Jane BurnsWard Othman

Courtney ShepherdAmelia Wilson

In 2002, a famous landmark study was published by researchers funded by the Harvard Medical School evaluating the exposure of television on eating attitudes and behaviors in teens on the Pacific island of Fiji. Prior to this invasion, the nation has traditionally cherished the fuller figure of the Fijian female body. However, after only 3 years of exposure, the survey was repeated and resulted with the following:

11.3% indicated self-induced vomiting to control weight

69% reported dieting 74% reported feeling "too big or fat

at least some of the time

Although differing throughout the

diverse cultures across the globe,

beauty’s concept remains an elusive

notion that is unchanging and

powerful.

Today, some people engage in

extreme measures and have

subjected themselves to many

procedures in order to look like the

unrealistic model in the media.

According to Synovate’s global

survey on beauty, about two thirds of

people said that beauty is mainly

about non-physical characteristics

yet as many as 40 % would be willing

to change their looks.

The search for beauty is deadly. Dissatisfaction with one's body can end up as an eating disorder that can be fatal, such as anorexia or a binge-and-purge cycle such as bulimia in which people gorge themselves and then vomit.

The search for beauty is costly. In the United States last year, 6 billion dollars was spent on makeup and fragrance alone accounted for another 6 billion. In the craze to lose weight, 20 billion was consumed on dieting merchandise and special services and that is without including the billions that was spent on cosmetic surgeries and health memberships.

Beauty is pain. A theme that reoccurs in the study of beauty and human experiences is pain. Though also, animal experiments are known for causing pain. Although up-to-date alternative test methods are available, mega beauty industries continue to poison and hurt animals in tests that are not even

required by law.

Media and society sometimes have a negative relationship.

Studies show that many consumers, male and female, find advertisements to be dishonest.

Based on the study "The Real Truth About Beauty: A Global Report", Dove® reports that "only 2% of women would describe themselves as beautiful," and that a majority feel victimized by the media.

Models are too thin.

There is too much photo shopping.

There is not enough variety in models' shapes, ages, and sizes.

Their purpose is "widening the definition of beauty."

It shows what un-photo shopped, unmade-up, common women look like.

They produced the well-known video of a model being prepped, photographed, and photo shopped.

"No wonder our concept of beauty is so distorted."

Studies show that consumers want to see more honesty in advertising.

Dove demonstrates how this problem can be solved.

There is a need to be more honest about beauty and the media.

Not only does the media catch people’s attention, it also causes them to go to great extremes to achieve the model on the TV.

Diseases such as anorexia, bulimia, and binging can occur.

Also, it psychologically can cause people to think that no matter what they do they aren’t doing it enough, or they are still just not happy with themselves. In their mind, they will never achieve the ideal image they want to be.

Weight gain

Abdominal Pain

Swelling of the hands and feet

Chronic sore throat

Busted blood vessels in the eyes

Swollen salivary glands

Weakness and dizziness

Tooth decay

Ulcers

Ruptured stomach or esophagus

Loss of menstrual period

Lack of control over eating

Secret eating

Disappearance of food

Altering eating

Bathroom after meal

Laxatives

Smell of vomit

Calluses on the hand

Chipmunk cheeks

Not underweight

Discolored teeth

Fluctuating weight

Severe mood swings

Lack of energy and weakness

Slowed thinking

Dry, yellow, brittle nails

Brittle hair

Bloating

Tooth decay

Dizziness, fainting, headaches

Growth of hair everywhere

Obsession with calorie intake

Harshly critical of themselves

Fixation on body image

Compulsive exercising

Dramatic weight loss

Dieting despite thin

Pretending to eat

Strange food rituals

Type 2 diabetes

Gallbladder disease

High cholesterol

High blood pressure

Heart disease

Certain types of cancer

Osteoarthritis

Joint/muscle pain

Sleep apnea

Uncontrollable eating

Eating large amounts of food fast

Eating even when they are full

Hiding food for later

Eating normally around others then eating again in private

Eating continuously throughout the day.

Distorted Body Image

Low Self-Esteem

People with anorexia tend to go through social withdraw, bulimics will have no change in social interaction

Fear of gaining weight

Depression

Bipolar

OCD

Self-Inflicted injury

Suicide

Studies show that the average child that is exposed to media pressure starts around age 7.

Studies have also shown that if companies displayed their product on more healthier looking models, the product would sell better.

Media should focus on what is going to sell better for their company and what their airbrushed advertisements are doing to the very people they are trying to sell their product to.

Some people do not realize that animals are also harmed by the beauty industry and their products.

It is estimated that between 14 and 70 million animals are used in experiments each year.

Over 1 million dogs, cats, primates, sheep, hamsters, and guinea pigs are used in labs each year. Of those, over 86,000 are dogs and cats.

The Draize test is the most common. This procedure is where they drip the cosmetics into rabbits' eyes to see whether it causes irritation or not.

Companies also create naturally hairless animals in order to be able to test the affects of products on their skin.

Even though rodents, birds, and reptiles make up about 90-95% of animals tested on they are not protected by the USDA’s Animal Welfare Act.

So many of these labs burn, shock, torture, and starve animals without pain relief. For example, baby mice endured severed ligaments for 16 weeks without pain relief..

Research has also proven that animal testing is often ineffective in predicting how products will work on people. Some estimates say up to 92% of tests passed on animals failed when tried on humans.

The US has enacted The Animal Welfare Act.

In the UK The Animals Act - or Scientific Procedures Act - was passed in 1986

In Japan an amendment was passed in 1999 to update a law enacted in 1973. It was now called the Law for the Humane Treatment and Management of Animals.

Non-animal methods usually take less time to complete, cost only a fraction of what the animal experiments that they replace cost, and are not plagued with species differences that make extrapolation difficult or impossible.

Some of these include:◦ Cell and tissue culture studies

◦ Human skin model tests

◦ 3T3 Neutral Red Uptake Photo toxicity Test which uses cells grown in culture to assess the potential irritation to the skin.

Amelia:

• Problem: The negative issues media's dishonesty has in creating a narrow definition of beauty in society. Solution: Demonstrated how beauty companies like Dove were more honest in their advertisements by portraying a diversity of body shapes and sizes reflecting real non-digitally altered people.

Jane:

• Problem: Stated each of the effects and symptoms of the extreme diseases such as anorexia, bulimia, and binging have on people caused by media pressure. Solution: She addressed the benefits people and companies could gain if products were displayed on healthier looking models.

Courtney:

• Problem: Examined the many problems that arise with beauty industries testing on animals. Solution: Provided new alternative non-animal methods that are much more efficient in predicting how products will work on people.

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