By Roving Reporter, Ashlea M
I don't think you're going to bat an eyelash when I say that body image is a serious problem for many young people. No matter where you turn, from tabloid magazines to TV teen dramas and billboard advertisements, there is an ever-present subculture of celebrities. And these celebrities are promoting an image of skinny, designer-clad perfection.
But is this perfection really that desirable? Is it attainable? Are they beautiful? And are they even that perfect?
Sadly, western culture gravitates towards the celebrity and their image. Our media-saturated world is never going to change, but hopefully our understanding of the media can.
You see, celebrities are just like you and me - absolutely not flawless - and that's what the program coordinators of BodyThink intend to show.
Meet BodyThink
BodyThink is a joint initiative between The Butterfly Foundation and The Dove Self Esteem Fund with support of the Victorian Government. The program was created to raise awareness of body image issues, which can lead to eating disorders and low self-esteem.
Program coordinator Julie Thomson says BodyThink is a new program that "can help all young people improve their body image and self-esteem regardless of what they look like or the current state of their own actual individual body image and self-esteem."
BodyThink stresses the fact that one's body image is the perception that someone has of their physical self and the feelings they experience as a result of this perception.
The program is designed to address body image issues and ways to prevent them. It provides these skills to teachers and professionals who work with young people throughout Victoria. In turn, BodyThink is then designed to be presented to primary and secondary school students within the classroom and youth centres.
So what's the problem?
The stats speak for themselves here. A body image survey conducted by Girlfriend magazine in June 2005 found that one in two Australian teenage girls have dieted and more than half are unhappy with their bodies.
I was shocked when a 17-year-old friend of mine openly proclaimed one day that she loved the stick-thin look the A-list starlets are currently rocking in Hollywood.
Think Mischa, Paris, Nicole, Lindsay, the Olsen twins. Any number of tabloid magazines are adamant in focusing on their weight. I'm sure you've heard the reports. Nicole Richie shops in the children's section for clothes, Lindsay Lohan has admitted to a past eating disorder. Even Madonna is supposedly working out for 16 hours a day. What's clear is that these celebrities are obsessed with their appearance and weight.
I'm by no means saying that there is a direct relationship between the A-list's weight and our body image crisis. But as Thomson says, "our role [with the BodyThink program] is to help them view it [the media] with a critical eye".
Team Beautiful
So while the media may be normalising this skeletal physique with their superficial celebrity coverage, what needs to be assured is that this new "look" is not the norm.
How many people out there have looked at a magazine cover and felt that pang of jealously? I'd say almost everyone has at one point or another, but the almost hidden facet is the team of stylists and publicists that ensure that only the utmost "perfect" image is used.
Team Beautiful is endless, from the stylists, hair and make-up artists, nutritionists, photographers with complimentary lighting, and not forgetting the airbrushing and retouching done after the photo shoot.
Images are reworked so that imperfections are eliminated and only desirable qualities are left. Want bigger boobs, smaller thighs, better skin tone, less wrinkles? Let the re-touching begin. Realistic body image? Absolutely not! Hey I'd love some Photoshop action for real life, but the fact is, it's just unrealistic.
Barbie doll angst
Okay, so Barbie may be Paris Hilton's most obvious inspiration in dress, but speaking realistically Barbie promotes nothing but an impossible body image.
You may have heard the rumours that she wouldn't be able to walk because of her bust-to-waist ratio. Well this fact (yes, fact) is exactly what the media is beginning to normalise in the sense of an unattainable body image.
But is Barbie really to blame for the body image crisis? Probably not, but it's an easy starting point to see where these unrealistic images have developed from. After all, every little girl dreams of life as Barbie, what with the pink campervan and endless wardrobe.
Where to now?
There is no easy solution once a bad body image has developed, but with the BodyThink program young people are set to become more media savvy.
The program is run with a series of worksheets that address the issues in a fun and informative manner, and a DVD is included that shows how easily celebrities are poked and prodded into the image they portray.
BodyThink is currently in a pilot phase in Victoria, but if successful it is set to spread nationally. My experience with the program was only positive. I'm sure when it's implemented in schools, young people will become that bit more media literate, in today's ever-demanding society.
So while I step down from my soapbox, here is one little fun fact to finish with: even the stars have body hang-ups. Paris Hilton may be super slim, but her size 11 feet are a source of angst for her.
Never seen Paris in flats? That's because the heiress knows that heels minimize her feet. And she's prepared to put up with the back pain, the shin splints and hammer toes to hide this self-perceived imperfection.
When it comes to body image, we're all vulnerable, it seems.
