An Open Letter to a Selective Fraction of the Media

The following letter was written to address the portion of the media that presents us with the ideal image of beauty - an unrealistic kind of beauty, in fact. Unattainable, because to actually achieve that sort of "beauty" would probably result in hospitalization.

Dear Media:

Something interesting came to my attention in Spanish class the other day.

You know those videos that Spanish teachers show you at the beginning of each unit? Yeah, we watched one of those, a dramatic little vignette in which a girl (who is already rather thin) wants to go on a diet in order to fit into a dress.

One of said girl’s friends, a much bigger (but by no means overweight) girl, talks to her about it.

As this was going on, one of the boys in my class remarked snidely, “That other girl needs to go on a diet instead.”

My Spanish teacher, being the interesting man that he is, said, “Well, maybe she’s happy. You don’t know.”

It was a completely ridiculous argument, of course, but one of the Barbie-doll girls in the class gave a derisive snort and muttered, “Happy!”

As though no one could possibly be happy with that kind of body.

Society seems to frown upon positive self-images. We might look at someone else and see a physically beautiful person, but if we look at ourselves and see a physically beautiful person, we are called arrogant, vain, superficial... all demeaning terms, used to describe one who is self-obsessed.

Human beings glory in physical beauty, and more often than not, that beauty is rooted with some kind of influence. Media, if you ask someone about how advertisements influence them, do you know how they’ll respond? They’ll insist, “I’m independent. I have free will. Advertisements don’t influence me. I just ignore them.”

Not true.

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, Media. I think at least some of this is your fault.

Let me explain, Media. You are all around everyone, in peoples’ everyday lives, telling them what an ideal life is like. People might be able to resist the temptation to buy the latest tarted-up home-improvement device, but when they have been seeing images of super-skinny young models presented as epitomes of physical beauty since age 3, the mind is conditioned into actually thinking that this is what “hotness” really looks like.

Media, I’m not sure if you suffer from self-confidence issues. You’re pretty obese yourself. But there’s more to this story - a much more serious side than just a few women thinking that they’re fat or ugly.

Not long ago, I discovered the story of a British 8-year-old anorexic girl named Dana. Dana was admitted into an eating disorder treatment facility for 12 weeks of rehabilitation, during which she was expected to gain 1 kilo/day. She told an interviewer that when she looked in the mirror, she saw a fat girl; she restricted her own eating habits. By the time she was diagnosed, she was eating under 200 calories per day.

Now, 8 years old. That's early. When I became weight-conscious, I was in - maybe fourth grade, at the very earliest.

So, what are my thoughts on this 8 year old anorexic girl?

I think it's a bloody disgrace, is what it is. Okay, many young girls stop eating for different reasons; but for an 8 year old girl to be counting calories, to even know what calories are, to see herself as fat - that takes a lot more influence, and as I said, Media, I think you are the culprit.

Here are some other examples:

I read a book called "Glitter Baby." The main character, a 6-foot female model, was expected to weigh 135 pounds or less. This may or may not be totally accurate, but I suspect it is based in reality, and every resource I have found tells me that this is underweight.

Almost every fashion/gossip/otherwise zeitgeist-oriented fashion magazine shows models that are, not only studio-lit and on strict diets, but also photoshopped, airbrushed, cut-and-pasted. Every resource I have found has told me that these proportions are biologically impossible.

The government has confirmed that the calorie reductions of most commercial diets in the US are equivalent to food-denial torture practices. This means that if you subject yourself to a commercial diet, you are punishing yourself WORSE than you would be punished if you were a terrorist; you are treating your body like you are a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay. (Well, the food might taste better.)

I have had problems with my body image since the end of elementary school, as I said. Only recently, I discovered that I am in the "normal" weight range for my height; in fact, I benefit from those five or so extra pounds I have, which put me just within the upper half of "normal" weight charts. They reduce my chances of getting pneumonia, heart disease, and a host of other things.

When I see a stick-thin woman, my first reaction is to look at myself. When I do that, I see imperfections. I think, "Wow - I don't look like that woman. I'm fat. I must be unattractive."

On the other hand, when I visit a plus-size modeling site such as Judgment of Paris, I walk away feeling happy with myself. I feel pretty and sexy, and no, I don't feel vain admitting that. Being reasonably happy with yourself isn't a war crime, and I'll do it if I please.

FACT: studies have shown that plus-size advertising boosts sales and encourages people to buy. So why isn't everyone doing it?

Surely we can see the logic here, Media. I don't want to see an advertisement and feel like I have to look like a Barbie doll in order to be attractive. No, I want to see an advertisement that tells me, "You can wear this outfit, and look JUST LIKE this model!" Presenting an unrealistic image of beauty isn’t exactly going to encourage success.

Media, I suggest you go look at some Renaissance paintings. Rembrandt - remember him? Didn't think so. Bottom line is, people have got to stop being so obsessed with their bodily images and their ideas of perfection, or they will continue to lead themselves to their deaths.

I don’t think that’s a very favorable outcome, myself.

You may not pay attention to this letter, Media. Even if any part of you notices it, it probably won’t influence you very much.

I’m just letting you know, I don’t approve.

And I’m sure a lot of the world doesn’t either.

Love,
Bast
The One With Issues