Busting Beyond Self-Image Stereotypes

Written by Dana
When you imagine someone being discontent with their weight, it seems to be the default thought to assume that they feel overweight. Anorexia and bulimia are two eating disorders commonly associated with people who have poor self body image or discontentment with their size. However, it is only appropriate to acknowledge the fact that there are many girls out there who wish they were bigger. Some girls have difficulty gaining weight, and are dissatisfied when they look in the mirror to see spindly limbs and the absolute opposite of Beyonce's curves.

Self doubt about physical appearance is not a black and white issue. Circumstances don't always sway in the same direction. Negative self body image can affect anyone.

Another common misconception is that this is strictly a female issue. Guys struggle with body image, too. There is often pressure to be big buff. On an episode of MTV's True Life, a young guy was featured who sought (and underwent surgery for) calf implants. He felt as though his calves in their natural state were simply not sculpted enough.

Ignoring certain aspects of this issue of self-perception is detrimental in more ways than one -- we all struggle, but what is the real measure of beauty? We often self-define what the ideal body is, with help from the media, of course. Whether we feel we are underweight, overweight, or simply not the "right" shape, staying healthy and eating right is the best solution in most cases. Beyonce's figure or a bodybuilder's calves aren't for everyone -- there are many more definitions of beauty than most people think.

Facebook Photo Decoder: What We're Really Trying to Say

Written by Karen
We're all familiar with those classic self-taken and group photos that girls love to post on Facebook. We've all seen them, taken them, spent embarrassing amounts of time in front of PhotoBooth perfecting an adorable "kissy" face photo for our profile pictures. Now guys enjoy participating in self-taken pictures as well, but there's no mistaking that girls are the primary perpetrators. After all, the affectionate label for any individual who enjoys taking and posing for hundreds, even thousands of these photos is "camera whore."

So here's a guide to some of the basic Facebook photo poses we've all come to recognize and how best to maximize their effect...

The Kissy-Face: Girl or group of girls will all face the camera and pucker up. The kissy-face is one of the most basic poses that is often used in conjunction with a variety of other poses, so it's important for every girl to come equipped with a well-rehearsed kissy-face. This can be achieved after spending hours in front of the mirror figuring out how to make the upper-lip look as luscious and Angelina-Jolie-esque as possible. While the kissy-face is effective open-eyed, a closed-eye kissy-face is typically much more seductive.

The Playful, Stick-out-your-tongue (SOYT) Face: Demonstrates your care-free playfulness by gaping your mouth and sticking out your tongue. The SOYT can exude child-like innocence, femme-fatale danger, or drunken sloppiness. Just keep in mind that the ultimate point is to demonstrate how good at blowjobs you are.

The I LOVE ALCOHOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!: Variations on the kissy-face and SOYT face, only with alcoholic beverages or paraphernalia as the object of attention. These photos usefully communicate the likelihood that you'll make out with random guys at the bar with the help of your trusty beer goggles.

The Sorority Squat: Classic sorority pose where the girls line up in two rows and the first row of girls squat down at approximately 145 degrees, simulating doggy-style sex. Arms are usually placed on your knees to accentuate cleavage.

The Growler Face: This is a good pose to resort to when you're unprepared (somebody throws a camera at your face unexpectedly, or they're using a flash in a dark room). Simply make a growling, cutely-angry face by bearing a little bit of teeth and, if you want to embellish a little bit, simulate "claws" with your hands. This pose sends the message that you can be a tiger in the sack and are up for a little rough lovin'.

The Girl-on-girl: These photos feature you and your girlfriends showing your sisterly love for each other by making out, grinding, or somehow fondling each other. The most innocent "girl-on-girl" will feature a simple kiss on the cheek, but this pose can quickly digress into the downright obvious, including boob grabbing, grinding, simulating other sexual positions and the like. Make sure that your girlfriends look hot so that these photos maximize their effect (if you're friends are ugly, just get new friends!).


NOTE: All of these photos must look as though they were taken effortlessly, in one take, despite how many photos one goes through to achieve the perfect picture.

There you have it! Now lets get snapping away!


Blog contributor engaging in "The Growler," effectively communicating how feisty and carefree she is about life (thus increasing the probability of willingness to experiment with alternative positions in bed).


Blog contributor's failed attempt at the close-eyed "kissy face." While trying to emphasize her kissable lips, this blog contributor wound up looking like she just ate some bad sushi. This is a good example of how all of these faces can go terribly wrong without extensive mirror practice. Shoulda stuck to the Growler!

From Barbies to Bratz: The Doll Dilemma

Written by Dana
Mary Baldwin College, located in Stauton, VA, recently held their thirteenth annual Black Baby Doll drive. The drive's purpose is to collect and distribute dolls that will be a reflection of racial diversity, which will in turn promote self-esteem and positive self-image amongst young girls. Reverend Andrea Cornett-Scott, who helped create this drive in 1996, had this to say: "...Black children often struggle with issues of self-esteem and think they're ugly. If they don't develop a positive self image early and aren't taught that they are beautiful, then they will not love themselves. We want to show the children that beauty isn't defined by a certain eye or hair color."

Indeed, the world of dolls is a strange one. Barbie, one of the world's most popular and recognizable dolls, is unreasonably thin and has a flawless face. Barbie was created in 1959 and was exclusively Caucasian until 1980, when the first African-American and Hispanic Barbies were introduced.

In more recent years, Bratz dolls have become popular amongst young girls. In fact, sales figures in 2004 showed that Bratz dolls were outselling Barbie dolls in the U.K. This was no improvement on young girls' unhealthy fascination with the stick-thin glamour of Barbie; Bratz dolls have huge heads, tiny bodies, seemingly collagen-injected glossy lips, and tend to be provocatively dressed and plastered with heavy make-up.

Why is it such a staple of a young girl's life to play with dolls? How are we to determine whether a child is able to distinguish reality from doll-fantasy in terms of "ideal" female body appearance? Is it healthy for kids to play with these plastic representations of pure pressure?-- pressure to be thin, be pretty, and be perfect. While Mary Baldwin's Black Baby Doll drive addresses one aspect of the doll dilemma, there are many others requiring immediate attention that may never be received.

The Word BITCH: To Use or Not to Use

Written by Ayo
I think we can all agree that the word BITCH is a bit ambiguous! However, some men don't seem to have a problem with it negative or positive!....."SO......Whats the big deal?". they say. In this clip a boy voices his views about calling a women a bitch, he brought up many point to support his argument....an interesting point about how it was ok for a women to call another women a Bitch! TRUE. Although this sets a foundation for men to use this term we don't scrutinize women for using that word, but men get an awful lot of attention when calling a women a bitch. Even women in the media such as music videos, perpetuates this image of being called a bitch is perfectly fine, as they dance to the word! and if we as women help this word to survive, it will open doors for men to keep thinking this word is ok such as this pathetic GUY!

BOTTOM LINE: (men) DON'T CALL US A BITCH!

Beauty Queen Dies After Butt Implants

Written by Dana
Solange Magnano was unbelievably and undeniably gorgeous. Everyone knew it - she was Miss Argentina 1994. Toting a title that proclaims your beauty to be superior to the rest of Argentina's female population should be a major boost to a woman's self-esteem. No matter how seemingly perfect a woman's appearance is, they will harbor personal doubts and dissatisfaction. Such was the case with Magnano, who died recently from a botched gluteoplasty. Because of the procedure, extra fluid flooded Magnano’s brain and lungs, with the final cause of death determined to be pulmonary embolism. No amount of beauty seems to be enough for some females. Plastic surgery is often sought for women who feel as though their overall appearance or self-esteem will be boosted by an enhancement somewhere on their body, such as the breasts, lips, or in this case, the buttocks. Women subject themselves to great risks when deciding to undergo any type of plastic surgery. The result can even be fatal, as seen in Magnano's horrific story.

What causes a woman to feel as though her body, or certain body parts, are not up to par? The media can be a huge factor. Plastic surgery may appear to be the optimal choice for a woman who feels she is in competition with supermodels and other picture-perfect Barbies on TV, in movies, and in magazines. Disparaging comments from others may play a part. Body dysmorphic disorder, in which a person views their body or body parts as imperfect to the point of it causing psychological distress, may be a possibility. The story of Solange Magnano is a horrifying reminder that even those we view as beautiful and flawless, still harbor insecurities and negative thoughts about their bodies. Young women who hear this story should be reminded of the dangers of plastic surgery, and the fact that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For every person who thinks negatively of someone's looks, there is another who thinks she is an absolute goddess. Plastic surgery is, in general, excessive, expensive, and a massive risk.

Miss Venezuela: Plastic Pageant?

Written by Jessica

Under the direction of Osmel Sousa, Venezuela has accumulated more international titles than any other country, including six Miss Universe winners, five Miss World winners, and five Miss International winners.

Many may think that the girls of Venezuela are born beautiful, but this is not always the case. The Venezuelan society revolves around a certain definition of beauty and image therefore, expects these women to be beautiful and pageant become a full time job and life aspiration to some.

Many have been taken under the reign of Osmel Sousa in hopes that he will train them to become the next pageant winner. He sits on the selection panel and tells the girls whether or not they are fit for the competition. If a girl seems like she has potential, he will train her and almost always suggest plastic surgery, which is one of the largest industries in this country.

"When I see a defect I want to correct it." Sousa told The Times. "If I were advising you"-he reaches out to indicate the interviewers facial flaws-"I would say to inject a bit here and here."

In any case, he insists, there is no time to perform major surgery, although former winners have reportedly had everything from nose reshaping to liposuction and breast implants.

Joaquin Riviera, the Miss Venezuela producer, said that Venezuelan women were not necessarily more attractive than other nationalities, just more dedicated. I would argue that this is culturally inscribed in their society so plastic surgery is so common that these girls do not think twice before going under the knife.

These women are looked up to by girls and women around the world who aim to be like them. These standards of beauty have become so demanding that not even the most beautiful woman can win without the help of a little plastic surgery. Venezuela may have some of the most beautiful women in the world to some people's standards but most girls are altered in some way. What is this saying to other women and young girls around the world?

Campaign for Real Beauty

Written by Dana
These days, images of stick-thin, glamorous women are virtually unavoidable. Even something as innocent as sitting down to thumb through a magazine involves being bombarded with "picturesque" bodies that seem to serve no purpose but to increase our own dissatisfaction with the bodies we've been blessed with. In 2007, Dove launched its Real Beauty campaign, featuring models who were sized more reasonably in accordance to what the average woman in the U.S. looks like. Here is one of its ads:



Dove's goal is to free this and future generations of women from beauty stereotypes, while raising money for the Dove Self-Esteem fund. Great, isn't it, to see representations of an AVERAGE sized yet still beautiful woman gracing the pages of popular magazines? However, it's just one page -- out of hundreds. On top of that, Photoshop still reigns dominant as a tool of mass deception.

Take for instance, this shot of Kelly Clarkson on the cover of Self magazine. The first American Idol, who admittedly has always dealt with the flip-flopping of her weight, made it clear to the public that even in her bigger state, she still feels beautiful. What a wonderful message to send to young girls -- and then she appeared on Self, obviously retouched to appear thinner. What was Self magazine Editor-in-Chief Lucy Danziger's response?

“Kelly Clarkson exudes confidence, and is a great role model for women of all sizes and stages of their life. She works out and is strong and healthy, and our picture shows her confidence and beauty. She literally glows from within. That is the feeling we’d all want to have. We love this cover and we love Kelly Clarkson.”

Does that justify anything?