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[green_queen]

Comments

[outoftime.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sharing this - it's really interesting (and sad) !

[green-queen.livejournal.com]

I guess it doesn't have the emotional impact on me because I studied it for three years, but you can really see it as soon as girls hit puberty (generally about year 6 with my lot).

Also, speaking as a feminist but I really want to see something like this on men, comparing women's advertising to men's, without being overly selective to prove the point. Without something like that, people are never going to REALLY take it seriously. You know?

[star55.livejournal.com]

I may be an emotional sop but, yeah, I teared up during that video.
I wasn't even aware of the adverts that made women objects like those alcohol ones. Or even aware of those kids ones either, that is just disturbing and disgusting IMO.

I wanted to quote so much from this video but I would have just been quoting back the entire thing, and that's never cool.

I adore Kate Winslet and how she has always been outspoken about body image and the way she looks in particular. It's society that tells us that women with a bit of flesh on them are ugly but they're not.

The part that really made the tears come to my eyes was when Jean said about girls 8, 9 and 10 don't care about body image. Sadly, that wasn't the case for me. I was told from a very, very young age by everyone around me that I was fat. I got severely bullied for it and it didn't stop at age 10, either.
My auntie told me, at age 10, that I could stand to lose some weight. Looking back, how is a 10 year old meant to 'lose some weight' without severely damaging their heath and growth?

Probably TMI but a few years ago, I was morbidly obese. Then, in 6 months, I lost over 75 kilos because I was extremely sick. When I was 69 kilos, that was the only time my mum ever told me I was pretty and beautiful. She then proceeded to tell me that I wasn't 'fat' as a kid but healthy... I found it strange because everyone used to tell me I was fat. I was always the fat one.
Then, after my extremely terrible bad year in 2009, I started putting weight back on. I had a horrendous year emotionally (lost my job for being gay, except they worded it so it didn't sound like that but the entire staff pool knew that was the reason why), went through the worst relationship I have ever had, got my heart torn out by said ex-girlfriend and so I put weight back on. Nowadays, no one tells me I'm pretty or that I'm beautiful because I'm heavy again. I know that everyone wants to be told they're beautiful, even if they're not but the worst part for me is that my own mum (who I'm normally quite close to) won't tell me I'm pretty or beautiful.

tl;dr, I hate society for thrusting its ideals of how we all should look.
I may not be the world's skinniest girl or even the world's fattest but I think my personality is better than the way I look (I'm fricken hilarious most of the time).

Wow. I ramble. I'm so sorry. *leaves*

Edit. Also, have you seen the Dove advert? I really, really like that advert and the way it shows just how much photoshopping actually goes into advertising.

[green-queen.livejournal.com]

Rambling is fine, your story is as valid as anyone's, particularly in response to something like this.

As far as I can remember, my self-image was fine until I hit high school at 12. With me, as well, I remember people telling me I was fat or ugly at that age and just internalising it. Looking back I know I was a healthy weight, but it's like once you're told you're fat you fight against being fat for the rest of your life, whether you are or not. It's pretty appalling. As is being fired for sexuality, that's ridiculous. Where were you working?

My mother is complicated. She's incredibly loving and sweet, but has always been pretty and the right weight, and she had two daughter that weren't at all. I think it was hard for her, and my father is not exactly supportive or communicative. My sister is a big girl but is closer to my mother personality-wise and they've always been closer than me and my mother. Both daughters have food issues. I mean, my parents weren't even bad parents, so you can see how much crap we pass on to our kids without even meaning to.

I think one of the problem with women is that we often think all women are beautiful...except ourselves. I know I do.

(WILLOW AND TARA YAY! Case in point: Amber Benson is freakin' tiny, and always looked bigger on Buffy compared to the other girls!)

[star55.livejournal.com]

I know, it's pretty ridiculous. If there is one thing I could change about my own life, it would be that. Everything else can stay the same, ridic break-ups included, but that's the one thing I would change. Not 'being skinny' or anything but trying not to internalise it as much as I did.
I worked in an accounting firm. I was the receptionist and they made me redundant. They had everything worded so it wasn't seen as the gay thing but the only two openly gay people in the office of 150 employees were 'let go' within a week of each other made me suspicious. =/

I think that's another reason why I never want kids - I wouldn't want my own issues to be passed down, it isn't fair. Kids have enough struggles as it is without us adults palming off things as well.

I am sorry that your mother is complicated. My mum has two larger daughters too but lately, all she seems to do is comment on 'oh, that person has lost LOTS of weight' or 'gosh, she's put on heaps of weight'. I swear every time we turn on the tv, that's all she says. It's kind of annoying.
Food issues are the pits. When I got sick, I wouldn't eat for days on end. I'd have a grated apple once every two/three days most times and I couldn't put any weight on at all for such a long time. It wasn't healthy at all, which is how I got so thin but I know my own food issues started long before that.

I agree so much with this statement: I think one of the problem with women is that we often think all women are beautiful...except ourselves. I know I do.
It's like you stepped inside of my brain there. =)

(They're amazing. ♥ I know, that's why I chose it. Amber is perfect and so not fat but Sarah was/is so small and has a tiny waist that I used to hate it when they would put Amber next to her and people would call her fat (OMWF, anyone?). It pissed me off so much. She's beautiful and amazing.)

[green-queen.livejournal.com]

I want kids so much it actually physically hurts some days. Even if I do pass down my issues.

I love my mother, and she's a fantastic person. Everyone has issues.

They dressed Amber horribly, too. It just wasn't fair, because she's so beautiful and wonderful and amazing and absolutely one of my heroes, and I even love the character, but these are thing she couldn't do anything about and people hated her for it. So unfair.

[star55.livejournal.com]

Ahh, I'm the complete opposite. I really don't want kids, which is cool by me. =D

They do. I'm the same with mine. I'd go to the end of the earth and back for her but yeah, everyone has issues.

Ohh, yes, I agree so much!! some of the stuff was awful they put her in. I did, however, adore the corset in "You make me complete" during Once more with Feeling. That was lovely and the colour brought out her eyes amazingly. I've seen her in movies since BTVS and she's been perfect.
Tara's character is and probably always will be my most favourite Buffy character ever.

[green-queen.livejournal.com]

I work with kids. I didn't care so much about having them until I hit about 23/24 years old and then I was like MUST HAVE CHILDREN. I know I'm meant to be a mother.

The corset would have been okay without the ugly skirt that clashed attached, or...something. Just bad fashion choices everywhere you look. There's a pretty great blog about it out there somewhere, actually. Then again, most people looked awful most of the time on Buffy!
MINE TOO. I THINK WE ARE THE ONLY ONES. Have you seen Chance and Lovers, Liars and Lunatics? I want to see Drones so badly.

[star55.livejournal.com]

Haha, that's adorable. XD I did lots of work with kids from 16 up and now that I have 9 nieces and nephews I'm all 'yeah, definitely don't want them'. My eye is also telling me not to have kids because my 2 year old Little Man clobbered me yesterday and gosh, it hurts. XD

Yeah, the skirt can go away, the corset was so lovely. The colour was gorgeous.
Haha, that is very true!! Especially in the earlier seasons. Poor Willow. XD
EVERYONE ELSE CLEARLY DOESN'T APPRECIATE THE WAY WE DO (totally stole that icon, btw). Ohh, no, I haven't. I will get onto those tomorrow! I saw 7 things to do before I'm 30 recently and I LOVED Amber in that. I follow her like mad on Twitter and I need to get her books too. Such an avid fangirl. =D

[greedy_dancer]

Thanks for that! Will spread it around :)

[xmaidelx.livejournal.com]

Katie,

You are perfect. Thanks for spreading this, I'll do the same.

[lavender-love00.livejournal.com]

I teared up when I watched this. I had my own struggles with food/eating/weight when I was in late high school and early college. I am thin. I've always been thin. But I used to have (and some days it still creeps back up on me) a severely distorted body image, which is crazy and weird and FEELS crazy and weird. But even though it's not that anymore, it's always something. I recently bought one of those bombshell bras from Victoria's Secret because my cup size isn't "big enough." Because I'm supposed to look like a Barbie doll.

Just ... yeah, I don't really have a point to this. It just makes me sad, especially how true it all is.

[petit-rhino.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that!

I'd seen the advert where they show the whole transformation from normal to magazine cover, that was pretty impressive in a scary way. I was bulimic/anorexic from the time I hit puberty until a few years ago and I distinctly remember the pain and the shame at not being able to attain that image. In this society it seems too easy to have a body dismorphic disosder.

Truth is, I don't find people in magazines really beautiful these days, women especially, but men as well. They're too polished, "flawless". They just don't look real. Even that Out photo that I really enjoy (you know the one), well I would take a candid picture of shirtless Darren over that one any day. They need to back off on the photoshop work imho.

[entwashian.livejournal.com]

Yup.

[ladyminya.livejournal.com]

I'm going to re-post this. This is a fantastic video, and it's something I briefly touched on in the media communications class I did a couple of years ago, but it's an interesting subject, I feel. Thanks for sharing this! :)