Why Skinny Sells

Why skinny sells

Joanne Laucius, The Ottawa Citizen Published: Thursday, October 02, 2008

Women may say they want models to look 'real,' but they prefer products pitched by the model-thin

It gets even more strange. Although looking at skinny models makes women feel bad, they still like the products the models are hawking. And they are more likely to say they want to buy them than if they're being pitched by models with more normal heft.

Now that's twisted.

"In essence, women expect to see beautiful women in ads, even if it makes them feel worse about themselves," says Jeremy Kees, a business professor at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

In one of his studies, Kees and a fellow marketing researcher found that, although female subjects felt badly about themselves after looking at ads with skinny models, they also evaluated the brands the models were selling more highly. The subjects who saw ads with regular-sized models didn't feel bad about themselves, but they also gave the brands a lower value.

The same researchers did another study in which they showed one group of college-age women a booklet of ads featuring thin models and another group a booklet that showed products but no models.

The students who saw the models were more likely to report feeling negative about their attractiveness, weight and physical condition. However, they were also more likely to report they would buy the brands in th

e ads. (Which may explain why you feel good when you go to Wal-Mart to buy a Rimmel lipstick hawked by Kate Moss.)

Building a Better Body Image

With our society being obsessed with looks and weight, it is hard to ignore the negative messages we receive about our bodies. But we do not have to passively accept those messages! Here are some great tips to build a better self image about yourself, don't allow your body image to continue to be twisted!


1. Experiment with what weight feels comfortable to you: Instead of just trying to be thin, find where your body feels great! Also be willing to accept weight variations throughout life, you cannot expect yourself to look like you did when you were 14 at age 25!

2. Experience your body as a whole: most of us judge our body parts individually, "my thighs are too fat, my breasts too droopy, my lips too thick." Try experiencing your body as a whole, rather than as separate parts that need improvement.

3. Find your own style or look: Instead of trying to conform to the brutal beauty ideal promoted by the media, experiment with finding a style or look that expresses something about yourself and feels good to you.

4. Embrace your curves: Reject the imposed ideals that womanhood must be suppressed. If you have a curvy body, embrace your curves as symbols of power and pride!

5. Recognize how much time you worry about how you look: Instead of being aware of what is going on inside of you or around you, try practicing mindfulness, look for what you can do for others, service brings more happiness than wearing a desired size ever will.

6. Give up the media for a week: Give up reading magazines (especially fashion magazines!) watching television, or surfing the internet. When you get the urge to click the remote control, go for a walk or invite a friend over. At the end of the week, notice if you feel differently about yourself.

7. Kill your inner supermodel: If you have an image of perfection in your head to which you're constantly comparing yourself, get rid of it. You think your nose is too big? Compared to whose? You consider your stretch marks flaws? Where is it written that our bodies should be free of lines or marks or scars? Such bodies do not exist in real life!

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