So anyway, this new iPhone app has launched and claims to be able to tell you how ugly, or not, somebody is. The app is of course called, “The Ugly Meter” and lets users take a photo of a person’s face and then ‘analyzes’ its contours in real-time before displaying a score from one to ten. The higher the score, the uglier the face.

An on-screen grid helps the user line up the picture for best results and, moments after the picture is snapped the app’s judgment is displayed on the screen. The app also gives you positive (“You’re so hot, you make the sun jealous”) or negative (“Wow you’re ugly, is your doctor a vet?”) feedback based on your results.

While the app was probably created to provide a light-hearted bit of fun, use of the app could cause self-esteem issues of be used cruelly. The app claims to scan facial structure to measure attractiveness, but it is probably not accurate – and unfortunately, some may take this app seriously.

I had to dig all the way to the bottom of my inbox to find this, so I will admit that this is old – from May 2010! But I still feel that it’s very worth posting, because there is a great statement behind it and I really want to reveal the wider range of beauty.

So…I’m not a fan of American Apparel. I don’t like their closed-minded advertising, their controlling employment policy or the way they conduct their business, which is highly unethical. So I was thrilled when I found this article on Hipster Runoff about an artist/photographer that did a project to demonstrate that American Apparel company branding experts are ‘misleading consumers’ by trying to make it seem like their models are ‘every day women.’ The message goes much deeper, though: the model appearing in the project is disabled, bringing to light that the media completely neglects this audience (many other audiences as well).

Basically, the artist had a disabled friend pose in fake advertisements that were supposed to mirror ‘legitimate’ American Apparel campaigns. The project was called “American Able.” Here’s the project description:

Official Project Description:

‘American Able’ intends to, through spoof, reveal the ways in which women with disabilities are invisibilized in advertising and mass media. I chose American Apparel not just for their notable style, but also for their claims that many of their models are just ‘every day’ women who are employees, friends and fans of the company. However, these women fit particular body types. Their campaigns are highly sexualized and feature women who are generally thin, and who appear to be able-bodied. Women with disabilities go unrepresented, not only in American Apparel advertising, but also in most of popular culture. Rarely, if ever, are women with disabilities portrayed in anything other than an asexual manner, for ‘disabled’ bodies are largely perceived as ‘undesirable.’ In a society where sexuality is created and performed over and over within popular culture, the invisibility of women with disabilities in many ways denies them the right to sexuality, particularly within a public context.

Too often, the pervasive influence of imagery in mass media goes unexamined, consumed en masse by the public. However, this imagery has real, oppressive effects on people who are continuously ‘othered’ by society. The model, Jes Sachse, and I intend to reveal these stories by placing her in a position where women with disabilities are typically excluded.

This work was part of a group exhibit for CONTACT 2010 and was shown on over 270 digital screens in 50 Toronto Transit Commission stations throughout May 2010.

I wanted to post this not because it is outing American Apparel, although I do like to show the dirt behind that brand. I wanted to show this because I think it makes us think about the models that are used in our everyday advertising – even advertising not as strictly controlled as American Apparel’s. We are used to seeing tall, slim and able-bodied models that embody what we’ve been taught to believe is ”perfection.”

In the article, some questions were raised…For example, if brands don’t have ‘hot models’ showcasing their clothes, will the brands be irrelevant? Why isn’t there more of a variety of models being used? What are we communicating by using advertising that only caters to one group of people? I absolutely hope that we’re capable of expanding our minds enough to look past our ideas of “hot” to embrace everyone. I also hope that advertisers find better ways to communicate the quality of their products without using sexualized images of people. We might be a bit far from it right now, but I’m hoping that there is a time where we’re all viewed as equal and that no one is isolated because they are not “hot” enough.

Lukyanova claims to be the “the most famous Russian woman on the Russian-language Internet.” Her Youtube page, Amatue, has millions of views and her Facebook page has a few thousand likes. She updated her accounts about every hour, with images and videos of her in different settings, walking around and even singing opera while playing on a keyboard. Critics are speculating that this may be a hoax, however it may just be a model trying to gain popularity. Lukyanova seems to be upset at the claims that her photographs are photoshopped, and has even posted photos of herself without makeup in defense. However, if her doll-like appearance does not have Photoshop to thank, there is most likely plastic surgery involved.

The frenzy over Valeria’s exposure has encouraged many doctors and plastic surgeons to step out and assure the public that these results are not natural. On “Good Morning America’s” segment Tuesday morning, Dr. Anthony LaBruna, Plastic Surgeon Director of Manhattan Plastic Surgery, stated that in order for a woman to resemble Barbie, a woman would have to get “breast enhancements to be a 38DD”" and “cut some ribs out” to get an 18″ waist, make the hips “wider” and “change” her face. Dr. LaBruna hesitated to estimate how much Valeria Lukyanova spent on plastic surgery to achieve her Barbie look, but he believed it was in the hundreds of thousands of dollars range – possibly up to half a million.

Dr. Malcolm Roth, President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, said plastic surgery should never be used to transform oneself into a favorite celebrity or, in this case, a play toy. “We believe evaluating any and all issues that may affect our patients’ well-being, including psychological factors, is part of providing total patient care,” Roth said in a statement. “Additionally, Valeria is also only 21, so certain milestones in growth and physical maturity ought to be considered before plastic surgery is performed. ASPS cautions patients to keep in mind that plastic surgery is real surgery with real risks, just as with any operation, so the decision should not be taken lightly.”

Diane Levin, Professor of Education at Wheelock College in Boston, said the mystery of her existence is not the issue. The problem is that her flaunted image epitomizes and exemplifies the issue of objectification of women in today’s society. “Barbie has always been controversial and really changed the discussion on how girls play,” said Levin, author of the book, “So Sexy So Soon: The Next Sexualized Childhood and How Parents Can Protect Their Kids.” ”When Barbie came around, play suddenly became about dressing up and looking right and it eventually played a role in how women wanted to look in real life. If society expects women to look like that, it is harder for almost any woman to totally resist it. This just feeds into our media screen culture, where being involved with real things are becoming more and more removed for children. Even if she’s totally photoshopped, the fact that her body is being changed to one that no one actually can attain epitomizes what is happening in our society.”

Valeria’s physical appearance and predicted alterations kind of remind me of when Heidi Montag underwent a slew of procedures not too long ago. However, Valeria has taken alterations further in order to resemble a children’s toy. We shouldn’t be aiming to shame Valeria, but this absolutely raises concerns about what imitating  a doll that perpetuates body image issues in girls expresses.

The book is aimed at kids 4-7 years old, featuring a plastic surgeon named Dr. Michael (a musclebound superhero type) and a girl whose mother gets a tummy tuck, a nose job and breast implants. Before her surgery the mom explains her tummy tuck to her daughter: “You see, as I got older, my body stretched and I couldn’t fit into my clothes anymore. Dr. Michael is going to help fix that and make me feel better.” Later, the mother comes home looking like a slightly bruised Barbie doll with bandages on her nose and waist.

The text doesn’t get into the breast augmentation, however the illustrations show the mother’s breasts to be fuller and higher. ”I tried to skirt that issue in the text itself,” says Salzhauer. “The tummy lends itself to an easy explanation to the children: extra skin and can’t fit into your clothes. The breasts might be a stretch for a six-year-old.”

I think the whole thing is a stretch. I understand that plastic surgery is a hard thing to explain to a young child, especially since it sometimes is not just one big dramatic change – there are bruising, bandaging and other things that come along with the process that may be difficult for children to understand. However, I do think this book could cause some damage. The book might be teaching children that plastic surgery is an easy solution to aging and will make you “feel better.” It’s doubtful that the book contains any information about taking care of yourself, eating right, exercising and having good self-esteem – which are more valuable things parents should be explaining to their children. Luckily, the book is self-published and isn’t likely to be widely distributed. 

However, Miss Universe Canada officials have banned Jenna from participating in the pageant finals to be held in Toronto in May, 2012. She was one of sixty-five women chosen to compete in the national contest. Denis Davila, National Director of Miss Universe Canada, asserts that every contestant must be a “naturally born female.” Critics of the decision claim that the rules do not specifically address sex change or plastic surgery.

Jenna is calling it a human rights issue, having previously competed in both transsexual and women’s beauty pageants. “All I can say is that they disqualified me because I’m not ‘natural born.’ That doesn’t make sense because since I was conscious, I always felt this way.”

After being disqualified, Jenna tweeted, “I’m disqualified, however I’m not giving up. I’m not going to just let them disqualify me over discrimination.” Meanwhile, online support for the beauty queen is growing. So far, over twenty-one thousand people have signed a petition demanding she be allowed to compete. It reads, “She is a woman and deserves to be treated as any other woman would be.”

I can’t say that I completely agree with beauty pageants in general, as I’m really turned off by the idea of judging another human being completely on their appearance. This is awful. Even if perhaps the contest rules and procedures state that contestants must be “natural born females,” I do believe that is discriminatory. Not to mention, sex changes are becoming so much more common that perhaps those rules should be revised. I hate the idea of a woman (natural born or not) having to conform to any standard. It would be a positive thing for these types of contests to be more open and accepting to different types of people.

This statistic came from a Harris poll conducted on behalf of the Renfrew Center Foundation (a nonprofit organization advancing the education, prevention, research, and treatment of eating disorders) to show our increasing dependency on products to boost our self esteem. When asked the reasons why women cannot go without makeup, these answers were given:

• 16% of women polled felt unattractive when not wearing cosmetics
• 14% felt self-conscious without makeup
• 14% felt naked without makeup

Twenty-five percent of the women polled have worn makeup since they were 13 or younger. Wow. “Wearing makeup to enhance one’s appearance is normal in our society and often a rite of passage for young women,” Adrienne Ressler, the Renfrew Center’s national training director, said in a statement. “There is concern, however, when makeup no longer becomes a tool for enhancement but, rather, a security blanket that conceals negative feelings about one’s self-image and self-esteem.”

When you notice women wearing full makeup in situations where it is impractical (such as at a gym or beach), the “security blanket” statement that Adrienne makes is really apparent. Women should absolutely want to look their best and feel confident about their appearance. However, makeup companies and advertisements are pushing products in a way that causes women to feel as if their natural beauty is not enough – and unfortunately, women are believing it. It becomes so completely ironic that we create makeup so that we look “natural.”

Something I’ve stumbled upon recently is The Naked Face Project. Basically, two women go sixty days without putting on any makeup (as well as no shaving or primping rituals). At first I thought it was just  going to be some shallow “30 days without washing hair”- type experiment, until I read their mission. Here is what they had to say on their website, on why they’re doing the project:

“Why do you wear makeup?” the eight year-old asked. “Because it’s fun!” we inevitably answer. But when we really get honest, that’s simply not the truth. We both work for organizations that promote a message of inner beauty, empowerment, and self-confidence, and we still engage in Beauty Habits – like makeup, shaving, and wearing uncomfortable feminine clothing . We’ve believed for years that these habits would enhance our appearance. After much discussion, we found the difference between what we preach and how we choose to act on a day-to-day basis troubling.

We’ve often said, “I need to go fix my face,” but really – what is there to fix? This is our journey to explore what happens when we start living in complete alignment with the message we encourage others to live by. We do not know where The Naked Face Project will take us. We do not have a hypothesis we hope to prove or know how we will feel at the end of sixty days. We’re not trying to make a political or feminist statement. We simply want to live in our own space of authentic beauty and be more intentional in our actions. That’s why we’ve chosen to completely commit ourselves in the project for sixty days. It is only through this total immersion that we believe we will come to a more authentic answer for the hard questions little girls ask.

Honestly, we expect The Naked Face Project to be very uncomfortable for us because we’ve engaged in these Beauty Habits for so long. We feel like we’ve only approached feminine beauty in one way for our entire lives. What might reveal itself when we give ourselves the opportunity to experience another way?

One of the women – Caitlin Boyle - is actually the founder of Operationbeautiful.com, which is a FABULOUS body image/self esteem movement. The other woman is Molly Barker, founder of Girls on the Run. We’ll absolutely be following up on their progress.

If you would like to participate in the project, you can! Visit the Gallery of Faces for directions on contacting them, and definitely browse through the other natural beauties!

Learning about Janna and her ideas about body acceptance was extremely inspiring to me and I hope you feel the same way and can appreciate her work!

First things first, tell us about YOU!

I’m currently a student at Burlington County College finishing up my Associate’s Degree in photography.

I am mainly a photographer, but I have dabbled in a bit of everything – sewing, crocheting, drawing, painting and graphic design, etc. As a child, I went through every craft phase possible until I invested in my first camera. My first camera was purchased at a Rite Aid, for about $90, also falling around the time when MySpace had hit it’s high peak of popularity and everything was soon to become digital. I fell into the digital age as it formed and soon after acquired a few more cameras. However, none satisfied my need for the quality I was looking for in all of the amazing photographs I saw online. Mind you, I was only in middle school at the time and knew absolutely nothing about photography. I acquired my first DSLR in Chiristmas of 2007. Still not knowing much about photography (or my camera), I continued to venture and take photographs, uploading to Deviant Art and wishing I could pursue much more beautiful photos than I was taking.

Once I graduated high school and continued photography on a much higher level and actually learned the proper skills, it all finally fell into place. My skills have advanced IMMENSELY in just the three years of being a photo student. I continue to grow and learn something new everyday and as technology continues to advance I feel more confident about my passion each and every single day.

When I first started college, I also landed my first job in a lovely retail store called Torrid. This is a trendy fashion forward plus size store for women and young teens. And I LOVE it. This is what furthered my interest about body issues and body acceptance. Working in a plus size store and surrounding yourself with the issue everyday gives you a different perception on it. The more and more you deal with something like this, the more passionate you become about it. Learning about others’ issues, listening to stories, and helping other people feel confident about themselves, you learn to grow as a person and causes you to deal with how you view yourself and the other people around you. It’s definitely an eye opener.

What is A Study in Acceptance?

I’ve always had a tough time dealing with my own body, (who hasn’t?). I’ve always loved abstract images and the human figure. I’ve had this project rattling around in my head for a while now and I finally was able to acquire the equipment I needed in order to execute this project the way I had imagined in my head. I am also finally comfortable enough with myself and my body to be able to look back at nude images of myself with out wanting to delete them right away. This project is exactly what it’s name defines it as: “A Study in Acceptance”. It is a very personal look at my own body, learning to accept my body for what it is and the way it looks. I was EXTREMELY satisfied with the way the images had turned out and it went forth to become six abstract black and white images of my body just as how I viewed it in my mind, finally not being afraid to share them to the world.

How did you decide what shots to do? Why did you choose to portray yourself?

I chose to take images of my own body because I though it would be interesting to see how it would turn out and how I would feel about it. I would LOVE to shoot abstract body images of other people for the same exact purpose as I had shot images of myself.

To be quite honest, these shots were completely at random, I had a few compositions in my head that I wanted to attempt to execute and just went for it. I had the camera on the tripod and a timer, pressed the shutter and contorted my body in many different ways to get interesting compositions.

Did this body of work have any special significance to you?

YES, although this series is slightly different because it was me taking photos of myself. This can tend to become very difficult because you can’t get the exact composition you want due to the fact that you are not consistently behind the camera but rather in front of it. I would have to say that this is one of my most important bodies of work in my photo career so far. It means a lot to me because this is me taking further steps to accept my body and love myself for who I am.

What do you hope to communicate with the series?

I want to open others eyes up to the concept of beauty and how we perceive it. Beauty doesn’t just come in one shape or size. Skin is skin and it’s all BEAUTIFUL. We carry our bodies with us each and every single day and we must learn to love and accept it. And learn to accept each other.

Are these images being displayed publicly?

A Study in Acceptance will be shown in a gallery called Space 2033 on Frankford Ave in Philadelphia in March.

Do you plan on doing more work like this?

YES! I would love to shoot more of myself and other people who would be willing to let me shoot abstract images of their bodies. I eventually plan on featuring more images from this series somewhere, whether it be Space 2033 or Facebook. So keep an eye out!

Have you ever struggled with body image? Is there any advice you’d give to people who are struggling?

Of course, I think everyone struggles, I don’t think I know anyone who hasn’t. I would just say that don’t ever get yourself down, and don’t EVER let anyone else bring you down. Define yourself and who you are as a person, find something you are extremely passionate about and run with it. Body acceptance and learning to love yourself take time and everyone has their days where they don’t feel 100% but that’s okay because we are all human.

Tumblr is a very big community online for body acceptance and full figured women. There is one icon in particular who I discovered while browsing through Tumblr and her name is Annie Elainey, who I was first introduced to when I saw a video on her YouTube that she posted of her standing in her bra and undies jumping up and down proving that the world doesn’t end because your tummy jiggles. She a true inspiration and is absolutely positive. She runs a blog on Tumblr called Stop Hating Your Body.

Find your strength through yourself and surround yourself with good people. Do things for YOU and ONLY YOU and not what you think other people would want or expect from you.

Tell us one thing you love about yourself!

I love my true passion for everything I involve myself in. I love my edge and ESPECIALLY my style. I love my job at Torrid. I LOVE MY CURVES. I love learning about new things, meeting new people and going new places. I love where my life journey has taken me so far I look back and past mistakes and successes and take everything day by day and appreciate what I have and who I have become today.

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To check out more of her work, check out her photography Facebook page (and definitely “like” it to show your support and keep up to date!) If you’d like to get in touch with Janna, you can email her at Jannabananers91@aol.com or message her through her personal Facebook account.

PROJECT SELF, short for Self Encouragement Love Faith), started as a small Facebook group but quickly grew to over 200 members, causing Madeline to create a page for the project. 

PROJECT SELF, short for Self Encouragement Love Faith, was started in February in celebration of the well-known month of love. Madeline thought, “Why not self-love?” The project began as a small Facebook group but quickly grew to over 200 members, causing Madeline to create a Facebook page for the project.

Throughout the month of February, members of the group were encouraged to post photos of themselves expressing something personal. The results were really positive, with photos ranging from members venting about their insecurities to expressing what they liked about themselves to posting inspiring quotes.

Madeline explained:

What I want to prove through this is that we are only human. We are NOT perfect. Let’s inspire a change of self-acceptance. We live in the shadows of negativity too much.

 

Start-ups like PROJECT SELF are excellent for self-esteem and getting more comfortable in your skin. It allows people to look at themselves from a distance, to examine who they are. Thinking about what makes you insecure – or more importantly, what makes you content about yourself – can give you a different perspective. The more we examine and understand ourselves, the closer we come to self-acceptance.

The proof is below! Check out some of the results and remember to check out the PROJECT SELF group and page! Congratulations to Madeline on creating a positive change in people’s lives!

Women go through a lot in their lives. I work as a therapist working with mostly men. I hear everyday about how annoying women are and how “emotional” they are. I’m not going to lie and say that my clients’ words don’t bother me but it’s not really my role as a therapist to fight for the rights of women during a therapy group. Don’t get me wrong – I do say a lot about how men don’t understand the way women deal with emotions and that men have the same emotions. I wish I could say more to them for them to understand women but my role is more to have them focus on themselves instead of the people that annoy them in their lives. Even more astonishing is the things women say to other women and what they allow themselves to put up with.

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As a woman in America, it is stressed to find a partner. Other women look down upon a woman that’s single. This fosters a dependence on relationships and not the woman’s life goals. When women are put in a desperate position where they are supposed to be taken care of by a man, they don’t leave the man even if the relationship isn’t healthy. It’s quite common for the women I see as a therapist to report an abusive boyfriend and unhealthy relationships. Also, when some women tell others about what abuse they have suffered people don’t believe them. This makes the woman feel as though she isn’t worth anything and isn’t meant to be treated fairly. She passes these ideas onto her daughters and more and more women lower their own self-esteem. Having someone in your life is never more important than your own life.

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Women are also pressured to look good all the time even though that is impossible. Women feel as though they need to be perfect for their men to stay with them. They are also under the impression that men will cheat so it’s okay for him to get his needs met. These ideas might not fit your ideas but these are the things I see in women I work with. I do not accept the notion that women have to be objects for a man to stay. Men are not as harsh and do not have as many expectations as women put on themselves. And if a man or woman makes you feel as though you aren’t worth respect then that is a problem with them, not you. Please understand that women and men deal with emotions differently and accept that about you. If someone doesn’t treat you with respect and constantly puts you down then they’re not meant to be in a relationship with you. Too many women sacrifice their lives to please their men.

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A man that puts his hands on you because he feels as though you bother him too much isn’t worth your time. If he can’t use his words to work things out with you and must resort to scare tactics he can’t be saved. It is not your job as the woman to try to understand him and “fix” him. It won’t work. Why not try working on yourself to understand why you would allow someone to take away your self-esteem and possibly your life just so you can say, “I have a boyfriend”.  This does happen in homosexual relationships also. I am only writing about heterosexual relationships because those are the ones I hear the most about.

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If I have learned nothing from my clients it is that boundaries and speaking your mind are important for self-esteem. I pick my battles with the male clients involving woman bashing. But at the same time I do not allow them to put me or any other people in my group down. My clients know that when I go over the rules in my groups that “no” means no, and I will not yield. I don’t care what your story is. This is not a power trip. This is telling others that my boundaries need to be respected or the conversation is over. It is so empowering to know exactly what I want and stick to my boundaries. That makes me feel in control of my life instead of pleasing others and sacrificing myself in the process. I am able to fight for myself instead of allowing others to put me down. No one can make you feel badly without your consent so stop giving it. You’ll be surprised at how happy you will become.

Hayley Miller is a therapist at a drug and alcohol center. She has a Master’s in Clinical and Counseling Psychology and is a Registered Dietitian. She has worked with clients with eating disorders and ran an eating disorders group.

Sally McGraw, a Minneapolis-based blogger, freelance writer, and communications professional, created Already Pretty (a website) after dealing with depression from hating her body. Then she began exploring fashion and style – dressing in fun, flattering, and form-fitting clothes and started to respect her body. She recognized the connection between looking good and feeling good, as it relates to style. That’s what inspired her to launch Already Pretty. When she started to dress in a way that made her look and feel great, she finally stopped feeling negatively her body. This made her want to show other women how to make that connection so they could stop hating theirs.

Already Pretty explores how style impacts body image, and how dressing well expresses self-respect and self-understanding. Sally’s primary mission is to show that body knowledge gained through explorations of personal style can foster self-love and self-respect.

I was looking through her posts (and you should, too – because they’re awesome!), and I found one called “Can’t Wear That“. In her post, Sally speaks up about fashion “rules” that are commonly used in society and pushes the concept that every woman can wear whatever style she wants. I definitely thought it was worth sharing:

Can’t Wear That

I may weigh in on style rules around here, but I can’t say I’m terribly fond of them. Understanding them, knowing why they exist and how they work, and applying them occasionally as guidelines works just fine. But crafting every outfit around them? I’ll pass.

Especially since so many style rules are straight-up bullshit. Here are few of my infuriating faves:

* Fat girls can’t wear skinny jeans
* Skinny girls can’t wear chunky jewelry
* Short girls can’t wear long skirts
* Tall girls can’t wear platforms
* Curvy girls can’t wear stripes
* Boyishly-figured girls can’t wear pencil skirts
* Busty girls can’t wear turtlenecks
* Flat girls can’t wear bikinis

What a load.

As if a busty gal would BURST INTO FLAMES should she pull on a turtleneck. As if a short gal will sear the eyes of onlookers should she dare wear a maxi dress. As if there is one, and only one, choice for dressing and it is to create the tallest, skinniest, yet simultaneously most hourglass-y figure possible. At any cost. Including comfort, personal preference, and seasonal appropriateness. Makes me livid.

Now I’ve already mentioned that it infuriates me when people say, “Oh, she shouldn’t wear that.” That kind of wholesale, scathing judgment is just plain unproductive. But it exasperates me one a whole different level when I hear women tell me that they themselves simply “can’t” wear a style or garment. Because no matter the woman and no matter the garment, that statement is never, ever true. There is always a way. It may not create the most socially-sanctioned figure and you may not want to do it daily. In fact, you may not want to do it at all! Or you may want to find ways to balance out whatever supposedly-negative thing a taboo-to-you garment does to your proportions. But so long as it fits you and you love it, wearing any garment you wish is always, always possible. And to hear women say that they CANNOT wear particular items of clothing sends me into conniptions.

Certain garments will alter how your figure looks to the observing eye, and it is valuable to understand how your clothing will affect your unique proportions. But style is choice. Every outfit is yours to craft. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that your body shape, size, or configuration makes it impossible for you to wear anything.