Body Image. An Introduction to Advertising and Body Image. Teacher s Notes 10 to 11 year olds

Transcription

1 Body Image An Introduction to Advertising and Body Image Teacher s Notes 10 to 11 year olds A media literacy resource focused on advertising. Produced by Media Smart

2 Feeling comfortable in our skin is important, but it can be difficult because we just don t look like the images of models and celebrities that we see around us in the media every day. It may seem as though we should be able to dismiss these images but that isn t always the case; they affect the way that we all feel about ourselves, children, parents, and teachers. Of course there are many factors that influence the way a child feels but one of the major underlying causes for increasing low self-esteem amongst young people is that they do not see their uniqueness reflected back at them within the media environment that surrounds them. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy. My own research has shown that 92% of girls worldwide want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance, with 12% resorting to extreme measures to lose weight. However, problems with body image are not restricted to girls; research by Beat has shown that 20% of those that suffer from an eating disorder are male. Although, as teachers it is impossible and unrealistic to try and prevent young children from viewing advertising or other images within the media, it is possible to help children to be thoughtful about what they are absorbing. Highlighting the inconsistencies between what is real and what has been altered can be a valuable tool in helping children towards self-acceptance as they realise that the celebrities and models they are invited to admire don t quite look as they are portrayed. Catching the low self-esteem that comes from having a negative body image from a young age is important. It is equally important for children to have a chance to develop positive relationships with their bodies. In this lesson which helps to educate children about the ways images are altered and demonstrates the role of media and advertising in influencing young people s perceptions of body image, there is a chance for children and teachers to challenge this limited and limiting idea of self-worth. Dr. Susie Orbach, author and psychoanalyst This Media Smart Body Image Lesson has been produced in partnership with the Government Equalities Office as part of its Body Confidence Campaign. Lynne Featherstone, Minister for Equalities, leads the campaign which aims to reduce the burdens that popular culture places on an individual s wellbeing and self-esteem. For more information about the campaign visit Media Smart is a non-profit media literacy programme for 6 to 11 year-olds, focusing initially on advertising. Media Smart develops and provides free of charge, educational materials to primary schools that teach children to think critically about advertising in the context of their daily lives. Media Smart is supported by: Mars, Hasbro, Ferrero, Lego, McDonald s, Mattel UK, Five, Mindshare, Turner, The Advertising Association, The British Toy and Hobby Association, The CTPA, The Internet Advertising Bureau and The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers.

3 Media Smart Body Image Lesson This Media Smart Body Image lesson has been developed to provide a one hour introduction into the role of media and advertising in influencing young people s perceptions of body image. Lesson Preparation Prior to the lesson, ask the class to bring in two pictures of someone they love and someone they think is beautiful. Before the lesson, display the pictures on a wall or board. On one side place the people they love on the other people who they think are beautiful. Introduction Depending on the level of understanding of the class, you may wish to begin the lesson by discussing the following questions. What is advertising? What is an advertising campaign? What is a brand? What is the purpose of advertising? What does aspirational mean? Eg. ambition/hope/ what you aspire to be like. This displays a series of adverts. Ask the class about the people portrayed in the adverts: Who are these people/what do they do for a living? Why were these people chosen for the particular ads? What do they look like/ what characteristics do they share? Who are these ads trying to appeal to? How do the people in these images fit in with the product they are selling? A realistic representation of society? Show the class Slide 3: Understanding the choice of people used in advertising/marketing. Understand that particular models or images of people are popularly used in the media. Understand that these characteristics are used because they are considered aspirational by society, and therefore encourage people to buy products because they associate being perfect or beautiful with having/using the product. Use the Tommy Hilfiger Country Club campaign advert to open up a class discussion: Which brand does this advert represent? What are they selling? Where are they? How can you tell? Eg. champagne Why did they chose this location, and not just use a studio? If this advert is selling clothes, why are some models bare chested? When you first look at the advert is this what you look at first? What impression/feeling are they trying to portray? Aspirational attributes and characteristics Show the class Slide 2: Hand out the country club worksheet. Divide the class into small groups to discuss one or more of the suggested questions listed above. Then bring their ideas back to a plenary session. Understand that some campaigns can help foster self esteem. Consider that not all advertising is unrealistic. Understand that it is sufficiently unusual to use diverse images, that many brands gain popularity from doing so.

4 When diversity is used in the media The activity could be extended for older or more-able pupils to link up with the campaigns detailed on slides 3-4 United Colors of Benetton and Dove. Explain to pupils that diversity in the selection of models (body shape, ethnicity, age) is rare enough that these campaigns are considered unique and their unique selling point is about showing racial and body type diversity. Airbrushing techniques can be used to alter images to smooth out imperfections (give examples such as clearer skin. This technique is used to try to create a flawless image. Show Slide 8: Go through each campaign with the class and ask whether they think using diverse body images will help sell the product. Ask the class: How do these images stand out from the other images we ve seen? What do you notice about the people? What is the feeling you get from these images? Understand that images are altered. Understand that almost all images are manipulated in some way. Understand that there are many different ways in which images can be changed. Understand that brands want images/products to appear perfect to encourage people to buy them. Understand that technology has advanced to the extent that often images look completely unrealistic, and can create a degree of perfection which is unattainable in reality. Digital enhancement can be used to accentuate aspects of an image by making a models hair shinier/muscles more defined or on objects to make jewellery look more sparkly/ food more delicious. Show Slide 9: Image alteration Ask the class if they can think of adverts where images have been altered. How do they think they were changed? Explain that adverts can be retouched in many different ways: Show Slide 7: Photo manipulation alters the image by making the model appear thinner/taller/make eyes bigger/jaw more or less square. This technique can give a model a more aspirational body or face shape. Explain that airbrushed images are used for many different reasons in ads to sell products. Today, technology has advanced so far that it can create flawless images. Ask the class Are these images real? Why do brands want to create such a perfect representation of the product?

5 Show Slide 10: Show Slide 12: See if the children can spot the airbrushing mistakes within these photos of celebrities. Explain that there are legal restrictions on digital retouching. It is unlawful if retouching is related to any characteristics directly relevant to the apparent performance of the product being advertised. For example: Removing wrinkles around the eyes for an eye cream advertisement. Increasing the length or thickness of eyelashes in an advertisement for mascara. to explore the differences between the airbrushed and original photographs of Britney Spears. Ask the class: What are all the differences they can find between the image on the left and right? Why would Britney prefer the image on the right to be shown in the press, rather than the image on the left? (NB Britney Spears distributed both the pre and post production images to highlight the extent to which photos are manipulated) Show Slide 11: Encourage pupils to think about why celebrities might want images of themselves to be airbrushed. What do they do? Will looking more attractive help their career? Why? Did you know? According to the ASA nearly all adverts have been altered in some way. Understand the impact of these images on identity and self esteem. which encourages the class to think about what techniques are used to prepare a final image. Ask the class to guess how the image has been retouched before showing them the following video. Discuss the variety of ways in which the image is retouched. Ask the class what do they think of the statement posed at the end of the video: is our perception of beauty influenced because of techniques used in the advertising process? Realise that many of the images in the media are passive and only represent one dimensional physical beauty. Understand that in society we consider human values to be more important.

6 The importance of personal attributes and human values over physical beauty Show Slide 13: Split the class into pairs and hand out the self esteem worksheet. Ask the class to complete it, encouraging them to help each other by suggesting things that their friends are good at. Ask the class whether these positive talents and attributes are often shown in advertising? Turn to the wall/whiteboard with the images the children have brought in of people they love and people who they think are beautiful. Point to the images of the loved people on one side of the wall. Ask the class: Why do you love them? What is it about them that you love? What do you love about their personality/what attributes do they have? For example: kindness, generosity, honesty, intelligence, humour and trustworthiness. Write all the words mentioned on the board. Point out that in these images we can only see their one dimensional beauty, but we cannot tell what kind of person they are. Then turn to the images of beautiful people and ask the class: Do they share these qualities? Do you need to be beautiful in order to be a good or lovable person? What is the difference between the two groups? Show Slide 14: Overall Discussion Did you know? Looking at magazines for just 60 minutes lowers the self esteem of over 80% percent of girls. The body fat of models and actresses portrayed in the media is at least 50% less than that of healthy women. Most men would ideally gain 13 kg more muscle than the average male build. 6 out of 10 teenage girls think they d be happier if they were thinner. This should open up a class discussion of the pupils ideas and feelings about the links they ve made, and include discussion of the issues involved. Should advertisers only use models of a certain body shape, skin colour or age? What affect does this have on society s perception of beauty? Should image alteration be used as a technique in media images? Should advertisers be required to use representative models in advertising? What might be the positive and negative impact of this?

7 Did you know? 2,397 ads were changed or withdrawn in 2009 as a result of ASA action for being misleading. 1. WHY BODY IMAGE Body image is how a person feels about the way he or she looks and it is learned from the environment that surrounds us. As children grow, body image becomes closely related to self-esteem and research has shown that poor self-esteem can have hugely detrimental effects on both physical and mental health. Although most people think of body image as a girls issue, more and more studies are showing that boys are affected as well. Research has also shown that children are becoming more and more concerned with their bodies at younger ages. Girlguiding UK conducted research recently which has found that 75 per cent of 11- to 21-year-olds say girls diet to look more attractive. However, this issue is more prominent within 14 to 16 year olds as this is when girls are most critical of their overall level of health. 4. LEGAL, DECENT, HONEST AND TRUTHFUL Each year, many millions of ads are put out in the UK. Although the UK industry is known for its ability to self-regulate, advertisers are governed by Codes of Practice. The principles above are the basis of the Codes of Practice that Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) uses to regulate all adverts. Here are some examples of the Codes of Practice: Marketing communications must not mislead consumers by exaggerating the capability or performance of a product. For example cosmetic companies cannot airbrush the appearance of lines or wrinkles around the eyes for an advert for eye cream. Marketing communications must not materially mislead or be likely to do so. For examples advertisers cannot add highlights or shine to hair for a product claiming to produce shiny hair. Qualifications in marketing communications may clarify but must not contradict the claims they qualify. For example you cannot claim that you are committed to providing a service when the small print states that they are not legally bound to do so. 5. PRE-CLEARANCE Adverts can influence what people perceive as the ideal body. If adverts are seen to be misleading or inappropriate advertisers can have to pay huge fines. Therefore, most advertisers use a service of pre-clearance to ensure that all ads transmitted are compliant with the Advertising Standards Code. 2. WHAT FACTORS SHAPE OUR BODY IMAGE? There are many factors that shape the way we feel about ourselves. Biological, psychological and societal factors such as peer groups and family values can influence the way in which children feel about themselves. Although media, including advertising, is just one factor, research has shown that it can be a highly influencial medium. 3. WHY MEDIA SMART? Through its teaching materials Media Smart provides an introduction into the role of the media and advertising in influencing young people s perceptions of body image. Through outlining the issues as well as showing examples of positive advertising. Did you know? According to ASA, on average 97% of ads we see each day are in line with the Codes. EXTRA INFORMATION Advertising Standards Authority Committee of Advertising Practice Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice Code.aspx All Party Parliamentary Group on Body Image GirlGuiding UK