Summer is almost here and while many students are preoccupied with final exams, some are getting overwhelmed by another kind of pressure – to get “beach body ready.” In a culture that constantly tells women to be thin, fit, yet busty, it’s no wonder a majority of women and girls are unhappy with how they look. And boys are feeling the negative effects too, with a third of six to eight year olds disliking their appearance.
So how can we lift this unnecessary pressure? Several studies point to the need to curb Photoshop and how it’s used to sell an unattainable body ideal. That’s why this week, we encourage you to tell your member of Congress to support the Truth in Advertising Act, a bipartisan bill that asks the Federal Trade Commission to research the harmful effects of Photoshop ads, particularly on our young children. Just fill out your name and address and TakePart will send the letter to your Congressperson! Together, let’s challenge advertisers’ harmful beauty standards and support our kids in seeing their true value.
Onwards
Jennifer Siebel Newsom & The Representation Project team
From Around the Web
“Every day social media users hide behind the safety of their keyboards and write hateful things. These comments are often so vile and cruel that it is difficult to imagine them ever being uttered to someone’s face. In an attempt to raise awareness about online bullying of women in sports, that is exactly what ‘Just Not Sports’ did. In their new #MoreThanMean PSA, real men – who were not the original authors of the messages – read detestable tweets directed at sportswriters Julie DiCaro and espnW’s Sarah Spain…to their faces.” – ESPN- ATTN: Ways We Reinforce Toxic Masculinity in Boys
- BuzzFeed: Donald Trump Thinks Men who Change Diapers are Acting “Like The Wife”
- The Daily Beast: All the Things You Can No Longer Buy if You’re Really Boycotting Trans-Friendly Businesses
- The Huffington Post: Matt McGorry Calls Out Piers Morgan’s Absurd Queen Bey Critique
- People: University of Washington Cheerleading Squad Slammed for Poster with Body Requirements
- The Washington Post: Play the ‘Woman Card’ and Reap These ‘Rewards’!
Newsweek’s Cover on Period Stigma via Miss Representation‘s Instagram
