This outline can be used to facilitate discussion with the video The Strength to Resist The outline was written by Juli Hayes,R.D., (805)687-1469 University of California, Santa Barbara. Source of many of these quotations: The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women, Naomi Wolf, published by Anchor Books, 1992.

A. The focus of this film and discussion today is about media images and women. We are focusing today primarily on women because it is women who are exploited as objects of beauty and used to sell products to both men and women (i.e. autos, beer, cosmetics -- you name it).

B. The film, is about how media, specifically advertising, affects us individually and collectively in how we view ourselves and all women. Although this film is also about advertising's effect on violence, objectification and trivilization, today we are most interested in how advertising affects how women feel about their bodies.

A. Advertising is a 130 billion dollar a year industry. It is thus a powerful educational force in our culture.

1. The average American watches 30 hours a week.
2. The average American spends 110 hours a year reading magazines.
3. This ads up to exposure to 1500 ads daily.

B. Ads are often thought of as trivial but they have a serious cumulative effects. The current emphasis on excessive thinness is one of the clearest examples of the power of advertising to influence culture standards.

C. A recent study at Arizona State University looking at the effect on thin "imagery" from magazines and television, found that the more media- saturated a woman was, the greater her likelihood of eating disorder symptoms. Women with more exposure to thin imagery (models) were also more likely to believe that women must be svelte in order to be attractive, a belief that increased the likelihood of their being dissatisfied with their own bodies.

D. Another study demonstrated that images of slender models really do make women feel bad about themselves and their bodies. In this study, the researcher showed one group of women photos of very slim models; a second group looked at pictures of "average" size women; and a third group saw images with no human figures in them. Afterward, the women exposed to the thin models were likelier than the others to report feelings of body dissatisfaction, stress and depression.

A. Body types go in and out of fashion

1920s - the flapper look was in (boyish, thin, bound breasts)

1950s - Marilyn Monroe was the sex goddess. By our standards today, Marilyn Monroe was fat.

1960s - Twiggy era. The beginning of the anorexic look. Twiggy was 5'8" and 97 lbs.

1980s - Elle McPherson, who typified the strong and lean look.

What about the 1990s and 2000s? (Kate Moss) Describe today's ideal look for women.
(write on board)

B. Images in media constantly reinforce the latest ideal, indoctrinating us into the ideal image.

C. This ideal that we just described is unobtainable by most women. The average women today is 5'4" and 142 lbs. Top models are 5'9" and 110 to 118 lbs. Only 5% of American women approximate the ideal. This standard deviation has been normalized, leading the majority of women to think that they have the abnormal body, instead of realizing that the "ideal" is abnormal for women.

D. The result is that 50% of American women are dieting. 75% of "normal" weight women think they are too fat, up to 20% of college age women are bulimic.

E. Poor body image sells a lot of products, so many corporations profit.

1. The diet industry has tripled it's income in the past 10 years from a $10 billion industry to a $33.3 billion industry. The industry is expected to become a $50 billion industry in another 5 years.
2. In 1992, Americans (mostly women) spend $1.75 billion on cosmetic surgery.

A. Who has seen "The Strength to Resist: Media's Image of Women & Girls?"

B. Gloria Steinem, Gail Dines, Valerie Batts, Catherine Steiner Adair, Amy Richards all

believe that the purpose of advertising is to sell us values and concepts of "normal" and to sell us what we don't need.

C. As you watch the film, think about the purpose of ads and their effect on:

1. How you see yourself and others, and how others see you.

 A. Ask audience the following questions:

1. What were your first reactions?
2. What surprised you?
3. Did anything make you angry?
4. For men: What do you think about advertising's effect on how you see yourself, how others see you, and how you see others? How does advertising affect how you see women?
5. What do you think about the responsibility of advertisers -- do they have any?
6. When you see an ad, how conscious are you of reality, or lack of?

C. What can we do about it?