| "I
think if you're beautiful in the United States . . . you're
built like Barbie."—Renee
Beauty may be in the
eye of the beholder, but the American ideal of pulchritude
— imposed upon us by bottom line business concerns and
integrated into our mediated culture — is inescapable.
Body Image: The
Quest for Perfection, a thirty-minute documentary
produced by Kelly Briley and directed by Hamid Khani, explores
the complexities of female self-concept.
Michelle A. Wolf PhD
of San Francisco
State University moderated discussions with seven
young women on a weekend retreat to determine: "How we
feel about our bodies. How messages from other people and
mass media shape those feelings. And how simply talking about
these things is a way to begin to deal with them."
The camera focuses on
the participants' faces, not their bodies, compelling viewers
to halt and listen. And what we hear is not pretty:
"Fat is a woman's
worst nightmare . . . and I hate being a woman's worst nightmare."—Holly
"I have no chest. I am planning to have surgery. I'm
going to fix this."—Megan
"Perfection is clear skin, long legs, long beautiful
hair . . . no battle scars."—Shavon
And most chilling:
"We're killing ourselves. . . . Women are dying over
their bodies."—Dr. Michelle A. Wolf
The Body
Image website is a comprehensive source of additional
information, including a supplemental study guide for the
documentary. Designed for interactive discourse, the study
guide outlines the documentary's six segments:
Section 1:
Cultural Ideals
The "ideal" image of a woman's body in our culture.
Section 2:
Body Representation
Body image in mass media and the aspect of exclusion.
Section 3:
Feelings and
Sources
Origins of body image and its impact.
Section 4:
Food
Control issues.
Section 5:
Media
Media and its effect on body image.
Section 6:
Solutions
Media literacy; parents and authority figures influencing
positive body image; female bonding.
The study guide inquires:
"What was left out of the video?" One response is
the issue of obesity and its severe health consequences, as
related on the American
Obesity Association
website: ". . . the risk of developing conditions
such as high blood pressure, diabetes (type 2), heart disease,
stroke, gallbladder disease and cancer of the breast, prostate,
and colon." The
Journal of the American Medical Association
(JAMA)
reports nearly one-third of Americans are obese; fifteen percent
of who are children between the ages of six and nineteen.
Yes, real women have curves, but this alarming statistic raises
the question: For those that are physically at medical risk,
what tact should be taken in addressing body image?
The documentary effectively
demonstrates that negative perception of self, whether it
is right on target or a distortion of reality, can result
in real physical and psychological damage. The participants
represent all women who suffer for beauty. Each is brave as
they tell their unique tale. The most magnetic is Holly, a
journalist who has intellectualized her fury and numbed her
pain. Her voice unapologetic as she articulates the goal of
many: "I want to have the power that comes with beauty."
Body
Image: The Quest for Perfection
and bodyimagesite.com
are both excellent educational resources and communication
tools in the quest for that power.
No longer a pursuit
for the plastic perfection of a Barbie doll, but for the invincibility
that comes with sound health and high self-esteem.
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