Gender Studies: Body Image

Guiding Question: What is body image and how is it influenced through the media?

A. Vocabulary: (Review/Self Test)

1. compromising有損聲譽的，有失體面

2. submissive順從的，溫順的，聽話的

He was looking for a quiet submissive wife who would obey his every word.

他想找一個溫順嫻靜的妻子，對他百依百順。

3. vulnerable易受傷的；易受影響（或攻擊）的；脆弱的

I felt very vulnerable, standing there without any clothes on.

一絲不掛地站在那裡，我感覺自己非常脆弱，不堪一擊。

It is on economic policy that the government is most vulnerable. 政府最易受人詬病的是經濟政策。

Tourists are more vulnerable to attack, because they do not know which areas of the city to avoid. 遊客更容易受到攻擊，因為他們不知道城裡哪些地方不該去。

4. sexualization

5. compulsive eating disorder 強迫性飲食失調症

B. Introduction:

Distinguished sociologist Erving Goffman noted that women in photographs are often portrayed in compromising or submissive situations such as having the head turned upwards to expose the neck or in a contorted stances often with light self-touching. Such poses invite the gaze of the viewer and make the subject of the photograph seem vulnerable and exposed to sexualization.

Activity 1: Students are asked to bring copies of men's and women's magazines to class (e.g. Vogue, Cosmo, GQ etc.) After watching Jean Kilbourne's "Still Killing UsSoftly" (about images of women in the media), students break into groups and look for images that support or fail to support Kilbourne's findings. Each group then reports their findings back to the class.

1. What do advertisers tell us about women? 
2.  How are women dehumanized in advertising? 
3. Which women have the greatest contempt?
4. Whats so dangerous about advertisements?

Activity 2: Look at the Infograph below and answer the questions.
use words like: values, concepts, normalcy , ideal female beauty, shame, guilt, failure, flawlessness 

1. How does the media contribute to female’s self image?

2. Why do you think the media is obsessed with female’s image?

3. The female body of the average American woman and a model is extremely different. How does this contribute to poor body self image?

4. Do you think men contribute to women’s poor body self image? How?

5. Why did the age female beginning to diet start to fall?

6. Why is it dangerous for 8 year olds to start to diet?

7. Are you surprised that young girls worry about getting fat? Why or why not?

8. Young women would rather be ________ or ________ than fat. They would rather have what happen to them than be fat?

9. How have you contributed to poor self body image of women?

10. Do you think the pressure on women to be young, beautiful and thin affects men? How?

ACTIVITY: Reshaping Body Image

CASE STUDY: SERENA WILLIAMS (read, “The most successful female athlete of all time just got body shamed in the New York Times” by Shane Ferro)

As a woman in the public eye, it seems like even being one of the most gifted athletes isn't enough to stop the media from calling you fat. On Friday, just as Serena Williams was preparing to clean up her historic sixth Wimbledon victory, the New York Times decided it was a good time to critique her body: “Williams, who will be vying for the Wimbledon title against Garbiñe Muguruza on Saturday, has large biceps and a mold-breaking muscular frame, which packs the power and athleticism that have dominated women’s tennis for years. Her rivals could try to emulate her physique, but most of them choose not to.” The real disgusting part of this, though, is that the Times didn’t really critique Williams. Instead, it let her competitors do it by explaining that they don't envy Williams' physique even as she uses it to dominate them. In the story, the Times printed the words of several top female tennis players unloading about their body image issues and describing their wish to be seen as small. “People say, ‘Oh, you’re so skinny, I always thought you were huge,’ ” [Andrea Petkovic] said. “And then I feel like there are 80 million people in Germany who think I’m a bodybuilder. Then, when they see me in person, they think I’m O.K.” Body image issues are something that should be discussed with a therapist, not a New York Times reporter. That women everywhere have body image issues isn’t exactly news. It’s the opposite of news. It helps no one to have those insecurities validated as worthy of considering by being paraded around in the pages of the New York Times. I don’t really understand how publishing female tennis players expressing their desire to be perceived as petite does anything other than adding to the public perception that women should be constantly critical of their bodies. And it's all especially silly since Williams' body type that they're belittling is regularly beating them at their own game.  Saying we shouldn't attack muscular women like Williams for their body types isn’t just about sexism or body positivity. It’s about health. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, elite athletes have a significantly higher rate of eating disorders (20%) than the average group of women (about 9%), who in turn have a higher rate of eating disorders than men. That’s in part because many of the personality traits that a person needs to be an elite athlete also show up in patients with eating disorders. The ANAD says these are all the common psychological profiles in common between elite athletes and people who develop anorexia: ·         Perfectionism 至善論，完美主義 ·         high self-expectations期盼；盼望；希望 ·         competitiveness好競爭的；好勝的 ·         hyperactivity好動亢奮的；過度活躍的 ·         repetitive exercise routines ·         compulsiveness難以抑制的；強烈衝動引起的；強迫性的；強制性的 ·         drive有計劃的努力；運動 ·         tendency toward depression ·         body image distortion ·         pre-occupation with dieting and weight Let's just say that's ten reasons beyond sexism that the media needs to lay off the body shaming.

Write your own definitions from the article:

1. Body Shaming:

2. elite:

3. anorexia:

Answer the questions:

1. How does the media try and body shame Serena Williams?

2. Why do you think the media is body-shaming Serena Williams?