Madeline Nichols

English 102

Mrs. Meissner

14 March 2019

Annotated Bibliography

Alden, Sharyn. “Body Image Tied to Suicidal Thoughts in Young Teens.” ​Body Image Tied to

Suicidal Thoughts in Young Teens | Center for Advancing Health​,

www.cfah.org/hbns/2013/body-image-tied-to-suicidal-thoughts-in-young-teens.

Alden explores research that exposes how much hatred for one’s body impacts their rate of

suicidal thoughts. Ultimately, it is found that young women that consider themselves obese are

more likely to commit suicide or consider committing suicide than those who consider

themselves “average” weight or “thin”. This research will be helpful to me because I can use it to

support the fact that body dissatisfaction can lead to serious mental illness.

The specific assets that this article provides me with are all research related. Although I

pull from a couple of academic journals in my research, I don’t have very much quantitative

data. Having a stat for the reader/viewer to see will help my argument in the logos department, as

opposed to the majority of pathos and ethos being used.

Sohn, Steve H., and Seounmi Youn. “Does She Have to Be Thin? Testing the Effects of Models’

Body Sizes on Advertising Effectiveness.” ​Atlantic Journal of Communication,​ vol. 21,

no. 3, July 2013, pp. 164–183. ​EBSCOhost​, doi:10.1080/15456870.2013.803109.

This study’s purpose was to test if the size of a model in a fashion industry advertisement

impacted the success of the campaign. In the end, the findings were that models of average size

had a more positive response than those of thin or plus size models. This article supports the

point that companies that use thin models don’t have much justification as to why they aren’t

inclusive.

Again, this will be helpful to me by providing quantitative data to the reader. By

providing the reader with a fact that tears down many companies’ arguments about why they

only use thin models, I can make the lack of representation within the industry seem even more

outrageous and unacceptable.

Straight/Curve. Dir. Jenny McQuaile. Epix Original, 2018

Jenny McQualie’s ​Straight/Curve i​ s a 2018 documentary aiming to expose size, racial,

and age discrimination within the fashion industry. According to McQualie, “The documentary

aims to create a healthier dialogue around body ‘size’ and image and educate people on health

and representation while capturing a visual slice of life from the fashion industry right now.” The

film explores how repeatedly seeing one size, race, and age of models impacts women

everywhere, but generally focuses on the issue of size and body shaming within the industry. The

director provides footage of photoshoots and interviews of plus size models, and although the
majority of the film revolves around models, the filmmaker also questions many young girls

about their bodies and how the fashion industry makes them feel.

This film should provide me with many assets that can be used in my project. The main

things that I hope to pull from the film are the alarming facts thrown at the viewer about the

amount of body shaming and self hatred that occurs amongst young women. I would also like to

reference specific interviews with plus size models if I find an opportunity in my project.

TOKMAK, Gizem. “Attitudes toward Woman Body Portrayals in Advertising: A Comparison in

Terms of Feminism Levels of Female Consumers.” ​International Journal of Management

Economics & Business / Uluslararasi Yönetim Iktisat ve Isletme Dergisi​, Oct. 2017, pp.

467–475. ​EBSCOhost,​

webcontent.heartland.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=

true&db=a9h&AN=127855252&site=ehost-live.

This article exposes the sexual objectification in advertising. Tokmak explains that

female sexual characteristics are sometimes portrayed as decorative objects relatedly or

unrelatedly with the product to increase the consumption. The aim of the study was to determine

how the female consumers' feminist identities affect their evaluation of woman body portrayals

in advertising. The results show that the feminist identities create no major differences on the

attitudes of most people toward ads.

Although I am not sure how much I will use from this article if I decide to use it, I think it

is helpful to have on hand. My project doesn’t address sexual objectification, but it might be

relevant and be helpful to mention. I am concerned that this article would make my argument
appear a bit to “all over the place” so again, it is unlikely I will use it, but I think the topic is

interesting.

Williams, Todd J., et al. “Following and Resisting Body Image Ideals in Advertising: The

Moderating Role of Extrinsic Contingency Focus.” ​Self & Identity​, vol. 13, no. 4, July

2014, pp. 398–418. ​EBSCOhost​, doi:10.1080/15298868.2013.836133.

This journal shares results from multiple studies performed to show how exposure to

advertisements that contained idealized body images led participants to engage in behaviors

directed toward the attainment of the ideal. One study showed that self-affirmation reduced

striving to meet and resist social ideals.

Looking past the quantitative data that I can use, and looking at the message that comes

from this collection of studies is what drew me to this journal. Although the assets that I am

pulling from this source are to appeal to the reader’s logical side, the findings behind the

research contribute to answering my research question. In my project I am asking, “How does a

lack of representation in the fashion industry impact our society?” and this research is pretty

much a direct answer. Although I won’t pull too much from this source, I feel that this is my

most valuable piece of research.