Twiggy and the Media VS reality

I give this article a big DUH!!!! Unfortunately there are still a lot of people that still can not get this concept through their thick skulls.

The Media Says You're Too Fat, What do You Say?

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It's no secret that American women are preoccupied with body image. The pervasive images of thin women found all over the media (usually a size two or smaller) have given women a skewed view of what the average female body should look like.

Increased exposure to images of thin, airbrushed, female bodies can be linked to depression, loss of self-esteem, and the development of unhealthy eating habits, reports the Media Awareness Network.

What's more, 78 percent of women say that they are bigger than they want to be. And, 56 percent of women want to be a size 8 or smaller (when the average size is 12), according to a survey of 2,000 women.

The survey — conducted by TSC and sponsored by Slim-Fast — examined the psychology of size and how women view their body. A few of the key findings include:

• Out of the women who felt poorly about their body 65 percent avoid going to the beach or the pool; 42 percent avoid shopping for clothes; 40 percent feel uncomfortable being nude in front of their partner.
• Only one in five women considers herself to be the ideal size.
• Most survey participants said they need to lose an average of 38 pounds to reach their ideal size.

"How you feel about your appearance affects how you live your life, especially your attitude toward yourself," says Dr. Denise Martz, a clinical psychologist who designed the survey, in a PRNewswire report.

"The wider the gap between your ideal size and your actual size … the less likely you are to feel happy confident, attractive, sexy of in control," Martz adds.

The survey also found that as the media continues to promote thin body images, women (75 percent surveyed) are less likely to be happy with their appearance, long after they've reached their goal weight.

Martz advises that women pay less attention to the thin images prevalent in the media and create "realistic weight loss goals." Only, then will women have a healthy attitude toward their bodies.

http://www.military.com/spouse/fs/0,,fs_MediaFat,00.html?ESRC=family.nl