TresSugar

Proposed Warning Labels on Photoshopped Celeb Photos to Prevent Eating Disorders

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:14:11 PST

Alcohol can lead to liver problems and cigarettes can cause lung cancer, so it's obvious why these products have warning labels. What about Photoshopped images of celebrities and models? Should these come with warning labels, too? Research shows that images portraying "perfect bodies" can have negative effects on body image, leading to anxiety and eating disorders, especially in young women.

Last June, the American Medical Association urged advertisers to work with child and teen health experts to set limits on Photoshopping. In response, two Dartmouth computer science researchers are proposing a new software tool to measure just how much an image of a face or body has been altered, using a scale of one to five to indicate the extent of the changes. Warning labels on images would allow the viewer to know just how extensively a photo has been manipulated.

Child psychologists aren't convinced these labels are the answer, feeling the most effective solution to preventing poor body image or eating disorders lies in the hands of parents. Modeling healthy eating habits and encouraging regular exercise is key, as well as not focusing attention on appearance. What do you think about these warning labels?

Group Therapy: My Boyfriend Suggested I Get a Nose Job

Tres Community — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 03:05:41 PST

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

So my BF is very loving and always compliments me about what I wear, about my body, my hair, my skin, eyes and etc . . .

but the other day, he told me that If I had a nose surgery, I would look like wow! I said I'm not getting a surgery ever and I am fine with the way my nose looks (which is a lie! I know and everybody knows my nose does not look very great! But I was serious about the surgery because I think it ruins all the natural things about one's face.)

So I told him that he is shallow. He became very apologetic and told me that I am so beautiful and already look like a celebrity, it's just it is such a shame that the only imperfection about me should be the nose, but he said he will not mention it again and he loves me the way I am.

But the thing is, I am not a tall girl, and I know my BF likes tall girls, and although I look very athletic and am very confident about my body and he always tells me he loves my body, but when we go to beach I can't help but wonder if he's thinking about all the tall girls with their long legs. He is very handsome and I think he can have whoever he wants.

And now this stupid nose thing has to add up to the rest of my worries? And we are only eight months into this relationship.

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

Adriana Lima Gets Frank About Prepping For Angel Duty

Annie Scudder — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:35:28 PST

After learning how Adriana Lima preps for the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, I'm surprised she can support her angel wings. The lingerie model gave the Telegraph a very specific description of her dieting and exercise regime and it's anything but glamorous. In fact, it sounds downright dangerous, but Adriana acknowledges that she has a nutritionist monitoring her. The paper explains:

Lima drinks a gallon of water a day. For nine days before the show, she will drink only protein shakes - "no solids." The concoctions include powdered egg. Two days before the show, she will abstain from the daily gallon of water, and "just drink normally." Then, 12 hours before the show, she will stop drinking entirely. "No liquids at all so you dry out, sometimes you can lose up to eight pounds just from that," she says.

No solid food . . .or water? Meanwhile, she's working out twice a day. Adriana is making it clear that she has to practically torture herself to attain the runway look. Do you think it's helpful that she shares this reality?

7 Ways You Can Learn to Love Your Body

YourTango — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 04:00:05 PST

We're happy to present this excerpt from one of our favorite sites, YourTango.

In today's society, when people talk about their body, the conversation usually revolves around the physical attributes that make up their body. When listening to the media or even conversations amongst people, there is often frustration about how the body looks as well as how it is letting us down.

What can we do to be in a better relationship with our body? It is no different than if we wanted to build a better relationship with a friend: we need to spend time with it, acknowledge it, appreciate it and take care of it! Spending time with ourselves and getting to know our body is important. Do you know what your body needs?

Let's take food for example. There is so much information written about healthy nutrition. Many "experts" give their opinions about what is best for all people. I have spent thousands of dollars, countless hours reading and following someone else's advice to achieve the body of my dreams. Has this worked? No! It has been an incredibly frustrating journey and one that has not helped me get to where I want to be.

But in the past couple of years, things have changed. I have let a lot of the expert advice go. I now spend time learning to listen to my inner expert. I have a tremendous amount of knowledge about healthy nutrition. My years as a nurse, nutrition junky and health fanatic have armed me with hundreds of theories about what I should and should not do. I have taken all of this advice, sifted it through my life experience and come up with what works the best for me.

To read more, check out YourTango: 7 Ways You Can Learn To Love Your Body

Written by Gerrianne Clare for YourTango.

Group Therapy: My Boyfriend Wants Me to Lose Weight - I Feel So Ashamed

Tres Community — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 03:05:00 PDT

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

I have been dating this guy for 7 years. When we met I was 150 pounds. I am 5'5''. Over the last 7 years I had put on 30 pounds and was at 180 pounds. Eight months ago, right before I went on a 3-month vacation with my family, he told me that I have put on a lot of weight, and though he still thinks I'm beautiful, there are issues with health and sexiness and attractiveness and he thinks it would be best if I lost weight. Of course being a silly proud girl I spent the next few days crying and hating him. But then I knew he was right. So in 4 months I lost 20 pounds and I am now at 160 pounds. At first he said he was so proud of me, etc. . . . but after another month or two he is now saying that I should lose more weight still.

At 5'5'' and 160 pounds, I know that I'm still far from skinny. And I do want to lose weight. I am an emotional eater, and I hate exercising (although I push myself to) I don't want to make excuses. But now I am having serious pride and feeling issues toward him. I know that he only wants what every guy would want (a girlfriend he can be proud of and be attracted to) and that I wouldn't want to be with someone I'm not attracted to either. But every time I think about this tears fall down my face, and I have trouble looking him in the eye without feeling ashamed and ugly.

To be fair, we have a code of honesty in our relationship and he broke the "you should lose weight" messages to me nicely, followed by "I love you" and "you're beautiful." But I can't help how I feel - now every time I look at him I feel fat and ugly and inferior. I don't want to have bad feelings toward him for being the messenger of bad news. I don't know what to do.

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

Life-Size Barbie Is Anything but Perfect

Annie Scudder — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:52:46 PDT

When Galia Slayden was a little girl, she admired her Barbie's perfect blond hair and slim figure. When she entered high school and faced an eating disorder, she realized the body image Barbie portrayed was less than ideal. Using math, balloons, and other supplies, she built a life-size Barbie, pictured here, in time for National Eating Disorder Week. She showed it off at her school and later brought the Barbie to her college campus, too.

We've all likely heard facts about how ridiculous Barbie would look if she was a real woman, and Galia shares one I hadn't heard before in the Huffington Post: "If Barbie was a real woman, she'd have to walk on all fours." But seeing these proportions takes the unrealistic body to a much more shocking level.

This morning on the Today show, Galia explained that while she doesn't believe Barbie gives people eating disorders, the doll does play a role in a young girl's development. As for the goal of her project, she says: "It's beyond the actual Barbie herself. It's really about finding who you are. Not wanting to become Barbie, not wanting to become this celebrity, that person. It's about finding that internal you." Mattel has defended itself, maintaining: "Barbie is a doll who stands at 11.5 inches tall and weighs 7.25 ounces - she was never modeled on the proportions of a real person."

Do you think this life-size Barbie could help improve young women's body images?

Would You Want Your School to Photoshop Your Child's School Pic?

Leta Shy — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:01:38 PDT

It's school picture day, and you've brushed and adjusted and ironed your tot into the picture of well-behaved, clean-faced childhood. But when the picture comes back it's not quite what you expected!

Between playground boo-boos and stray hairs, your lil one's photos have them looking every bit the mischief! But what if you could pay a few extra dollars to remove minor imperfections on your child's school picture? Schools in Australia are offering parents just that. For about $15, a company will airbrush a child's photo so they can look their very best - meaning no more acne for the older ones!

Everyone wants to look their best in photos, but critics say this service is another way society forces children to try and be perfect. What do you think? Would you buy an airbrushing service for your child's school picture?

Source: Flickr User shakestercody

Women Name Body Shapes After Artists, Not Apples and Pears

Annie Scudder — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:10:06 PST

Women in Australia have decided to stop comparing their bodies to inanimate fruit. Instead, they're naming their shapes after artists who celebrate the female figure - like Leonardo da Vinci and Peter Paul Rubens. One lingerie model putting the change on display explained: "I was a pear, but now I'm a Matisse. Matisse always painted such beautiful women." Da Vinci represents a straight up and down shape, and Rembrandt denotes a full bust and bottom.

A body image expert conceded that classifying women's bodies typically presents problems, but "these categories let women know that all types of body shapes have been around for a long time and have been considered beautiful by artists throughout history." Find out more in the news report above. Do you think it's a positive change?

Model Diversity: Women Buy When Models Look Like Them

Annie Scudder — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 12:40:44 PST

Average size might soon replace the current sample size seen on the covers of magazines, in fashion ads, and on the runway. But I doubt some altruistic goal or gimmick of celebrating "real women" (aren't the thin women real, too?) will motivate the change. Rather a concern about the bottom line will lead to more diversity in model size, as well as race and age. New data shows that women are more likely to buy clothes when the models look like them.

A PhD student at Cambridge University conducted a study with 3,000 British, American, and Canadian women and found that "the vast majority of women significantly increase purchase intentions when they see a model that reflects their age, size, and race." He says it's in the interest of advertisers and magazine editors "to be mindful of who their target market is and how the models reflect that market."

I'll bet models will always be unusually beautiful, since fantasy and aspirational thinking also influences women's buying habits. But when exceptionally thin and young women who all resemble each other model clothes, it's almost impossible for an average-sized woman to tell how the look will translate in her closet. As more clothes shopping moves online, savvy retailers will likely woo women by presenting clothes in a way that makes as many women as possible think, "Hey, that would look good on me!"

The Flaws You Embrace

Annie Scudder — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 02:00:40 PST

I'm a sucker for inspiring quotes, so I was pleased to find a bunch in the comments section to this post: What's your favorite imperfection? Tons of TrèsSugar readers have found ways to embrace the so-called physical flaws that make them. The comments were a refreshing departure from everything we read about women having bad body image.

Here's a sampling of imperfections you love:

Pale skin: "My skin is super pale, practically translucent, and I get lots of freckles in the summer. And I love it."
Small chest: "I also kind of like being flat. I don't know anyone who has a figure like mine."
Being tall: "I suppose my height would be my favorite flaw though. It's all in my legs, which are uber toned from running seven miles a day. I feel like such a freak sometimes, though."
Glasses: "I have glasses, which I used to hate, and I still think they're horribly impractical, but I've heard from a lot of people that they're totally into that look. So they're staying!"
A scar: "I have a scar on the bridge of my nose, right between my eyes. Considering I'm an otherwise quite pretty, feminine girl, it's quite sexy - gives me a touch of the pirate."

Any to add?