Peeking Behind the Curtain of the Celebrity Beauty Machine

Who are your favourite “beautiful people”? We see these beautiful people in teen

magazines, in ads and posters, and on the web and other media. Are they the real thing? (thumbs up, thumbs down)

Sometimes we look up to celebrities as role models. We want to be like them. Is that possible? (thumbs up, thumbs down)

PowerPoint: “Perfection” in the media Think-pair-share Class discussion Individual assignment: Create a digital

poster to communicate a message about the media’s influence on body image.

• What message are these ads sending?• Who created these messages and why?• What do these ads tell you about what is the ideal body?• Could anyone ever match this version of perfection?• How does that make you feel?

• Who is included in these images?

• How well does it reflect reality?

• Who is left out?• What does this say about

beauty in the media?Although trends are changing, advertising in North America used to use only Caucasion models. How does that make you feel?

• These magazine covers show a few of the “beautiful people.”• Do these women represent “perfection”?• What is perfection?

• Do these women represent “perfection”?• How do you know?

What has to happen to change an ordinary looking person into a

cover girl?

Dove CommercialMakeover GirlMakeover Guy

Celebrity Perfection Obsession

Is the “perfection” that we see in ads real?

What is the difference between these two photographs?

• Do you think images of men are photoshoped, too?

• Are these images of the ideal male possible to live up to?

• What is the overt (surface) message?

• What is the implied (hidden) message?

As you watch the video, take notes. Make a list of types of changes the digital artist makes to the model’s Image.

Photoshoping the ImageLink to Photoshoping Video

(Think-pair-share)1. Extend your list of changes by

comparing notes with a partner.2. Extend your list of changes by

comparing notes with another pair.3. Count up the types of changes you

noticed, and then compare them at the class level.

(Class discussion)1. Do you understand better why celebrities

always look fabulous in the media? (thumbs up, thumbs down)

2. Is it possible for ordinary people to measure up? (thumbs up, thumbs down)

3. How does the media image of beauty affect what we think about our own bodies?

4. Why would people react in different ways to fabricated beauty in the media?

5. How could becoming more aware of what the media does help us change our ideas about our own body image?

1. Search through the Internet, teen and fashion magazines, and other media for advertisements. Find one good example of “perfection” that you believe would be hard to live up to.

2. Scan your image or save it from a web site to create a .jpg file.

3. Import your image into MS Word or a computer graphics program.

4. Create a mini-poster with your visual. The purpose of your poster is to increase awareness about the effects media images can have on healthy body image. Think about how you can get across that message effectively.

5. Give your poster a title and a caption of a few sentences.

6. Share your mini-poster with your classmates.