Charles Dana Gibson Girl Analysis

Zaikina 3

I would like to go back in history of fashion and ideal body. In 1890 Charles Dana Gibson illustrated a female with the ideal physical appeal and later this picture became an ideal body or so called a ”Gibson Girl.” This model of ideal femininity was depicted as slim, tall and with wide hips. This look could be achieved by wearing tight corsets which would pinch waist. Such girls were perceived as healthy and active people. Another important time in picturing a good looking female is “Roaring Twenties.” The idea of women was presented more real as “Gibson girls.” They were often labelled as independent and reckless. They represent a refusal of accepting Victorian style. Their appearance could be compared to “boyishness” style: a

In mainstream media the most beautiful are rail thin, long hair and perfect skin. If one is pleasing the eye, one is acceptable in society. Media is responsible for creating ideals about beauty and body image. Low self-esteem is one of the negative psychological effects that media does not take into a consideration when publishing. Media continues to depict models and celebrities throughout advertising in brand such as Abercrombie and Fitch and Victoria’s Secret. They want society to think of what is going on as a “trend.” Women watch celebrities and tend to follow their habits because they want to be like them. Women also continue to compare themselves to figures in the media. Actresses, singers, and models always seem to be perfect, and when women can’t achieve that, they begin to bash their bodies. In the article: “Am I too fat to be a princess? Examining the effect of popular children’s media on young girls’ body image,” the study was to examine the effects of exposure to popular animated children’s media in young girl’s body image and appearance-related behaviors. Those in the experiment were shown a video containing appearance-related clips from 10 animated children’s movies. The children also went through an interview where they were asked questions about their appearances satisfaction. The majority said they would change something about their physical appearance, hair, skin etc. almost all of them said that they could be a princess regardless their weight. Here are some examples of their response: “I’d need yellow hair”, “I’d paint myself white”, “I’d change from brown skin to white.”