Most of you are aware of the positive body image campaign The Changing Face of Fashion which the Girls Scouts of America enlisted the help of plus models Lizzie Miller, Anansa Sims, Leona Palmer and Julie Henderson. Because of my connection with scouting through being involved with Cub Scouts I wanted to look a bit deeper into body image and its affect on teenage girls today. Earlier this month I spoke with Kendall Thornton Director of Communications for the Girl Scouts – Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas and the following details were revealed when it comes to the issue the Girl Scouts are trying to battle:
- Young ladies are receiving conflicting messages on what the perfect body image is
- To inform teens the look in most fashion magazines in manufactured
- To let the girls know they look good regardless of their size
Forty-seven percent say fashion magazines give them a body image to strive for
When it comes to body image data collected from the Girl Scout Research Institute revealed; girls attribute media and fashion to the pressure to be thin, they would prefer to see more “natural”/“real” images in the media, and finally sixty-five percent of girls think that the body image represented by the fashion industry is too skinny. Numbers like these make the inclusion of plus models so much more important to show young ladies that no matter what your size you can do what you want and not have to worry about ridicule because of your dress size.
Beauty Redefined: Girls and Body Image Survey (2010), a nationwide survey which included more than 1,000 girls ages 13 to 17, shows many girls consider the body image sold by the fashion industry unrealistic, creating an unattainable model of beauty. Nearly 90 percent of those surveyed say the fashion industry (89 percent) and/or the media (88 percent) place a lot of pressure on them to be thin. However, despite the criticism of this industry, 3 out of 4 girls say that fashion is “really important” to them.
“The fashion industry remains a powerful influence on girls and the way they view themselves and their bodies,” said Kimberlee Salmond, Senior Researcher at the Girl Scout Research Institute. “Teenage girls take cues about how they should look from models they see in fashion magazines and on TV and it is something that they struggle to reconcile with when they look at themselves in the mirror.” Source
Highlights of the videos on the website include:
Julie Henderson – A former basketball player and aspiring jet fighter pilot who wants young ladies to find their inner beauty
Leona Palmer – Focuses on feeling alive, being joyful, and abundant in life
Lizzie Miller – Emphasizes that girls will do things based on seeing a reflection of themselves
Anansa Sims – Was always bigger than other girls, had lots of parental support, and wants to inspire a generation of change
Hopefully between the efforts of the Girls Scouts, plus modeling agencies like Wilhelmina, and the fashion industry we will see a change in the definition of beauty. Young ladies around the world should know their beauty is not dependent on what size they are and should not use fashion magazine to compare the image of their body to and strive to achieve a look based more in fantasy than reality.
About Girl Scouts
Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts of the USA is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls with 3.3 million girl and adult members worldwide. Girl Scouts is the leading authority on girls’ healthy development, and builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. The organization serves girls from every corner of the United States and its territories. Girl Scouts of the USA also serves American girls living overseas in 90 countries. For more information on how to join, volunteer, reconnect or donate to Girl Scouts, call (800) GSUSA 4 U (800-478-7248) or visit www.girlscouts.org.
About Wilhelmina Models
A leader in the fashion industry since its conception, Wilhelmina Models utilizes its unique perspective and knowledge of all angles of the business, while continuing to redefine the industry through innovative strategic partnerships, national model searches and representation of leading talent and celebrities. Forty years after Wilhelmina Models was founded, this fashion-forward, diverse and internationally known company continues to thrive. For more information on Wilhelmina Models, please visit www.wilhelmia.com or contact Kate Mann or David Ninh at PMK-BNC – 212.582.1111 – Kate.Mann@pmkbnc.com / David.Ninh@pmkbnc.com.
