Reflective Practice:
The Influence of the Media on the Extreme Ideals of
How Males Think Their Bodies Should Look
‘4 in 5 men talk about their bodies in ways that promote anxiety
and 38% of men would sacrifice at least a year of their life in exchange for
the ‘perfect body’ Dennis Campbell, Health Correspondent (2012). The NHS campaign
developed in the visual investigation is aimed at young to middle aged men who
are affected by the influence of the media in relation to body image as this is
something that can be hugely overlooked. It intends to promote an awareness of
the impact and dangers involved in extreme exercise and the aspiration for the ‘perfect
body’ could have and is having on some of these individuals. The campaign does
not aim to refute the benefits of exercise but intends to encourage young men
to exercise for the right reasons and not in a way that involves them pushing
themselves and their bodies to dangerous places.
‘I
compare my body to bodies of TV and movie stars’ (Karazsia and Crowther 2008).
This quote is one of the main reasons that the investigation is based around
the stigma that men in the current culture need to have the 'perfect body. It was
important for the poster campaign to question why men feel this way and why
they continue to compare their bodies to those seen on TV and in movies. The
picture seen in figure 1 is proof of photo manipulation comparing two separate pictures
of Andy Roddick the tennis star, one edited and one not. This is a prime
example of the reasons that men have unrealistic ideals of how their body
should look. The series of posters designed for the visual investigation
responds to this problem by directly questioning this issue. It was important
to raise the question ‘What is Perfection?’. The reason behind this is that it
can be suggested that no one can know what perfection is due to it being fully
based on personal preference. The NHS campaign therefore aimed to make the
target audience question what they are aiming for when they are striving for
the ‘perfect body’ as it cannot be determined. The poster seen in figure 2, uses two different models for
the imagery because it portrays the message that perfection is based on
preference. It demonstrates that images such as the one seen in figure 1 are
not real. Both the poster designed for the campaign and figure 1 display an
awareness that the ‘perfect body’ does not really exist and therefore should
not be causing young males in the present day to feel insecure and body shamed.
The posters seen in the campaign were
hugely influenced by the research into Kyle who is a case study seen in the
documentary with Reggie Yates, Dying for a six pack. ‘I'll be lucky if I make
it to the age of 30’ Kyle, Dying for a Six Pack. The shocking truth that
someone could be aware that the extreme exercise they are doing is so dangerous
it could cause them to die early, but still continue anyway is something that
is almost seen to be a norm by certain individuals who are extremely body
conscious. This is something that was important to question in the campaign and
make the target audience think about why they think that the ‘perfect body’ is
more important than their lives. Some of the imagery used in the campaign is aimed
to get this question across in a way that was eye catching and hard hitting. An
example of this, is the imagery in one of the posters as seen in figure 3 is of
the model wrapping himself in cling film, which is something Kyle is seen to do
in the documentary. The image is accompanied by the slogan 'Where does it End?',
questioning to what extent men will go to in order to gain the body that they
see as ‘perfect’.
When conducting the research for the
campaign it became clear that the need for the perfect body and obsession with
extreme exercise is something that can be diagnosed as an illness. Many of the
individuals in the target market group may not be aware that they are in need
of help and would be reluctant to ask for help without reason. Therefore, the
campaign also involved a poster using the NHS description of body dysmorphic
disorder. Kyle (Dying for a six pack), said another statement in the
documentary that showed signs of this disorder and his complete unawareness of
its effect on him. ’I see a s*** body, when I look in the mirror I am
unhappy with what I see.’ (Kyle, Dying for a six pack), one of the signs of
body dysmorphic disorder is spending a long time looking in the mirror or
having to avoid them all together. There is an increasing number of young males
showing signs and symptoms of struggling with this disorder. The incorporation
of the signs and symptoms of this disorder in the campaign was important to
raise an awareness so that people can become aware that the society that we are
currently living in is encouraging body shaming and insecurity.
As observed by Mark Jannot, editor of health
magazine for Men’s Journal, about body ideals, ‘This is a huge booming market’.
The outcomes produced for the NHS poster campaign are based on the
understanding that health and fitness is a huge trend in the current pop
culture, but raise the awareness that it is important to train safe to stay
safe. The designs successfully do this as they possess the information needed
and ask the right questions for the target audience to understand that there
are certain dangers involved in obsessive training. However, it could be argued
that the campaign could be aimed at a wider target audience due to the specific
individuals who are being affected by these factors. Therefore, the campaign
could be targeted at people who know someone who is affected by the current
trend of needing the ‘perfect body’. The campaign has nonetheless responded to
the problem by establishing that there is an issue in the current fitness
industry that needs attention.
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| Figure 1 |
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| Figure 2 |
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| Figure 3 |
Bibliography:
· American Journal of Men’s Health
Volume 1 Number 4
December 2007 307-316
© 2007 Sage Publications
10.1177/1557988306309408
· Sex Roles (2010) 63:138–148
DOI 10.1007/s11199-010-9824-0
· School of Psychology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia
· Vol 9(4) 505–515
DOI: 10.1177/1359105304044034
· An Artist’s Perspective on
Body Image, the Media, and Contemporary Society
