Does America really believe that Brooke Hogan is fat?!
Most tweens viewing this image will first point out Miss Hogan’s flaw – thick thighs, and oh my, do they touch?! Impressionable girls ages 8,9, and 10 are learning early on by the media and the images used to portray beauty that thin equates to more than a pant size. Thin is beauty. Thin is popularity. Thin is models. Thin is money. Thin is boyfriends. Thin is power.
Runway models, actresses, singers – all thin. Reality TV hasn’t helped any either. It appears that even “real” people are all thin too – The Hills, Real World, The Bachelor – these shows make their audience believe that waiflike figures are the norm, and to be average, maybe a size 9, isn’t.
Even at my age I am impacted (and regularly reminded) that women must look a certain way in order to be labeled “pretty”. And pretty only has so much to do with your face and a lot more to do with your image. Victoria Beckam – not necessarily pretty, yet she is classified as a cultural icon due to her thin stature, stylish outfits, and mischievous mannerisms (oh and her hottie of a husband). Fortunately, I am able to filter the distorted images and implied definitions of beauty and how they relate to myself in order to remain sane, average sized, and not on a hunger strike to shrink a few sizes.
Unfortunately, young girls are easily influenced by the powerful images splashed atop magazine covers and fashion runways leading them to believe if not thin enough they are not good enough. We need to change that.
*Picture courtesy of Perez Hilton.com
