Will Richardson

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Beauty and Literacy

October 24, 2006 By Will Richardson


If you have kids, work with kids, have relatives that are kids, show them this video and really talk to them about what it means. As many of you know, I have a nine year-old daughter and sometimes it feels like my biggest challenge in life is making sure she gets through the next few years with a healthy self-image. I think showing her things like this and talking about the implications is an important part of that. As is doing it with my son.

I really believe that the “problems” we see at MySpace (like this, for example) are absolutely a result of a society that objectifies its kids, primarily girls. We need to make sure every child can separate truth from fiction not just in what they read but in what they see and hear as well.

technorati tags:literacy, education

Filed Under: On My Mind

Comments

  1. Keri says

    October 24, 2006 at 12:01 pm

    I hope that blogging in the classroom helps to start these conversations with kids and parents. Media literacy seems to be the last thing that anyone teaches–if they even think about it. It really needs to be our focus.

    Thanks for the clip. I’ll share it with students.

  2. Brian Mull says

    October 24, 2006 at 12:01 pm

    That video is unbelievable. I saw it for the first time just the other day. I believe it is so powerful, especially (but not only) for our young girls.

  3. TheHeartOfLife says

    October 24, 2006 at 1:48 pm

    Thank you so much for posting this. I’m a young woman myself – a bit older than the age of impressionable, but still young enough to be close to the issue – and this movie was such an eye-opener. So many times I look at photo’s of people on the covers of Cosmo or Glamour and say “Oh, I love her! She’s so pretty!” But now I think, hey maybe if I met her on campus or saw her in the city, I’d just think she was an ordianry average woman. Hm…great food for thought.

  4. Barbara says

    October 24, 2006 at 1:50 pm

    Thanks for this resource. We will use it with the 8th grade and I will send it on to our local Catholic High Schools.

  5. Al says

    October 24, 2006 at 4:10 pm

    Another fine example of how a simple video clip can generate great discussion and have an enormous impact on a “teachable moment”. Thanks Will!

  6. Dave LaMorte says

    October 24, 2006 at 9:03 pm

    I think what is so important about this video isn’t that this woman is being objectified. I think you can argue that she either is or isn’t being objectified. What we should focus on is how much work goes into everything we see in the media. Every pixel on our screens has been thought about and considered. That we can’t hold our selves to such an outrageous standard because it takes a team of people to make any image ready for prime time.

  7. Terry Elliott says

    October 24, 2006 at 9:34 pm

    There is a very important place in this video where analog artifice crosses over into digital deception–when Photoshop is fired up. Are we becoming more and more removed or are we being drawn away from the familiar. The total malleability of the digital metaverse is deeply disturbing as is this video. Can we expect more or less of this? Yes.

  8. Amy says

    October 25, 2006 at 4:48 am

    Hi Will,

    Thanks for this. I viewed the video with the sound off and the impact was enormous.

    Regards…

  9. Al says

    October 25, 2006 at 9:16 am

    Another fine example of how multimedia (particularly video) can impact a teachable moment. This obviously has the potential to generate some incredibly valuable discussion.

    Thanks Will!!!

  10. Maria DeSimone says

    October 25, 2006 at 12:23 pm

    Will-
    I’m sitting at one of my schools and it’s sad. This video is blocked by “policy” and so is youtube! Our kids are really losing out-
    It’s a darn shame!

  11. Sam Grumont says

    October 26, 2006 at 7:19 pm

    Thanks Will
    This is a great example to use with kids visual literacy and media messages but like Maria I work in schools that block youtube. Very frustrating.

  12. Geoff says

    October 28, 2006 at 6:25 pm

    Thought you’d find this situation amusing. I wanted to show this video to my class and have them respond to it as a starter one day, but our district has blocked YouTube. So I’ve recorded it off my home computer with my digital camera and will be showing the shaky video-of-your-tv quality film to my classes. Whatever it takes . . .

  13. Lucie deLaBruere says

    October 29, 2006 at 9:34 pm

    Thank you for publishing this. Women like Oprah and Tyra Banks have started to do some work bringing this discussion to the table. http://www.tzonefoundation.org/index.php?/what
    We need to do sooo much more with this issue.
    Thank you Will for posting this. I will definitely add it to my resources.

  14. Alison Gaunt says

    November 1, 2006 at 10:09 am

    Great lesson starter and has generated some hot debate.Am sharing with PSHE teachers in Kent, UK

  15. Diane says

    November 9, 2006 at 4:28 pm

    Our country has reached a true crisis of self-image, especially among our young women. This video can do a lot to open the eyes of everyone about how false these accepted “standards” of beauty are. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

  16. Geoff says

    November 11, 2006 at 5:02 pm

    Thought you’d like to peek at the reaction to the video from one of my students.

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