Please forgive my late response; I wanted to give it some thought before responding.
Yaacov, thank you for your explanation about why the modelÌ¢âÂã¢s body was altered. I do apologize for making assumptions about the motivations behind the act. I really appreciate your response and knowing this was done for design reasons does make me feel a little better about it. That being said, I never referred to you or your organization as Ì¢âÂÒevil people.Ì¢âÂå
Ultimately, I donÌ¢âÂã¢t think itÌ¢âÂã¢s unreasonable to make the kind of assumption that I did considering the amount of unethical photoshopping that goes today. (Like the Ann Taylor model whoÌ¢âÂã¢s waist was photoshopped to be thinner than her head)
I do think itÌ¢âÂã¢s important for marketers, advertisers and graphic designers to consider what in the health communication biz is referred to as the Ì¢âÂÒunintended consequencesÌ¢âÂå of their work. Even though the intentions in this case may have been about good design, the unintended consequences are that young women are seeing an unrealistic, super-thin body ideal to which they cannot measure up.
And I would say that eating disorders are a big problem in the Orthodox community because they are a big problem in every community. I do recommend reading the post I linked to earlier, which cites a Washington Post article reporting that in 1996, nearly 1 in 19 ultra-Orthodox girls in Brooklyn had a diagnosed eating disorder Ì¢âÂÛÏ a rate that was, at the time, about 50 percent higher than the national average. It also links to this article in the Forward on this issue. Talia, I would be careful not to make assumptions based only on your own experience. Eating disorders are, by their nature, carefully hidden afflictions. My best friend in high school suffered from bulimia silently and I never knew until she told me years later. IÌ¢âÂã¢m not saying that my experience is typical either, but it does speak to the fact that you can never say with authority what is or isnÌ¢âÂã¢t happening in the lives of your friends and peers.
Finally, IÌ¢âÂã¢d like to address AnonymousÌ¢âÂ㢠criticism that this post is Ì¢âÂÒpoor reportingÌ¢âÂå and unworthy of a blog Ì¢âÂÒdevoted to that is devoted to showcasing Jewish women and documenting their contributions and achievements.Ì¢âÂå While we certainly do showcase Jewish women and their achievements at JWA.org, that is not the purpose of Jewesses with Attitude. This blog is about dialogue and tackling difficult and complex issues relevant to Jewish women. Its writers are neither reporters nor investigative journalists; we are bloggers with opinions, feelings, and attitude, and we desire thoughtful dialogue and feedback, even from those who do not agree with us. So in that spirit, I thank you all for your comments and am certainly happy to continue the discussion.
Please forgive my late response; I wanted to give it some thought before responding.
Yaacov, thank you for your explanation about why the modelÌ¢âÂã¢s body was altered. I do apologize for making assumptions about the motivations behind the act. I really appreciate your response and knowing this was done for design reasons does make me feel a little better about it. That being said, I never referred to you or your organization as Ì¢âÂÒevil people.Ì¢âÂå
Ultimately, I donÌ¢âÂã¢t think itÌ¢âÂã¢s unreasonable to make the kind of assumption that I did considering the amount of unethical photoshopping that goes today. (Like the Ann Taylor model whoÌ¢âÂã¢s waist was photoshopped to be thinner than her head)
I do think itÌ¢âÂã¢s important for marketers, advertisers and graphic designers to consider what in the health communication biz is referred to as the Ì¢âÂÒunintended consequencesÌ¢âÂå of their work. Even though the intentions in this case may have been about good design, the unintended consequences are that young women are seeing an unrealistic, super-thin body ideal to which they cannot measure up.
And I would say that eating disorders are a big problem in the Orthodox community because they are a big problem in every community. I do recommend reading the post I linked to earlier, which cites a Washington Post article reporting that in 1996, nearly 1 in 19 ultra-Orthodox girls in Brooklyn had a diagnosed eating disorder Ì¢âÂÛÏ a rate that was, at the time, about 50 percent higher than the national average. It also links to this article in the Forward on this issue. Talia, I would be careful not to make assumptions based only on your own experience. Eating disorders are, by their nature, carefully hidden afflictions. My best friend in high school suffered from bulimia silently and I never knew until she told me years later. IÌ¢âÂã¢m not saying that my experience is typical either, but it does speak to the fact that you can never say with authority what is or isnÌ¢âÂã¢t happening in the lives of your friends and peers.
Finally, IÌ¢âÂã¢d like to address AnonymousÌ¢âÂ㢠criticism that this post is Ì¢âÂÒpoor reportingÌ¢âÂå and unworthy of a blog Ì¢âÂÒdevoted to that is devoted to showcasing Jewish women and documenting their contributions and achievements.Ì¢âÂå While we certainly do showcase Jewish women and their achievements at JWA.org, that is not the purpose of Jewesses with Attitude. This blog is about dialogue and tackling difficult and complex issues relevant to Jewish women. Its writers are neither reporters nor investigative journalists; we are bloggers with opinions, feelings, and attitude, and we desire thoughtful dialogue and feedback, even from those who do not agree with us. So in that spirit, I thank you all for your comments and am certainly happy to continue the discussion.