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'Ugly girl': The negative messages we send to our daughters

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Piecake

Member
I'm pretty sure even the dove models have had some kind of 'shopping done.

Every picture nowadays is shopped in some way. Be it a small color correction, a heightened exposure, the removal of a mole or some wrinkles,...

Where do you draw the line?
Only use straight-from-the-camera pictures for ads?

Only way that is going to happen is if the govt forces it to happen. Id be fine with it
 
There's a reason between color correction, removing highlights etc. and turning a 54-year-old women into a teenager with skin smooth as a newborn baby

On a subjective level, I know what you're saying and I agree, but I think it's a difficult line to define legally. Plus, banning stuff is a slippery slope.
Maybe a disclaimer such as. "This model has been drastically shopped" or "Persons in this ad are uglier than they appear" (obviously worded more seriously) would help?
 

JohnDoe

Banned
I'm doing my final year in a secondary school in Switzerland and this losing weight trend completely got out of hand here. There is a girl who became anorexic and had to go to the hospital for 3 months, she had to repeat her final year and she still looks really skinny. Then there is a girl who completely got out of hand, she used to look completely alright though, got anorexic and now she's terribly overweight. Poor girl, appearently she used to wake up at 4 am every morning to go jogging.
The most recent one freaked me out. Probably about 16 years old, looked really good. Started becoming skinnier but it was like whatever. All of a sudden she's anorexic after spring break. I was shocked when I saw her.
And then there is probably about a dozen of other girls I could name off the top of my head who needlessly lost weight and just ended up looking way less attractive.
 

rvy

Banned
plastic-surgery-you-cant-hide-it-forever.jpg

Whoah.
That's fucking hilarious. Holy shit, is that hilarious. Do they refuse to acknowledge the kids when they go to parties?
 

Visceir

Member
This thread reminds me of this documentary called I Want To Look Like That Guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuygZX3HKSQ

It's initially one man's journey to look like all the fitness models pictured in magazines and how he did it. He shows it can be done, but it also shows how much work and dedication it takes.

Obviously most of the models and hollywood stars put a lot of effort and time into maintaining their physique and I'm wondering how many of those 'normal' people who desire the same thing just aren't willing to put in the work that it takes.

I've personally always thought that all those pictures of perfect people in magazines were rather inspirational and just made me want to work harder.
 
This thread reminds me of this documentary called I Want To Look Like That Guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuygZX3HKSQ

It's initially one man's journey to look like all the fitness models pictured in magazines and how he did it. He shows it can be done, but it also shows how much work and dedication it takes.

Obviously most of the models and hollywood stars put a lot of effort and time into maintaining their physique and I'm wondering how many of those 'normal' people who desire the same thing just aren't willing to put in the work that it takes.

I've personally always thought that all those pictures of perfect people in magazines were rather inspirational and just made me want to work harder.


yeah because its that easy and everyone its the same,imn tired how everyone is obsesed with a sculpted body or being the prima donna on the room
 

Baraka in the White House

2-Terms of Kombat
yeah because its that easy and everyone its the same,imn tired how everyone is obsesed with a sculpted body or being the prima donna on the room

There's no doubt that it takes a ton of effort to sculpt and maintain a Herculean physique but I don't think it makes the average joe who aspires to that but never obtains it lazy or weak-willed. Models and celebrities have a tremendous advantage with regards to the time and money they have available to invest in their bodies. It's essentially their job to look great.

Weigh them down with the cares and concerns of the average person where just being fit is something most strive for in their spare time after work and kids and it becomes much more difficult.
 
2iA9X.jpg


Anyone who call any of those ugly is suffering from "sharp knees" syndrome (I MIGHT understand Tilda Swilton .. not everyone is fan of androngynous looks)

They got the first one right. HORSE. I've never understood how she got labeled pretty. Blind people maybe?
 

Ikael

Member
The OP with the testimony of the 15 year old girl reveals more about how high school mentality works rather than real life society. Go ask about male teenagers about whetever you need or not to be hot in order to "be a winner" for more clarification. Hihghschool is a shithole which, fortunately, hardly reflects the broader society.
 

dinazimmerman

Incurious Bastard
The OP with the testimony of the 15 year old girl reveals more about how high school mentality works rather than real life society. Go ask about male teenagers about whetever you need or not to be hot in order to "be a winner" for more clarification. Hihghschool is a shithole which, fortunately, hardly reflects the broader society.

i agree. but good looks do matter beyond high school. good looks => wider selection of possible mates, especially for women. people also discriminate based on looks. jobs in service sector related to beauty, apparel, etc. are much easier to get if you're good looking, and these are jobs that mostly women go for. it's all much more subtle and covert after high school, though, no doubt.
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
On a subjective level, I know what you're saying and I agree, but I think it's a difficult line to define legally. Plus, banning stuff is a slippery slope.
Maybe a disclaimer such as. "This model has been drastically shopped" or "Persons in this ad are uglier than they appear" (obviously worded more seriously) would help?

1. Empower FTC to police ads in this respect
2. Allow regulatory jurisprudence to define the parameters of what goes past the line and what doesn't
3. Optionally, have the FTC suspend any rulings made in the first year so that the industry can self-regulate.
 

Ultima_5

Member
I got called ugly and fat all the time growing up.

I just became funny and worked hard in school. Universe is built on irony anyway as half of them are now meth tweakers living in trailers anyway.

Would probably have fucked me up more if i was a girl though
 
Serious answer? I actually don't think it goes without saying. Men's issues don't get as much attention in some cases., I think guys bring it up because they want to remind people that those issues do exist. It's wildly inappropriate to toss it into a conversation willy-nilly but there are times where it can be appropriate.

It's in a way, the other side of a double-edged sword. Men get more perks and benefits in the way we conduct society currently but their issues aren't as discussed at times. For example, prostate cancer awareness is nowhere near breast cancer awareness.

Of course, that doesn't have as much bearing on this thread. The article was on women so.

The issue is that feminism tends to rule this stuff and feminism doesn't work from first principles or a scientific examination of society, it's just identity politics where a group says "this bad thing happens to me". It's not like this is some terrible thing, identity politics are useful for bringing attention to real problems, but it isn't that useful for identifying the root causes of issues or identifying how to actually solve the problems.

The problem is that when someone brings something like this up all they care about is "what about the wimmenz", so when some brings up "what about the menz" they see it as derailing. The person bringing up male issues, however, sees it as a discussion on body identity, or rape, or whatever other topic is being brought up and doesn't feel that he's derailing.
 

Platy

Member
I got called ugly and fat all the time growing up.

I just became funny and worked hard in school. Universe is built on irony anyway as half of them are now meth tweakers living in trailers anyway.

Would probably have fucked me up more if i was a girl though

Would have been harder to do that if you were a girl =P

edit :

The issue is that feminism tends to rule this stuff and feminism doesn't work from first principles or a scientific examination of society, it's just identity politics where a group says "this bad thing happens to me".

You don't know anything about feminism =P

For example, Prostate Cancer is a huge problem because men are afraid of being called gay or even liking being stimuled in the anus because this makes then closer to the feminity and therefore is bad.... so basic prostate cancer prevention is considered bad to the point of I hearing that someone was "a hero because he died of prostate cancer, wich means he didn't had the exam"
 

Mr_Zombie

Member
so basic prostate cancer prevention is considered bad to the point of I hearing that someone was "a hero because he died of prostate cancer, wich means he didn't had the exam"

Whoa, is that true? o_O
I know that men are often reluctant to have the prostate exam because "omg, having a finger in an ass is so gay" but I didn't know it could reach this point of being praised for not having the exam. This is so stupid.
 

Mumei

Member
1. Empower FTC to police ads in this respect
2. Allow regulatory jurisprudence to define the parameters of what goes past the line and what doesn't
3. Optionally, have the FTC suspend any rulings made in the first year so that the industry can self-regulate.

I like these ideas, though I'm not sure about the third point; I have a rather dim view about self-regulation.

The issue is that feminism tends to rule this stuff and feminism doesn't work from first principles or a scientific examination of society, it's just identity politics where a group says "this bad thing happens to me". It's not like this is some terrible thing, identity politics are useful for bringing attention to real problems, but it isn't that useful for identifying the root causes of issues or identifying how to actually solve the problems.

As Platy said, you aren't well-informed on this issue.

The problem is that when someone brings something like this up all they care about is "what about the wimmenz", so when some brings up "what about the menz" they see it as derailing. The person bringing up male issues, however, sees it as a discussion on body identity, or rape, or whatever other topic is being brought up and doesn't feel that he's derailing.

I'm sure that some people are being genuine in their attempts to talk about body image issues from a personal perspective. People like to relate, and because most of us are male we will necessarily talk about our experiences from a male perspective. But even if it is meant in all sincerity - something that is not always the case - it still functions as a derail even if it is not intended to be.
 

Ultima_5

Member
Would have been harder to do that if you were a girl =P

edit :



You don't know anything about feminism =P

For example, Prostate Cancer is a huge problem because men are afraid of being called gay or even liking being stimuled in the anus because this makes then closer to the feminity and therefore is bad.... so basic prostate cancer prevention is considered bad to the point of I hearing that someone was "a hero because he died of prostate cancer, wich means he didn't had the exam"

Hey now! I even have a funny lady as my avatar!
 

.GqueB.

Banned
It has always tripped me up that they airbrush plus size models. "You're beautiful just the way you are but wait no you're not".

The message is just muddled and doesn't make any sense. They're trying to tell people to be comfortable in their own skin by using the most attractive people they can find and then photoshopping them so they look even better. And they many of them just aren't that big at all to begin with. What are you actually saying by doing this? Are you even saying anything at all?
 
You don't know anything about feminism =P

For example, Prostate Cancer is a huge problem because men are afraid of being called gay or even liking being stimuled in the anus because this makes then closer to the feminity and therefore is bad.... so basic prostate cancer prevention is considered bad to the point of I hearing that someone was "a hero because he died of prostate cancer, wich means he didn't had the exam"

This is exactly what I'm talking about. You don't have any kind of a rigorous study backing this up, it's just a "Just So Story" fallacy. It's about as realistic as all the biotruths stuff.

EDIT: And I'm not saying that feminism is bad, but Platy's response gave an excellent example of the limitations. What Platy is saying doesn't make a whole lot of sense, the general issue with testing for Prostate Cancer is that it's a relatively benign cancer and treating a false positive is generally worse than allowing the cancer to go unchecked. Most doctors I've talked to actually recommend against testing unless you have a very serious history. Platy just heard something that sounded good and decided that it must be true because it explains the issue so well. This is the general problem with feminism, it tends to accept answers that fit its viewpoint without critically examining them.
 
being self-conscious about our looks is unfortunately hardwired into our biology

Nah, its a product of culture. One needs a looking-glass to be self-concious. Sure, hunter-gatherers might have judged success by body-type, but individuals didn't moap around in the wake of the realization that they will never be a sexy caveman. Hardwired to our psychology, not biology.
 
And I'm definitely not saying that feminism is bad, just that it should be respected for what it does well (identity politics) and not what it's absolutely terrible at (categorizing reality).
 

Platy

Member
This is exactly what I'm talking about. You don't have any kind of a rigorous study backing this up, it's just a "Just So Story" fallacy. It's about as realistic as all the biotruths stuff.

EDIT: And I'm not saying that feminism is bad, but Platy's response gave an excellent example of the limitations. What Platy is saying doesn't make a whole lot of sense, the general issue with testing for Prostate Cancer is that it's a relatively benign cancer and treating a false positive is generally worse than allowing the cancer to go unchecked. Most doctors I've talked to actually recommend against testing unless you have a very serious history. Platy just heard something that sounded good and decided that it must be true because it explains the issue so well. This is the general problem with feminism, it tends to accept answers that fit its viewpoint without critically examining them.

They were saying gender related problems ... and the gender related problem with prostate cancer is that men don't test it because they masculinity will be in check and that is a well known fact.

The medical problems whatever or not to treat a benign cancer don't have ANYTHING to do with mens problems but with medical knowledge within the cancer itself and this would only be a Men's issue if only men had prostates.
It is not
 

TigerKnee

Member
Eh. I'm ugly and was made fun of when I was a kid for having a big nose. Oh well big deal. At least I'm making decent living and I'm quite content. So what if I'll never get a supermodel girlfriend. There are things other than pussy that you can enjoy in life.
 
They were saying gender related problems ... and the gender related problem with prostate cancer is that men don't test it because they masculinity will be in check and that is a well known fact.

Evidence? Again, this is a just so story and not even an intelligent one. People don't get checked for prostate cancer because doctors don't tend to recommend it. Prostate cancer screening doesn't even involve a rectal examination, IIRC it's mostly MRI or looking for side effects. If you have a really good study showing what you're talking about then I'll concede it but from a not entirely unknowledgeable perspective it looks like you're spouting nonsense.

Also, I'm not sure why you're suggesting that women have prostates?
 

Platy

Member
Evidence? Again, this is a just so story and not even an intelligent one. People don't get checked for prostate cancer because doctors don't tend to recommend it. Prostate cancer screening doesn't even involve a rectal examination, IIRC it's mostly MRI or looking for side effects. If you have a really good study showing what you're talking about then I'll concede it but from a not entirely unknowledgeable perspective it looks like you're spouting nonsense.

I think I found what is the problem in our talk

Wikipedia said:
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against PSA screening in healthy men finding that the potential risks outweigh the potential benefits.[5] This recommendation, released in October 2011, is based on a review of evidence and concludes that "prostate-specific antigen–based screening results in small or no reduction in prostate cancer–specific mortality and is associated with harms related to subsequent evaluation and treatments, some of which may be unnecessary."[7]

What you said only exist in the united states and were created in the final part of last year.

In my country this still don't exist and there are Lots of studies relating prejudice with exams and specialy states with worst education related to less exams: 74% of the people who knew about the exam never did against 36% in the richest states.


Also, I'm not sure why you're suggesting that women have prostates?

Because people said that prostate cancer is a MEN issue and it can't be a men's only issue if women also have it, right ?
 
I think I found what is the problem in our talk



What you said only exist in the united states and were created in the final part of last year.

In my country this still don't exist and there are Lots of studies relating prejudice with exams and specialy states with worst education related to less exams: 74% of the people who knew about the exam never did against 36% in the richest states.

So you're Brazilian? I have no idea what the state of prostate cancer awareness is in Brazil but you still haven't provided specific evidence to back up your very specific claim.


Because people said that prostate cancer is a MEN issue and it can't be a men's only issue if women also have it, right ?

I wasn't sure why you brought it up because it's both a non-sequiter and wrong. You are the person who brought up prostate cancer and as far as I'm aware nobody has questioned it being a men's health issue or whatever, and women don't have prostates. They have a somewhat analogous structure called the Skene's gland (IIRC, could be wrong since I haven't had bio since I graduated) but it's not the same as the male prostate. I'm just not sure at all what point you're trying to make with this.
 

Platy

Member
So you're Brazilian? I have no idea what the state of prostate cancer awareness is in Brazil but you still haven't provided specific evidence to back up your very specific claim.

I wasn't sure why you brought it up because it's both a non-sequiter and wrong. You are the person who brought up prostate cancer and as far as I'm aware nobody has questioned it being a men's health issue or whatever, and women don't have prostates. They have a somewhat analogous structure called the Skene's gland (IIRC, could be wrong since I haven't had bio since I graduated) but it's not the same as the male prostate. I'm just not sure at all what point you're trying to make with this.

Cissexism =P

Also :

It's in a way, the other side of a double-edged sword. Men get more perks and benefits in the way we conduct society currently but their issues aren't as discussed at times. For example, prostate cancer awareness is nowhere near breast cancer awareness.
 

coldvein

Banned
Only way that is going to happen is if the govt forces it to happen. Id be fine with it

you're in favor of the government telling people what kind of pictures they can put in their magazines? uhhh .. fuck that.

(i understand that they already do this on some level - no child porn, extremely violent shit etc... but no airbrushing? come onnn)
 

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
Anyone else like chubby women? I mean... YOWZA at some curves and a little belly fat never killed no one. I know I'm in the minority here, but chubby women HOLLA at PigSpeakers.

In reality, I am just attracted to all women. You're all beautiful and you'll always have a place in my open arms and heart.

Cmere and gimme a kiss.

Yup, this is me, I'm just a lover of women and can find beauty in all shapes and sizes.
 
Holli Rubin, a representative of Endangered Bodies, says: “this is a problem of epidemic proportions. Over 60% of adults feel ashamed of how they look…when we put ourselves down in front of our children we are modelling a very negative view. This gets passed down to children who internalize it and consequently begin to feel the same way.”

This would be a really good start for a discussion of how how we behave influences our children. Instead it will give fat people an excuse to stay fat.

You are fat, your daughter is fat. If you tell her that at least part of you does not want that life for her, even if yourself you cannot break free of that. That is something to be admired, not shamed. Btw, this is the newest celebrity family in Poland, can you spot a common feature?

grycanki_640x0_rozmiar-niestandardowy.jpg


Eh. I'm ugly and was made fun of when I was a kid for having a big nose. Oh well big deal. At least I'm making decent living and I'm quite content. So what if I'll never get a supermodel girlfriend. There are things other than pussy that you can enjoy in life.

Meanwhile there are thousand of men that are making a decent living, are quite content AND have a supermodel girlfriend. I guess it depends on how competitive you are. "Content" is quite a negative word in my book.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Lots of issues being labelled as "feminist" today that affected me as a male child. Being an overweight kid caused years of social and personal trauma. I'm well and truly over it, but I find the genderization of the issue inaccurate.
 

NoRéN

Member
Lots of issues being labelled as "feminist" today that affected me as a male child. Being an overweight kid caused years of social and personal trauma. I'm well and truly over it, but I find the genderization of the issue inaccurate.

Stop it. Didn't you hear? Us boys have it easy.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
NoRéN;43726107 said:
Stop it. Didn't you hear? Us boys have it easy.

The thing is... I'm pretty sure that adult males are still judged on physical appearance when it comes to career opportunity.

And in school? Yeah being a fat boy is a bloodbath.
 
i'm ALL for stopping this nonsense.

The woman on the magazines and in movies these these don't look atractive in any way.
They look fake (not all, but most).

People are fine the way they are. Fuck make-up too.
 
i'm ALL for stopping this nonsense.

The woman on the magazines and in movies these these don't look atractive in any way.
They look fake (not all, but most).

People are fine the way they are. Fuck make-up too.

From one extreme to another. Good job.

Anyone who call any of those ugly is suffering from "sharp knees" syndrome (I MIGHT understand Tilda Swilton .. not everyone is fan of androngynous looks)

I have no problem calling all of them ugly. On the other hand Tilda Swinton looks the best of them all.
 

Pre

Member
1. Empower FTC to police ads in this respect
2. Allow regulatory jurisprudence to define the parameters of what goes past the line and what doesn't
3. Optionally, have the FTC suspend any rulings made in the first year so that the industry can self-regulate.

Ah, yes, let's make airbrushing punishable by law. Great idea.

This is the kind of stuff -- the belief that nothing is outside control of the state, even social issues like self-image among women -- that leads to totalitarianism. No thanks.
 
Ah, yes, let's make airbrushing punishable by law. Great idea.

This is the kind of stuff -- the belief that nothing is outside control of the state, even social issues like self-image among women -- that leads to totalitarianism. No thanks.

I knew there will be at least one person completely missing the point. You comment about totalitarianism is so fucking stupid you must've really fell asleep often during history class. Let me guess, US citizen?

Airbrushing should come with a obligatory sentence on the image saying the image was digitally enhanced. I am surprised this is not standard in 2012.
 

Pre

Member
I knew there will be at least one person completely missing the point. You comment about totalitarianism is so fucking stupid you must've really fell asleep often during history class. Let me guess, US citizen?

Airbrushing should come with a obligatory sentence on the image saying the image was digitally enhanced. I am surprised this is not standard in 2012.

No, it shouldn't, not legally. Airbrushing images may or may not contribute to self-image issues among women on a case-by-case basis, but to suggest that the government needs to step in and regulate it is absurd.

It's admittedly a minor issue -- it doesn't really matter if an airbrushed image carries a disclaimer or not. But as a matter of principle, I'm opposed to the government regulating such.

This Tilda Swinton stuff has just become some sort of meme. People on the internet now have to pretend they think she's attractive.

Or Sarah Jessica Parker. I wasn't even aware until this thread that Swinton had any kind of following as far as people being attracted to celebrities.
 
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