MTV's Show Depicting Aspiring (and Dieting) Models Cancelled
Friday October 24, 2008
Score one for reason!
Not too long ago I blogged on MTV's recruitment for an upcoming program called "Model Makers," in which participants would be women hoping to become models. The show would follow their transformation, including what seemed to be a fairly constant push to diet.
Thankfully, and for reasons we don't know, MTV has thought better of this idea. "Model Makers" has been cancelled.
Much has been written, here and elsewhere, about the effect that images in the media can have on disordered eating behaviors. When the media actually depicts and sensationalizes dieting under pressure -- labeling those who lose weight "good" and those who don't "bad" -- can it possibly be a good thing? For now, we don't have to conduct the experiment.
- So why is dieting dangerous, anyway?
- Is "Model Makers" just unintentional thinspiration?
- When your body image is extremely inaccurate
Comments
Great! But the whole media and body image link is so tricky. I definitely think it plays a part in how we as women look at dieting and our bodies but anorexia and bulimia are bigger issues than this that have to do with issues of empowerment, self esteem, and control. To focus only on media/body image is to not understand the complexity of disease.
anne
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You’re absolutely right, Anne. Every eating disorder’s emergence is complex. I’d invite you, for example, to look at the material on this site regarding the biological components of eating disorders, plus the many risk factors that go into their development. Thanks for your comment.