*screen shot from video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv-WI6Vlrpk

I found an interesting video that perhaps all Asian Americans could personally relate. I think that it’s important that we raise the issues on beauty, conformity and standards. The truth is that too many of us Asian Americans struggle with the double-standard. We are a culture that is so ingrained in our roots, yet we live in a Western world with a completely different definition of beauty. I thought that the video was an interesting investigation into the definition of the problem, but there weren’t any solid solutions. Perhaps it is eluding that the solution is unknown. As cities become more multicultural, how do we define and accept our physical selves without having society dictate our definition of beauty. Is there a democracy in beauty?

Asian American Beauty - Female Body Image (Part 1 of 2)

Asian American Beauty - Female Body Image (Part 2 of 2)

More information about Calvin (creator of video): http://www.CUfestival.com/

http://demo.fb.se/e/girlpower/ Here’s another body image campaign called “The ‘Why’ Campaign” made possible by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs from Stockholm, Sweden. It’s another initiative against media and its effects on body image. In particular they target a younger age group, which emphasizes the urgency of conveyed norms and values in our society. The campaign’s goal is to have the general public question and be critical about mass media, and it tries to do so by allowing viewers to directly email the person in charge with that particular advertisement or media establishment. The concept works on several levels, but has areas of opportunity. It works because by voicing the public’s concerns to that particular person in charge it could possibly have some effects on the next decision he/she will need to make for future campaigns. However, at the same time ad agencies could use those comments against people like me, because it places everyone else in an extremist position with no grey areas to debate upon, or is there? Then of course there are campaigns such as Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/, which directly targets those who are in those extremists positions. It will take more than a realization to transform years of social conditioning into what we define as “real beauty”, and unfortunately standards do exist in our society as they do help maintain social order. Think about how hard it would be for us to get along if we all had different views of what beauty means? Are we then questioning the definition of beauty or the existence of that word?

Download the full article here: http://www.actforyouth.net/documents/june_self_esteem.pdf

Other interesting facts/reads/theories: http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/book/links.asp?topicID=7 http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_mediaeffect.shtml

Self-esteem (notes):
- causal direction is unclear, which means that they’re unsure if having low self-esteem causes youth to engage in problem behaviour or the other way around
–ex// Gang members have higher than normal self-esteem
- Ways to boost self-esteem
- Programs in 1960’s were designed to make youth feel good about themselves
- Don’t work on raising self-esteem for the purpose of reducing problem behaviour – this isn’t an effective strategy
- Telling someone to have more self-esteem won’t do it
- they will only feel better about themselves if they experience success in areas that they care about and are praised by people they respect
- Relationships with parents, friends social support groups
- Reducing disappointment

“Adolescent Self Esteem.” Research Facts and Findings os (2003): 1-4. 13 Oct. 2006 http://www.actforyouth.net/documents/june_self_esteem.pdf.