WP2: First Draft

The stereotypical idea of a supermodel is a tall, beautiful, really thin woman. This is not off base from the average supermodel, which does not at all represent the average woman. The fact is that supermodels today weigh 23% less than average women and often would be hospitalized for this weight if they were to see a doctor (from Our Health, Our Futures). They minimum height to be a supermodel is usually five feet and eight inches versus the five feet and three or four feet which is the average according to soyouwanna.com. On top of already be out of the usual, they are airbrushed and edited a lot, to appear even more “perfect” and extraordinary.

Children see images of supermodels on billboards, on television, and in magazines starting at a young age. They are innocent and naïve so they do not understand the absurdity of the idea of a supermodel and often admire them and their looks. They accidentally can get the thought in their heads that these looks are achievable and what they should strive for. In other words, they may think that it will be successful for them to look like the supermodels do when they grow up. This leads to what is called media internalization. “This internalization refers to the extent to which an individual invests in societal ideals of size and appearance (thin ideal for girls and muscular for boys) to the point that they become rigid guiding principles” says a study done by Thompson et al. in 2004.

In the media supermodels have become fantasy, extraordinary women. Children, who are naïve to the facts, believe that they should admire these supermodels and strive to look like they do. As a result of that, it is argued that these supermodels have a negative effect on adolescents today. Media internalization is believed to cause body dissatisfaction leading to dieting, often by means of fad diets, leaving the child with a negative attitude, such as depression, and increases in eating disorders. The comic “Soup to Nutz” by Rick Stromoski uses similar points to argue for the negative effects the supermodels portrayed in the media have on adolescents. Through appeals to logos and pathos, the comic uses wordplay, typography, juxtaposition and abstraction to provide and support the argument.









The use of wordplay in this comic is the most prominent appeal to pathos, provoking humor. The wordplay is the connection of super in supermodel and superhero, which is why they boy is asking what powers it has. By making this play on the word super the comic compares superheroes and supermodels. Superheroes are fantasy characters with powers giving them the ability to do things that normal, or average, people cannot. Supermodels on the other hand are real; they are people. However because of their astonishing body measurements, they are not like average people. Also, due to the editing and airbrushing done of their photographs, they are able to look as normal, or average, people cannot. In this way, they become fantasy just like a superhero.

The comic uses a typography that reflects the innocence and naivety of children. The type is rounded and is meant to look like it is handwritten. This makes it look like it could be the handwriting of a child. This matches the idea that the kids shown in the comic are the ones speaking these words, and it is a reminder of their inexperienced mind states. Due to the idea of children possessing this innocence and naivety, the comic makes another appeal to pathos evoking humor. This is done by the error the young boy makes by putting supermodel and superhero into the same category. His conflation is humorous because he is young and just making an honest mistake, in which the viewers can see the mistake, but also can understand why it could be made.

When the little girl is shown to say supermodels are women who “can live for three weeks on just half an apple”, it is an appeal to logos because it uses juxtaposition. It is showing her idea of a supermodel versus the stereotypical way models are described, such as really thin, tall, beautiful women. The act of a supermodel starving themselves, which is a typical idea of a supermodel, is then linked to a power, or an ability to do something that normal people cannot. This is done through the wordplay of superhero and supermodel.

In the comic the boy replies to the “power” supermodels posses by saying “wow” showing the vulnerability of children to see these supermodels in the media, such as the magazine it is scene in the comic, and look up to them as someone you strive to be, just as they would look up to a superhero and dream of being one of them. In the case of the superhero, they eventually learn that the powers they possess are just fantasy and not something one can actually obtain. Opposite of this unfortunately, they learn that supermodels are real people and some of them may continue to be wowed by them, just like the adolescents in the comic.

The drawings of “Soup to Nutz” use abstraction of the objects in the drawings. The kids look quite goofy, having a weird nose, mouth, and just one tooth, a contrast with the stereotypical supermodel they are speaking about. They do not look human-like, but they are accepted as humans because that has been normalized in comics. By using abstraction, the characters do not look like any person too specific. Due to not being too specific, the characters in the drawings can be universalized to any young, white kids. By having them universalized it shows the effect supermodels in the media can affect any young, white kid.

The kids are drawn with a specific style of abstraction, making them charactures. When a person is drawn as a characture it highlights the flaw, in this comic that would be the kids having very prominent overbites. Although, their flaw has been highlighted, and literally blown up, the children are still viewed as universalized. This is because everyone has flaws. Having a flaw is universal, and something everyone can relate to. The stereotypical idea of a supermodel is not thought of having flaws, because they edit out their flaws. By showing that having flaws is a universal characteristic, contrasting with the “perfect” supermodel, it calls to mind how the media affects adolescents. Because they are naïve and “wow” the fantasy of a supermodel, when they see flaws in themselves it sometimes can lead to have the negative effects of body dissatisfaction.

The comic uses wordplay on supermodel and superhero, childlike typography, juxtaposition of a starving supermodel and the stereotypical thoughts of a beautiful supermodel, and character abstraction to bring attention to the effects of supermodels in the media on to adolescents. It points out that the naivety of children allows them to believe and even admire the fantasy of a supermodel, leaving the possibility of media internalization and body dissatisfaction. However, making the argument in a comic strip it demonstrates the argument in a new light. Although the effects of that the media can possible have on youth is very concerning and troublesome, through this comic it is shown through humor. Because people know that comics are humorous they are more likely to read them and not avoid them. This makes a great source for making an argument because it is relaxed and does not feel forced. The universality of the characters allows a mass amount of viewers to relate to it, and see the possibility of the supermodels in the media affecting a child they know and care about. This is more likely to cause a reaction then an argument presented that the audience does not relate with. So, thanks to the comic the argument of the possible effects of supermodels in the media reaches more people, in a different way.

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.

"SoYouWanna Be a Model?" SoYouWanna. Demand Entertainment, Inc. Web. 27 Mar. 2010. .

WP2: Statement of Purpose

The main purpose of writing project two is to "rhetorically analyze a comic or comic strip". This means, in my final draft I will be showing my audience what the comic strip I have chosen is making an argument for and the rhetorical strategies it is using to make this argument. I will also need to make it clear to my audience why my project is important and what the comic strip accomplishes. On top of this, I would like to show what effect it has on the argument by using a comic strip as its media.

This project will be posted online as well. This is beneficial to obtaining a larger audience but also to enhancing the argument of the paper. By choosing relevant and important hyperlinks, I can make extra information available if the reader is interested, but can keep those extra details out of my actual writing. This allows me to cover the basic details that are important in supporting my argument, but to still provide the in depth details if the reader cares to understand it more fully.

Likewise, I can incorporate corresponding multimedia which also provides more support to my argument. Many people are visual learners and the photographs or videos I insert can enhance their interest and therefore what they take away from my paper. Even if a person is not a visual learner, having the visuals can help direct their thoughts about what I am saying or clarify in a new way what I am meaning.

My primary audience member is my teacher. On top of reading all the other students second projects at the same time he encounters mine, he has just seen all our first projects. Because of this, I need to be sure to make this project vary from the last one. This is a worry because the structure last time was very basic and this project could be set up similarly. But, if I keep this in mind and explore other arrangements such as comparisons or juxtapositions, hopefully I can avoid writing the same paper over a different topic.

Another concern I have for all my potential audience members is making my argument interesting. By using logos, pathos, and ethos, in my own argument this can be accomplished. On top of that, I need to make my writing style broad enough that most people can understand the points I am making and are not excluded by my choice of words or strategies. The peer-reviews should help me with this, because their feedback shows me how someone outside of my brain reads the points I am trying to make.

The best possible outcome of this writing project would show how the terms and points made in "Compose, Design, Advocate" and Scout McCloud's excerpt in "The Vocabulary of Comics" are reflected in the comic I have chosen. I can do this only if I use the terms provided in these two sources when speaking of the strategies used in my comic.
Also, if I can show my audience how the argument the comic makes is strengthened by using a comic strip as it's media, it could change the way they view or read comics in the future. It is always the goal of a writer to change how it's reader views or at least thinks about something, and that is what I would like to do too.

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. .