to ten billion dollars.

Impact the media has on all of us:dieters reporting the cost to be $180 per pound." Fraser, L. (1997), Losing It: Americans Obsession With Weight and the Industry That Feeds On it. New York: Dutton. Thinness not only represents attractiveness but also symbolizes success, self-control, and higher SES

Plastic Surgery Statistics Nearly 11.5 million cosmetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures were performed in the United States in 2006

Since 1997 the overall number of cosmetic procedures has increased 446 percent Breast Implants are up 18 percent from 2005 Since 1997, surgical procedures increased 123 percent, while nonsurgical procedures have increased 749 percent

..ContinuedAmericans spent just under $12.2 billion on cosmetic procedures; $7.6 billion was for surgical procedures, and $4.5 billion was for nonsurgical procedures COURTESY THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR AESTHETIC PLASTIC SURGERY (ASAPS)

PORTION DISTORTION IN OUR SOCIETY

Steve ErhardtThe obsession to become a real life Ken doll. Over 30 Plastic Surgery's! Sarah Burge-I'm the human Barbie dollThis was actually her 26th operation. Before she decided she wasn't happy with her bum, this 46- year-old mother of three had 'corrected' almost every other part of her body.

Health-related costs of violence against women in Canada exceed $1.5 billion a year

Three basic techniques are used to establish superiority or power: size, attention and positioning. People in charge of their own lives typically stand up straight, alert and ready to meet the world. In contrast, the bending of the body conveys unpreparedness and submissiveness (Goffman, 1976)A Quote from Goffman

Activity: Critique the following images:1

Question the motives of the advertisers and the fashion industry!Advertising Standards Canada 350 Bloor St. E. Toronto, Ont. M4W 1H5 416-961-6311 Newspapers and Magazines Publishers and Editors names listed in the masthead (first few pages)

Media Advocacy Groups: www.about-face.org www.mediawatch.ca www.bana.ca

5 Ways to LOVE your BodyStop criticizing yourself and holding yourself to unrealistic ideals. Learn difference between what you can change and what you must learn to accept. Throw away the scales. Fight back against socially defined ideals. Practice self-acceptance through self-talk.