| "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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