WP2: Prewrite 2

The context of the "Soup to Nutz" comic I have chosen reflects the worry some people have about the effects of the media, and the images of women in the media, on the youth in America. This comic is talking about supermodels and how little they eat, giving them their extremely thing bodies. The girl is holding up a picture in a magazine, which is one of the media types people, such as Charolette Gerber and Debbie Vasen from lovetoknow.com, believe have a negative effect on the youth of America.

"90% of American girls ages 3-11 own barbie dolls" according to Margit and Anika from the "Our Health, Our Futures" website. This begins the idea of the "perfect image" for women with a tiny waist and slim legs. The supermodels are a "real version" of these barbie dolls. Although, supermodels weigh 23% less than the average women today and could possibly be hospitalized for their weight, this is the ideal image for women. When youth see these women and begin to idolize them, it is called media internalization. This refers to the extent to which the viewer of the media bases their guiding principles off of the ideals they see in the media.

This media internalization can cause body dissatisfaction. The effects of that can be very bad, such as dieting, negative affect, and eating disorders. Sometimes teens try fad diets, which promise fast weight loss. These fad diets can cause stunted growth and weakened immune systems because they usually do not provide for enough nutrients. Worse than the fad diets are the eating disorders body dissatisfaction can lead to. Anorexia and bulimia are believed to be the result of the media images sometimes. These eating disorders are very unhealthy, and can cause death.

The modeling industry is beginning to adjust to the effects they may be causing. Some runway models have to pass certain weight standards in order to walk the runway in Europe. Unfortunately, the media often relies on the individual to recognize the unlikelihood of the models' weight on their own. Charolette Gerber and Debbie Vasen urge parents to help their children acknowledge that models are not what they should base their goals on. They should focus on being healthy in their own body, rather than strive to look like someone else. Gerber and Vasen also promote creating a positive self-image, or to accept and embrace who they are now.

By presenting an argument for this cause in the form of a comic, the author is making a very serious statement in a less serious form. It makes the viewers laugh, but also puts the thought into their heads. Often times when presented with arguments, people tend to put up a wall quick and do not actually think about what is being said because their mind is made up. By using a comic strip, the reader views it as comedy first. The argument is not forced on the reader, but could come to their mind when they realize it is fun, but it is also concerning.

By the characters not looking too precisely like human, just containing the general features, this could be helpful or hurtful to the argument. This could cause the viewer to relate the argument to someone they know and care about, because the figures are general enough that it could be anyone. Opposite of that however, it could make the viewer think that it does not affect the person they know and care about, because it is not specific enough that the person must fall in that category.

Works Cited

Gerber, Charolette, and Debbie Vasen. "The Effects Media Has on Teenage Body Image." Lovetoknow.com. LoveToKnow Corp., 13 Oct. 2008. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. .

Margit, and Anika. "Media and Body Image." Our Health Our Futures. Smith College. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. .

Raimondo, Marcella. "About-Face Facts about MEDIA." About-Face. About-Face. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. .