In celebration of National Eating Disorders Awareness week, Vitamin IMC, the blog for my graduate school program, asked me to contribute a blog regarding body image and marketing. Marketers have undeniably contributed to body-shaming and negativity in through their work. Fortunately, however, marketers are optimally positioned to rectify the situation and change the conversation surrounding body-image and beauty standards in a meaningful way.
Negative body-image is a destructive and pervasive force. 97% of American women admit to having at least one “I hate my body moment” each day. The prevalence of negative body image among American women has been described by the phenomenon of “normative discontent,” explaining that women are socialized to dislike their bodies and speak of them disparagingly.
Men, too struggle with body image:
“More than four in five men (80.7%) talk in ways that promote anxiety about their body image by referring to perceived flaws and imperfections, compared with 75% of women. Similarly, 38% of men would sacrifice at least a year of their life in exchange for a perfect body – again, a higher proportion than women." - Denis Campbell, The Guardian
Unfortunately, children are not immune to body troubles either:
“41% of first to third-grade girls want to be thinner, while 81 percent of 10-year-olds are afraid of getting fat. 80% of 10-year-old American girls say they have been on a diet. The number one magic wish for young girls age 11-17 is to be thinner.” -April McCarthy, The Walking Times
Negative body image isn’t just pervasive, it’s destructive: According to the National Eating Disorders Association “People with negative body image have a greater likelihood of developing an eating disorder and are more likely to suffer from feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem, and obsessions with weight loss.”
While it isn’t possible to “point a finger” at any entity in particular, marketers bear significant culpability in perpetuating the “thin/muscular ideal” and capitalizing on consumers’ lack of self-confidence to sell product. A 2004 study by Hawkins, Richard, Granley, and Stein demonstrated that exposure to the thin ideal portrayed by advertisers increased symptoms of body dissatisfaction, negative mood, eating disorder symptoms, and lower self-esteem in college aged women.
And the “Thin Ideal” is rampant in marketing campaigns. The use of airbrushing and photoshop is one of the most widely discussed issues in body-image and marketing. Most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women...before they are photoshopped to oblivion. And photoshopped they are, oftentimes poorly. A 2006 study conducted by Bissel found that even when women were aware an image was digitally altered, they still engaged in body comparison and desired to resemble the figure in the photograph.
Even more disturbing, marketers are taking advantage of digital marketing tactics to target women when they are the most vulnerable in their self-esteem. The media planning agency PHD released a new study detailing the “dates, times, and occasions when U.S. women feel their least attractive.” The study is designed to assist marketers in industries like the diet, fitness, and beauty markets to optimize marketing messages. "Identifying the right time to engage with consumers with the right message is Marketing 101," stated Kim Bates, the head of Brand Planning for the company," but when you are trying to connect with women on so personal an issue as appearance, it can be even more important to understand the wrong time as well." Bates went onto discuss the detailed results report stating "from a marketing perspective, it could be a factor in everything from creative concept to media platforms to promotional offers."
Marketers helped get us into this mess, but fortunately, they have the power to help get us out. Dove, Always, and Aerie have demonstrated leadership in promoting positive body image in their marketing campaigns and have reaped substantial returns from their efforts. The 2004 “Dove Campaign For Real Beauty” was applauded for “get[ting] men and women worldwide to think about the narrow definitions of female beauty” and generated $3 for every $1 spent, not to mention significant brand equity. The recent revival of the campaign, #SpeakBeautiful, seeks to change the way women talk about their bodies online. During the Oscars, “Twitter technology identif[ied] negative tweets about beauty and body image posted during the show, and the Dove account respond[ed] to those tweets in real-time suggesting that the users think more positively about what they are saying.” The campaign reaped praise from normally critical sources like the feminist organization Miss Representation.
Negative body-image is a destructive and pervasive force. 97% of American women admit to having at least one “I hate my body moment” each day. The prevalence of negative body image among American women has been described by the phenomenon of “normative discontent,” explaining that women are socialized to dislike their bodies and speak of them disparagingly.
Men, too struggle with body image:
“More than four in five men (80.7%) talk in ways that promote anxiety about their body image by referring to perceived flaws and imperfections, compared with 75% of women. Similarly, 38% of men would sacrifice at least a year of their life in exchange for a perfect body – again, a higher proportion than women." - Denis Campbell, The Guardian
Unfortunately, children are not immune to body troubles either:
“41% of first to third-grade girls want to be thinner, while 81 percent of 10-year-olds are afraid of getting fat. 80% of 10-year-old American girls say they have been on a diet. The number one magic wish for young girls age 11-17 is to be thinner.” -April McCarthy, The Walking Times
Negative body image isn’t just pervasive, it’s destructive: According to the National Eating Disorders Association “People with negative body image have a greater likelihood of developing an eating disorder and are more likely to suffer from feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem, and obsessions with weight loss.”
While it isn’t possible to “point a finger” at any entity in particular, marketers bear significant culpability in perpetuating the “thin/muscular ideal” and capitalizing on consumers’ lack of self-confidence to sell product. A 2004 study by Hawkins, Richard, Granley, and Stein demonstrated that exposure to the thin ideal portrayed by advertisers increased symptoms of body dissatisfaction, negative mood, eating disorder symptoms, and lower self-esteem in college aged women.
And the “Thin Ideal” is rampant in marketing campaigns. The use of airbrushing and photoshop is one of the most widely discussed issues in body-image and marketing. Most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women...before they are photoshopped to oblivion. And photoshopped they are, oftentimes poorly. A 2006 study conducted by Bissel found that even when women were aware an image was digitally altered, they still engaged in body comparison and desired to resemble the figure in the photograph.
Even more disturbing, marketers are taking advantage of digital marketing tactics to target women when they are the most vulnerable in their self-esteem. The media planning agency PHD released a new study detailing the “dates, times, and occasions when U.S. women feel their least attractive.” The study is designed to assist marketers in industries like the diet, fitness, and beauty markets to optimize marketing messages. "Identifying the right time to engage with consumers with the right message is Marketing 101," stated Kim Bates, the head of Brand Planning for the company," but when you are trying to connect with women on so personal an issue as appearance, it can be even more important to understand the wrong time as well." Bates went onto discuss the detailed results report stating "from a marketing perspective, it could be a factor in everything from creative concept to media platforms to promotional offers."
Marketers helped get us into this mess, but fortunately, they have the power to help get us out. Dove, Always, and Aerie have demonstrated leadership in promoting positive body image in their marketing campaigns and have reaped substantial returns from their efforts. The 2004 “Dove Campaign For Real Beauty” was applauded for “get[ting] men and women worldwide to think about the narrow definitions of female beauty” and generated $3 for every $1 spent, not to mention significant brand equity. The recent revival of the campaign, #SpeakBeautiful, seeks to change the way women talk about their bodies online. During the Oscars, “Twitter technology identif[ied] negative tweets about beauty and body image posted during the show, and the Dove account respond[ed] to those tweets in real-time suggesting that the users think more positively about what they are saying.” The campaign reaped praise from normally critical sources like the feminist organization Miss Representation.
Aerie, an undergarment company targeting 15-21 year old women, launched the Aerie Real Campaign in the spring of 2014, declaring that it would cease hiring super models or photoshopping models in their advertisements. Since the 2014 release, the company has stayed true to its promise, and featured a wider diversity of models in its promotional material.
Body Positivity isn’t just important to promoting physical and mental health, it represents an important marketing trend that is quickly gaining momentum. As stated by Media Smarts, Canada’s source for digital and media literacy, “some recent research has found that that the conventional wisdom in the fashion and advertising worlds is wrong, and that consumers are less interested in buying products that make them feel insecure.” A January 2015 TIME article echoed the sentiment:
“The push for more realistic, “body positive” images of girls has been gaining momentum over the past year and not just in toys. In 2014, Barbie sales plummeted, while a doll with an average woman’s proportions gained viral success; full-bodied models were integrated into high-fashion campaigns without fanfare; e-retailer ModCloth announced an anticipated doubling of its sales after introducing plus sizes…”
Within the past year, fashion publications produced by companies like Pirelli, Vogue, Sports Illustrated, and Calvin Klein featured a wider diversity of body types in their advertising and Tess-Holliday became the first woman of her “full” size to be represented by a major agency. Her acquisition calls into question how “plus-sized” women have traditionally been represented in marketing efforts. The average american woman wears clothing 2-3 sizes above the typical “plus-size” model, indicating a highly thin-skewed representation of women’s bodies, even in “plus-sized” markets. Embracing a wider diversity of body-types to consumers and marketers alike. Emme, known as the first “plus-sized” supermodel stated:
“Women want to go shopping together. If you eliminate the plus-size department that’s always
in the basement or next to maternity, and you increase the numbers of 14, 16 and 18s, you are going to make more money than you have ever made.”
Marketers are positioned at an important and unique place to combat negative body image and promote body-positivity through their brands. This strategy is not only socially and morally responsible, but, when implemented effectively, can prove highly profitable. As future leaders in Integrated Marketing Communications, it is our responsibility to help promote these body-positive ideals and challenge companies to pursue responsible tactics and generate meaningful relationships with consumers.
“The push for more realistic, “body positive” images of girls has been gaining momentum over the past year and not just in toys. In 2014, Barbie sales plummeted, while a doll with an average woman’s proportions gained viral success; full-bodied models were integrated into high-fashion campaigns without fanfare; e-retailer ModCloth announced an anticipated doubling of its sales after introducing plus sizes…”
Within the past year, fashion publications produced by companies like Pirelli, Vogue, Sports Illustrated, and Calvin Klein featured a wider diversity of body types in their advertising and Tess-Holliday became the first woman of her “full” size to be represented by a major agency. Her acquisition calls into question how “plus-sized” women have traditionally been represented in marketing efforts. The average american woman wears clothing 2-3 sizes above the typical “plus-size” model, indicating a highly thin-skewed representation of women’s bodies, even in “plus-sized” markets. Embracing a wider diversity of body-types to consumers and marketers alike. Emme, known as the first “plus-sized” supermodel stated:
“Women want to go shopping together. If you eliminate the plus-size department that’s always
in the basement or next to maternity, and you increase the numbers of 14, 16 and 18s, you are going to make more money than you have ever made.”
Marketers are positioned at an important and unique place to combat negative body image and promote body-positivity through their brands. This strategy is not only socially and morally responsible, but, when implemented effectively, can prove highly profitable. As future leaders in Integrated Marketing Communications, it is our responsibility to help promote these body-positive ideals and challenge companies to pursue responsible tactics and generate meaningful relationships with consumers.