Critical thinking matters in the classroom—and in everyday life. Consider how young women (and men).

Critical thinking matters in the classroom—and in everyday
life. Consider how young women (and men) embrace standards of beauty based on
images in the media, and, in turn, apply fashionmodel standards to themselves and
others. The images are everywhere. Super-thin models routinely grace the cover
and inside pages of fashion magazines. The average fashion model is 5’11”
and 117 pounds; the average woman in the United States is 5’4″ and 140
pounds. Television and movie actresses are not only talented and beautiful, but
also exceptionally thin. Advertisements in all kinds of media for all

Critical thinking matters in the classroom—and in everyday
life. Consider how young women (and men) embrace standards of beauty based on
images in the media, and, in turn, apply fashionmodel standards to themselves and
others. The images are everywhere. Super-thin models routinely grace the cover
and inside pages of fashion magazines. The average fashion model is 5’11”
and 117 pounds; the average woman in the United States is 5’4″ and 140
pounds. Television and movie actresses are not only talented and beautiful, but
also exceptionally thin. Advertisements in all kinds of media for all kinds of
products use images of sexy, beautiful, and very thin women—images that often
are altered not only to erase blemishes, but also to lengthen legs or otherwise
distort body shape. Even girls’ dolls are unrealistically thin and beautiful.
While Mattel introduced more diverse shapes and heights in 2016, the
traditional Barbie doll’s shape translates into a 39–18–33 figure in human equivalents.
And real-life GI Joe would have a 55″ chest and a 27″ bicep. (At his
bodybuilding peak, Arnold Schwarzenegger had a 57″ chest and 22″
biceps.) The pressure to be thin greatly affects women who make their careers
as actresses, models, and singers. The Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston died
of complications due to anorexia in 2006. In the same year, the Spanish
government banned toothin models from a popular fashion show. The dubious
“who’s who” of women in the popular media who have publicly admitted to having
an eating disorder (often in an attempt to encourage healthier body images
among the girls and women who admire them) includes actresses Mary-Kate Olsen,
Demi Lovato, and Kate Winslet; fashion model Carre Otis; singers Lady Gaga,
Ashlee Simpson, Paula Abdul, and Victoria Beckham (“Posh Spice” of the Spice
Girls); and Oprah Winfrey. Psychological studies repeatedly show that exposure
to images of super-thin women increases body image dissatisfaction among girls
and young women (Halliwell & Dittmar, 2004). Yet, young women face
contradictory messages when told, “Beauty is only skin deep.” For one,
extensive psychological research and everyday experience repeatedly tell us
that attractiveness does matter, not only romantically, but also in the evaluations
of samegender peers, teachers, employers, and on and on. And even as some
public health advocates battle the culture of thinness, others tell young
people—rightly—to be careful about what they eat, not to eat too much, and to
try to lose weight. Obesity is a much more common public health problem than
eating disorders. So how can we challenge these messages? Critical thinking is
about thinking independently. Appearance does matter, but few of us, female or
male, can hope to look like models or movie stars. After all, these
professionals, literally, are one in a million (or a billion). The stars of
popular media devote much of their life to their appearance, and they still
need the help of makeup, camera angles, creative fashions, and electronic “corrections.”
Health matters, too, and exercise is a great way to promote health and maintain
an attractive physical appearance. And remember that your body serves many
roles in your life than outward appearance. In the end, most people are more
impressed by who you are than what you look like. All of this is useful to
remember so we can challenge societal messages that suggest we are nothing more
than our physical appearance, and focus more on overall values and strengths.