This week I saw a post that was incredibly powerful about the message that are put across in women's magazines (and I am sure men's too).... if you have not seen it already here it is - definitely worth watching.
What is really shocking for me is how much content of a magazine is paid for - i.e. just advertising. Even pages that look like articles are often adverts if you look at the small print. This is not only Cosmopolitan, Vogue and the like but even magazines on health and health products. So many are claiming that this months 'wonder food' is acai or blueberries or that you need more protein and that this cream will shift cellulite.... and who is paying for that?
In the end actually we are paying for it - us women (and men) who as a result feel that our bodies or ways of eating, basically who we are is "imperfect", bad, wrong, stupid...
It is time to say 'no'...
Some shops - H&M for example have admitted that the models they use in advertising are computer generated and not real.... most of the others start off real but then get photoshopped beyond recognition. Check this out.
The magazines/food industry advertising are behind many nutritional myths too... for example that we all need to eat 5-6 small meals a day... why? Because of course no one is going to go and cook 5-6 small meals - at least 2-3 of them will be industrial food bought in a supermarket! 5-6 small meals may work for a few people at a certain time in their lives due to their activity and lifestyle... it does not therefore make it right for all of us!
What can we do? Here's a few ideas for starters... would love to hear yours too
- for one I think it is important to avoid these magazines that are destroying our image of what women look like and are reducing us to computer generated images of so-called perfection... we are all beautiful just as we are...
- question health claims and expert advice from everyone - see if there is a sponsor attached, think about what their interests are...
- keep buying food that doesn't get advertised - real, whole foods don't make the media... when was the last time you saw an advert for broccoli or a leek?
- share this information with women around you.... we need to empower ourselves in saying no!