Young people have told us that body concerns are a big issue for them, so ‘Body Image & the Media’ is our chosen theme for 2006.
We can’t all look like supermodels or elite athletes, and guess what? The supermodels don’t really look that way either.
The Media Check website is a place where you’ll feel encouraged to challenge the way that male and female bodies are portrayed in the media.
You’ll discover that a lot of the images you see in the media are fake – they’ve been airbrushed and photoshopped. Once you’re aware of many of the tricks advertisers use, you’ll be less vulnerable to phony messages.
The media often takes advantage of young people’s fears of being overweight or the wrong shape, of not having the ‘right look’, the right hair, or the right clothes. This can leave people feeling different to or excluded from social groups.
If you feel pressured to conform to media images you may become obsessed with your body shape and size. That can cause the kind of anxiety that can lead to eating disorders and behaviours like smoking, drug use and over-exercising.