Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us: Reflection

I really enjoyed this article, I’ve always been interested in how media portrayal influences how we perceive beauty and mostly how these messages affect children. The gender and personal image aspects always interested me more than the racial aspects for some reason. As a child born in the Disney era, looking at these stereotypes within Disney fascinates me. In my high school, we had to do a huge project called exhibition in order to graduate. The basics of it is that you pick a topic you're interested in, research this topic using valid sources, and you put together a project on how to get information about this problem exposed and try to solve it. You then have to present your project and plan for change to a panel of judges who grade your efforts and success. A lot of work for a project that most kids didn’t care about beyond as a graduation requirement, but definitely a learning experience. I did mine on Eating Disorders, and my project evolved to become how the media was a major factor in causing eating disorders. One of the reasons I chose to research eating disorders for my exhibition is that one of my best friends really struggled with anorexia, and I wanted to learn more; what could cause someone to hate their body and how to help her. The information I found was astounding, and in a way I did what these students did, but on a smaller scale- beginning to look at how the media presents perfection and how dramatically it influences our opinions. Instead of publishing a magazine article, I worked with one of the health teachers in the high school to create a better Eating Disorder and body image unit. A high point in the body image issue is Dove's Real Beauty Campaign in which they vow to use real women in all of their ads, with no photoshopping.
 

 The lines dotted in on the woman signify where her body would need to be changed in order to attain the figure of Barbie

I grew up in a family who always stressed that the models on tv weren’t realistic, that heroes and rich princes were unlikely to schwoop in and marry me, and that I was capable of doing more than sweeping the floor and cooking dinner, so even though I love these fairy tales, and I’m sure I didn’t completely avoid the ideals they instill, I think my family tried to also give me a firm footing in reality. Recently there has been a lot of stir over the newer Disney movies like Brave and Frozen because they are beginning to break through some of the Disney stereotypes.