The power of advertisement | Sofia Rodriguez-Dantzler | TEDxYouth@AnnArbor

Advertisement has had a negative impact on people's body image and self-esteem, particularly young girls. This talk is a call to action to truly understand that these body ideals simply do not exist, and to promote healthy self-image.

Sofia Rodriguez-Dantzler is a sixth grader at Scarlett Middle school. She enjoys art and likes to sketch people. Her other interests include running and being a part of the track team. She would like to talk about body image because she knew a girl who was bullied because of her size even though she was healthy and a kind person.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."

This is a quote from
famous model Kate Moss.

When you hear that,
how does that make you feel?

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."

This is a very influential woman
making this statement,

and she is implying

that being skinny is one of
the most important things in life.

And regardless of
this controversial statement,

she still has influence
over thousands of people.

And lots of people with anorexia
or bulimia live by this quote,

using it to justify their actions
and as an excuse not to get help.

This is a very serious problem.

For example, did you know

that 42 percent of first
and third graders reported

"I wanted to be skinnier"?

And 81 percent of 10- to 11-year-olds
are afraid of being fat.

95 percent of people with these disorders

are between the ages of 12 and 25,

and half of teenage girls
have unhealthy eating habits,

such as skipping meals
and voluntary vomiting.

And the body image
portrayed as ideal by the media

is only naturally possessed
by five percent of women.

Why is this happening?

Why are kids as young as first
and third graders having these concerns?

One of the main reasons
I believe this is happening

is because in the media, kids are being
shown unrealistic body images as ideal.

They are being told
that their bodies aren't beautiful.

As Jean Kilbourne so eloquently said,

"It's not just that we see these images
once or twice or even hundreds of times.

It's that they stay with us
and we process them mostly subconsciously.

They create an environment
that surrounds us with unhealthy images

and that constantly sacrifices our heath
and our sense of well-being

for the sake of profit.

Ads sell more than products.

They sell values. They sell ideas.

They sell concepts
of love, of sexuality, of success,

and perhaps most important, of normalcy.

To a great extent, they tell us
who we are and who we should be.”

With kids ages 6 to 11
watching 28 hours of TV a week on average,

kids are being exposed
to a lot of unhealthy images.

And what about men?

Many people do not realize
or acknowledge the fact

that men have these problems as well.

For example, one third of teenage boys
have unhealthy eating habits,

such as skipping meals.

And 22 percent of 10-year-old boys

say how their bodies look
is their number one worry.

And 16 percent of high school boys
suffer from disordered eating.

One man, Matt Wetsel,
a disordered eating survivor and activist,

wrote in a February 2015
blog post about the struggles

of finding recovery programs
and helpful literature as a male.

Wetsel wrote, "I got turned away
initially from the group therapy

which played an integral role
in my recovery -

the only one my school offered -

because I wasn't a woman."

Although this is a very serious problem,
some of the world is starting to wake up.

Recently, laws have been passed in France
saying models have a doctor's note

that states they are a healthy weight.

This can help make sure
that kids aren't being shown

men and women
being advertised as beautiful

when in reality, they're
leading unhealthy lifestyles.

More progress has also shown up
in the new Barbies by Mattel:

the new Barbies are all different heights,
shapes, and skin tones.

This is great news

because Barbie has long been a very
influential figure in many kids' lives.

And we all know how unrealistic her
body dimensions traditionally have been.

But I'm not just here
to tell you about this problem,

I'm also here to tell you
how you can help.

Honestly, it's quite easy.

Some of the simple things you can do
to help are limit TV time,

so kids aren't being exposed
to as much advertisement.

You can make sure you're eating healthy
as well as embracing healthy habits,

and just making sure
that the kids around you know

that it doesn't matter
what shape or size you are

as long as you are a healthy, happy,
and confident human being.

Thank you.