“What does advertising tell us about women? It tells us as it always has that whatʼs most important is how we look. So the first thing the advertisers do is surround us with the image of ideal female beauty. Women learn from a very early age that we must spend enormous amounts of time, energy, and above all money striving to achieve this look, and feeling ashamed and guilty when we fail. And failure is inevitable because the ideal is based on absolute flawlessness.”
“Men basically donʼt live in a world in which their bodies are routinely scrutinized, criticized, and judged; whereas women and girls do. This doesnʼt mean that there arenʼt stereotypes that harm men; there are plenty of stereotypes that harm men, but they tend to be less personal, less related to the body. Men, in general, donʼt experience the emphasis on appearance that women can never escape.”
Jean Kilbourne
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Demi Moore Disappearing —But in a Better Place About her Body Image
Demi Moore on Body Acceptance :
“I think I sit today in a place of greater acceptance of my body, and that includes not just my weight but all of the things that come with your changing body as you age to now experiencing my body as extremely thin — thin in a way that I never imagined somebody would be saying to me, “You’re too thin, and you don’t look good.”I have had a love-hate relationship with my body. When I’m at the greatest odds with my body, it’s usually because I feel my body’s betraying me, whether that’s been in the past, struggling with my weight and feeling that I couldn’t eat what I wanted to eat, or that I couldn’t get my body to do what I wanted it to do.”
Now that is a monumental statement coming from a women who (looks Great!) but has a long history of plastic surgery. From breast implants, to having a knee lift there is hardly a part of her that has not been reconstructed, she is something of a bionic woman. But then this statement makes sense when you here what her mindset was back then.
Here is a quote from the time of that knee lift:
“Demi went to Brian Novack, who has already done work on her,” a source close to the actress said. “He is a fantastic surgeon and his clients don’t look like they’ve had surgery. Demi couldn’t stand it that there was any part of her that is not perfect.”
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-412388/Demi-completes-cosmetic-makeover-5-000-knee-surgery.html#ixzz1iYTpZCBk
Now there is not “proof” and there is always a “source close to the celebrity” but there is no mistaking that she has been quite familiar with a needle, a scalpel and a suture
She is such a lovely woman and has always been, and I cannot image intensity of the internal pressure and the pressures of Hollywood that had her chasing perfection, and then in more recent years youth. Although I think that she has always looked good (never too over done- ladies of Hollywood should take note) she always made me feel uneasy, there was so much energy directed to looking a certain way. I hope that this revelation brings her some ease. This is a very publicly difficult and stressful time for her, she’s on the divorce diet and that will make you shed pounds whether you mean to or not. It’s nice to hear that she as come to a level of acceptance, appreciation and respect for her body…Demi, are just fine the way you are, you don’t have to change a thing! You never did.
What a Difference a Rolf Makes: One Step Back
I have to say that I am feeling pretty darn good. I give a big shout out to Bikram Yoga Harlem! (although I always say Bikram Harlem Yoga You know what I mean) the combination of Yoga and Rolfing I think has been a good balance, although there have been a few hitches! (watch the video and you’ll see what I mean!)
Tomorrow I go for my third session with Chuck and will report back soon!
For more information on Chuck Carpenter check out www.HellsKitchenRolfing.com
Body Hero Jean Kilbourne on the Virgin/Whore Contradiction
“Females have long been categorized as either virgins or whores, of course. Whatʼs new is that girls are supposed to embody both within themselves, and that even very little girls are encouraged to look sexy long before they have any real understanding of what that really means. This creates an impossible double bind. In the same way that the girdles and the corsets of the past have been replaced by an internalized standard even more suffocating, so the sexual repression of the past has been replaced by something in some ways even more demanding and constricting.”
Jean Kilbourne
Body Hero Jean Kilbourne: Obsession with Thinness and More…
“On the deepest level, the obsession with thinness is about cutting girls down to size. Now one could say this more vividly than this relatively new size in womenʼs clothing, size 0 and size 00. Imagine a man going into a clothing store and asking for anything in a size zero, but our girls are taught to aspire to become nothing.”
Jean Kilbourne
This is an incredible excerpt from a lecture where Kilbourne not only discusses the Obsession with Thinness but also the themes in advertising that encourage the disconnection with the body (female) and how food is sexualized as a way to create or re-create that connection, the prevalence of and the glorification sexual violence in ads, and how the sexualization and infatilizaton of women / girls is used to reduce women. It is a long clip but so worth watching all of it. if you can’t do it in one sitting, go back and finish, actually it is so interesting it sucks you in!!!
25% Of Britons Have Obese Body Mass Index
Well we all know that the average waist line of America is ever expanding, but we are not the only country in trouble, a report was just released stating that 25% Of Britons Have Obese Body Mass Index. Pardon the pun but THAT”S HUGE!
Via Huffington Post
A quarter of the UK population has an obese Body Mass Index (BMI), but a high number “deny” how severely their weight could be affecting their health, according to new figures.
Only 6% of people believe their weight problem is severe enough to be described as obese, Slimming World’s annual survey showed.
Three quarters of people with an obese BMI underestimate their weight category according to the National Slimming Survey, which had 2,065 respondents.
More than one in three who are regarded as overweight said they felt weight “is the most important issue in life”.
Half of those classified as obese said their weight made them feel embarrassed, while others said they felt awkward, disgusted,
ashamed, clumsy or trapped.
Now I have stated before I am not here to judge the body, anybody’s body, but there has to be something said for health (and yes we all know that size is not an indicator of health), AND the way that you feel in your body. THIS is what I am most interested in. The issue of weight whether too much or too little is more about feeling fit, strong and vital than it is about aesthetics and beauty!
The Article continues:
Dr Jacquie Lavin, head of nutrition and research at Slimming World, said: “This worrying new data reveals the complex psychological issues associated with being overweight.
“Many people, including many health professionals, believe that managing weight is just about energy balance, and that people simply need to ‘eat less and exercise more’.”
However, that approach can never work while so many people deny how severely their weight could be affecting their health by increasing their risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke or while they struggle with the emotional burden of being overweight, which can affect their confidence in their ability to make healthy lifestyle changes.
“As individuals, we need support to tackle the deep-rooted psychological issues around how we feel about our weight before we can begin to make those changes.”
to read the rest jump to Huffington Post
Meet our Resident Physical Therapist Sheyi Ojofeitimi
It looks like 2012 is going to be good. I have been trying to get a “Team” together for a while, we already have Courtney Veaszey our Mental Health Specialist, Natalie Guarnachelli our Nutritionist and I had spoken about having a physical therapist come on board,FINALLY I pinned and Sheyi down and we shot some segments! So I am introducing what will be called PT TIPS (Physical Therapy Tips not to be confused with the English tea PG Tips!)
Because my background is as a dancer, and the genesis of the blog sprung from both my personal experiences in the field, and seeing some of those same issues patterned in my students (as far as body image, and weight) the health, of my body however was always in relationship to the dance. To me (in my youth) Health simply meant being able to dance and dance pain free, period. Now that I am accumulating years….I see and feel how important it is to take care of your body inside and out, and for dancers physical therapy is a life line. I wanted to introduce the idea of, and clarify what physical therapy is to both dancers and non-dancers because it is a useful tool to getting and maintaining health. Most of us think that we use physical therapy if was are injured, however I was shocked to learn from Sheyi that ALL people should have a physical therapist- it’s not just about when your injured!it is also about prevention. I especially wanted to get the information about maintenance out there to young dancers is so vital, first because the work (contemporary) can be so extreme these days and hyper mobility is almost a prerequisite that the bodies of today seem to be more susceptible to injury. Maybe it’s me but it seems that kids these days break more easily, sometimes my classroom looks like a hospital ER with all the students sitting out for this or that, thus learning to take care of your instrument before an injury, during and after one is incredibly important. Also it can extend you career, people are dancing longer because we know more about the body, the sports medicine is better, as is the technology. SO! I finally pinned Sheyi down and we talked about a number of topics that I will be bringing to you every 3 weeks or so. Please We both would love to answer your questions so write in!!! Our first topic was simple and seemingly obvious but proved not as obvious as you might think.
WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE A PHYSICAL THERAPIST?
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SHEYI!
Sheyi Ojofeitimi, DPT
Dr. Ojofeitimi is owner of Divine Physical Therapy, a NY based practice that uses a whole body approach to identify the biomechanical, neuromuscular, and/or motor control dysfunctions that are the cause of musculoskeletal pain. The practice offers on-site physical therapy services to performing arts organizations and private clients.
Dr. Ojofeitimi has spent the past 10 years serving in different capacities to several organizations. At Long Island University’s Brooklyn campus, she served as senior research associate at the Analysis of Dance and Movement (ADAM) Center, an on- campus biomechanics laboratory. There she was part of a team of physical therapists, biomechanists, computer scientists, and engineers who conducted biomechanical and epidemiologic research to aide in the prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal injury in dancers. She also served as Coordinator for Project QUEST (Quality Undergraduate Expanded Science Training), a federal grant funded program designed to directly address the shortage of minorities in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields by providing the a comprehensive range of services to support and strengthen the academic skills and educational experiences of minority students. During this same period she and her physical therapy colleagues provided screenings, injury prevention workshops, injury triage clinics, rehabilitation and injury case management services to Cedar Lake Contemporary Dance Company, and the Alvin Ailey Organization (including AAADT, Ailey II, students and staff of The Ailey School). She serves as the tour physical therapist for AAADT.
Ads That Might Need a Second Look : Body Hero Jean Kilbourne
Our Body Hero of the Week Jean Kilborne has worked tirelessly to raise awareness to some of the negative, misogynistic, sexist, violent, dehumanizing images and messages in advertising. Some are subtle others quite overt and blatant. I thought it would be helpful to post a gallery of some ads that have some of the elements that Kilbourne is talking about. Sometimes as we flip though magazines or sit on buses or subways we glance over them but don’t really “look” or “see” them. Sometimes as they stand alone they seem benign but when you collect them together it is like a Chuck Close mosaic when you step back from the collection, you bigger picture becomes clear. Take a look and tell me what you think?
The First Body Hero of the Week 2012 Jean Kilbourne
Jean Kilborne Ed. D is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work on the image of women in advertising and for her critical studies of alcohol and tobacco advertising. In the late 1960s she began her exploration of the connection between advertising and several public health issues, including violence against women, eating disorders, and addiction, and launched a movement to promote media literacy as a way to prevent these problems. A radical and original idea at the time, this approach is now mainstream and an integral part of most prevention programs. According to Susan Faludi, “Jean Kilbourneʼs work is pioneering and crucial to the dialogue of one of the most underexplored, yet most powerful, realms of American culture – advertising. We owe her a great debt.” Mary Pipher has called Kilbourne “our best, most compassionate teacher.”
Her short documentary films Killing us Softly looks at how advertising traffics in distorted and destructive ideals of femininity. Her work embodies every thing that I, and My Body My Image represents. Her work brings to light the images, messages and stereotypes that are present in advertising and marketing that inform and effect us all by creating and reinforce unrealistic, and unhealthy, perceptions of beauty, perfection, and sexuality. By exposing this information, and bringing it to our attention her work forces us to take notice and take stock of where our concepts of beauty, femininity and sexuality come from and how it is developed. It forces not only the advertising companies and brands to take responsibility but demands that we are consumers also take accountability for supporting it, but more importantly by giving us the information it empowers us, to be informed enough to make a choice! These are some of the reasons thy Jean Kilbourne is our first Body Hero of the week for 2012.
Beauty Tips Celebrities give THAT ARE WRONG!
Every time you open a magazine or read a celebrity blog there is some actress or singer sharing a beauty or health tip on how to have better skin or giving their diet tips well the Sense About Science has taken some of them to task. I loved this report because so often women look at this snippets of information and take it to heart heart. Where most of them are not dangerous per se they are on accurate. Here is what the report had to say:
Hosted by the Huffington Post:
Supermodels and celebs always seem to have some secret method for looking so good.
Elle Macpherson swears by copious amounts of water and “organic, locally sourced food,” while Miranda Kerr had eyebrows raised when she expressed her devotion to coconut oil (four tablespoons a day!) For Gwyneth, it’s those kickass Tracey Anderson workouts and those famous detoxing cleanses. And the Duchess of Cornwall supposedly swears by a face mask made of bee venom.
But scientists have decided to rain on our Celebrity Beauty Secrets parade. Sense About Science is a non-profit that aim to make sense of scientific and medical claims for the average citizen. In a recent paper, spotlighted by Racked, Sense About Science asked several scientists and doctors to take a closer look at celebrities’ nonchalant claims.
The conclusion? Lots of celebs have no idea what they’re talking about.
For example, Juliette Lewis’ claim that “coconut water is pretty much the most hydrating thing you can drink, and much better than man-made sports drinks”? Not true, says sports dietitian Ann Ashworth: “Coconut water has about half the amount of carbohydrate but also a different balance of salts than a typical sports drink, and so could be less hydrating.”
As for Pippa Middleton’s claim that rinsing her hair in cold water “closes the pores and gives it a lift and shine,” beauty and grooming senior scientist Dr. Frauke Neuser said, “Rinsing with water — whether hot or cold — doesn’t close or smoothen the cuticles” of one’s hair — moreover, hair doesn’t have pores.
And in response to Gisele Bundchen’s self-serving explanation of sunscreen (“I cannot put this poison on my skin… I do not use anything synthetic”), pharmaceutical scientist Gary Moss stated, “You might be surprised that you use a wide variety of synthetic materials in many aspects of your life: ‘synthetic’ does not automatically mean bad, just as ‘natural’ does not automatically mean safe or beneficial.”
For the rest JUMP!
The moral of the story, take every thing you hear with a grain of salt and just to be clear that is not a heath tip