We get a lot of information from a huge range of media - magazines, telly etc - where people are trying to sell us something.
There is masses of information coming to us about food - not just the tv programmes and adverts, but the variety of food in the supermarket and the range of eating places in the high street. These are "messages to eat".
And on the other hand, we get messages about what we should look like. There was a report published this week seeking to control the images of women portrayed in the media, with all that airbrushing, which puts pressure on girls to present themselves as sexy before they are old enough to know what is going on. And at the same time, these images encourage men to consider women as only interesting if they are sexy.
This sort of advertising puts a huge pressure on women to conform to unrealistic expectations. And is the major cause of eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, body dysmorphic disorder and body dissatisfaction and perhaps surprisingly, obesity.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Friday, 26 February 2010
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Images of women in the media
Permit me to bang on again about images of women in the media. Have a close look at how women's bodies are used in advertising.
While advertising car tyres with naked ladies is now considered old-fashioned, the current images are pretty ropey. Images of men show them bigging it up on the squash court, or smiling in their car, working on a building site and usually you see the face or the whole, clothed body. Women on the other hand are portrayed crawling on the floor in great need of a simmett. Or leaning against a man. Or offered to us in body parts. And mostly scantily clad. Read more here.
Portrayal of women still shows us as being submissive sex objects. Click here for an interesting read on why we should become media literate. It is important, because we are bombarded with these messages about our role in life - be sexy, be thin, be available. Whereas the real women that we are want to be busy, active, indepe
ndent.
And airbrushed images give an idea of an unattainable perfection - even the stars don't achieve it in real life.
Ads are designed largely by men for men. Look at this ad.
The following blurb comes from a great essay which you can read here. (Assigment Sex Sells from the University of Aberystwyth)
" Not only does the model here, expose much of her upper torso, but her hand provocatively pulls on her clothes and her left hand playing suggestively with her earring. The model is also looking directly into the camera, whichever angle you view it from her eyes are staring straight at you. Please also note how the fragrance name ‘J’adore’ is shaped around the models breast, connotations of love, sexual desire and seduction are prominent here. note how the fragrance name ‘J’adore’ is shaped around the models breast, connotations of love, sexual desire and seduction are prominent here".
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
While advertising car tyres with naked ladies is now considered old-fashioned, the current images are pretty ropey. Images of men show them bigging it up on the squash court, or smiling in their car, working on a building site and usually you see the face or the whole, clothed body. Women on the other hand are portrayed crawling on the floor in great need of a simmett. Or leaning against a man. Or offered to us in body parts. And mostly scantily clad. Read more here.
Portrayal of women still shows us as being submissive sex objects. Click here for an interesting read on why we should become media literate. It is important, because we are bombarded with these messages about our role in life - be sexy, be thin, be available. Whereas the real women that we are want to be busy, active, indepe
ndent.
And airbrushed images give an idea of an unattainable perfection - even the stars don't achieve it in real life.
Ads are designed largely by men for men. Look at this ad.
" Not only does the model here, expose much of her upper torso, but her hand provocatively pulls on her clothes and her left hand playing suggestively with her earring. The model is also looking directly into the camera, whichever angle you view it from her eyes are staring straight at you. Please also note how the fragrance name ‘J’adore’ is shaped around the models breast, connotations of love, sexual desire and seduction are prominent here. note how the fragrance name ‘J’adore’ is shaped around the models breast, connotations of love, sexual desire and seduction are prominent here".
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Are you food savvy?
This is an interesting and fun quiz on healthy eating!! Some of the answers are surprising. And there are other quizzes to take too.
We are all bombarded with food information every day, and it is had to sort out the valuable food messages from all this confusion.
When we are trying to control our weight, we are automatically routed to think about dieting. But most people who go on diets end up putting weight on. Why is this. The cycle of Diet Deprive and Deny makes us even more interested in food. We get food-obsessed. And we start believing silly things. One of my clients the other day recounted this overheard conversation:
Mmm, this chocolate bar contains 150 calories....
Well, try the Weight Watchers one, it is only 113.
Changing your way of eating so that you maintain a good weight and good health is not about just saving a few calories here and there. Hypnotherapy will help you identify your problem habits, work out a way to overcome them and then support your motivation, so that you automatically make positive choices. Much easier.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
We are all bombarded with food information every day, and it is had to sort out the valuable food messages from all this confusion.
When we are trying to control our weight, we are automatically routed to think about dieting. But most people who go on diets end up putting weight on. Why is this. The cycle of Diet Deprive and Deny makes us even more interested in food. We get food-obsessed. And we start believing silly things. One of my clients the other day recounted this overheard conversation:
Mmm, this chocolate bar contains 150 calories....
Well, try the Weight Watchers one, it is only 113.
Changing your way of eating so that you maintain a good weight and good health is not about just saving a few calories here and there. Hypnotherapy will help you identify your problem habits, work out a way to overcome them and then support your motivation, so that you automatically make positive choices. Much easier.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Monday, 22 February 2010
Eating in front of the telly
Research suggests that sitting for hours in front of the telly will get you fat. Men who watch more than 3 hours of TV a day are twice as likely to become obese as those who watched less than one hour per day. Read it! This isn't a gender thing, just that the research was done on men.
In part, this is because you are sitting down doing nothing, so your metabolism slows down to be similar to sleeping. Even talking on the phone uses more calories than watching the box! Do something! Being active reduces your risk of low mood and depression too (a lot of eat more when we are depressed.)
We also tend to eat snacks while watching the TV. And at peak times (and in childrens tv time as well) we are watching adverts for chocolates and drinks, and a whole range of snack food. Advertising wouldn't be done if it didn't work. Recent research shows that from only half an hour of telly a day, the increased snacks triggered by advertising could lead to 10 pounds weight gain in a year.
If you are engrossed in the telly, then you are not fully mindful of the food you are eating. You could eat a whole meal's value of calories without even noticing.
So if you are concerned about your weight, here are some tips.
1. Watch less telly.
2. Measure out a portion of snack, so that you are more aware of how much you are eating. Research shows that if you eat from a large package, you will eat more than if you eat from a small package. Store the remainder out of easy reach, so that if you refill your portion, you are aware of what you are doing.
3. Work on being aware of what you are eating.
Try to make a few small changes every week. If you are in or near Glasgow and want to lose weight, try hypnotherapy with me.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
In part, this is because you are sitting down doing nothing, so your metabolism slows down to be similar to sleeping. Even talking on the phone uses more calories than watching the box! Do something! Being active reduces your risk of low mood and depression too (a lot of eat more when we are depressed.)
We also tend to eat snacks while watching the TV. And at peak times (and in childrens tv time as well) we are watching adverts for chocolates and drinks, and a whole range of snack food. Advertising wouldn't be done if it didn't work. Recent research shows that from only half an hour of telly a day, the increased snacks triggered by advertising could lead to 10 pounds weight gain in a year.
If you are engrossed in the telly, then you are not fully mindful of the food you are eating. You could eat a whole meal's value of calories without even noticing.
So if you are concerned about your weight, here are some tips.
1. Watch less telly.
2. Measure out a portion of snack, so that you are more aware of how much you are eating. Research shows that if you eat from a large package, you will eat more than if you eat from a small package. Store the remainder out of easy reach, so that if you refill your portion, you are aware of what you are doing.
3. Work on being aware of what you are eating.
Try to make a few small changes every week. If you are in or near Glasgow and want to lose weight, try hypnotherapy with me.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Sunday, 21 February 2010
Working mothers in trouble again
New research shows that children of working mothers lead unhealthier lifestyles than where the mother does not work. Most women work nowadays, so the report refers to the majority of us.
What are the things that constitute an unhealthy lifestyle, according to this report. Well, it is the things that I bang on about, which are bad for all of us, and which are marketed actively at adults and children alike - sugary drinks, crisps, snacks. None of us need them, even though they are nice (they are designed by experts to be nice!) I don't know what the non-working mum is doing, but maybe she is cooking more, rather than relying on processed packaged foods. Cooking at home and eating together at a table are things I support.
Sweets too are a problem. Cardiff University research shows that eating sweets everyday in childhood is linked to adult aggression. They haven't identified why. But we already know that certain foods cause hyperactivity in our children. We are lucky in this generation to have generally more cash, and we give treats to our children every day - making them routine rather than treats. Perhaps our grannies who kept the biscuit tin and the sweetie jar hidden till Sunday were doing the right thing by us after all.
The other thing was that children of working mothers are less active. Women lead busy lives. Perhaps we ought to all get a bit more active and spend less time in front of the telly. There was no mention of the role of the dad in this research. What was he doing?
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
What are the things that constitute an unhealthy lifestyle, according to this report. Well, it is the things that I bang on about, which are bad for all of us, and which are marketed actively at adults and children alike - sugary drinks, crisps, snacks. None of us need them, even though they are nice (they are designed by experts to be nice!) I don't know what the non-working mum is doing, but maybe she is cooking more, rather than relying on processed packaged foods. Cooking at home and eating together at a table are things I support.
Sweets too are a problem. Cardiff University research shows that eating sweets everyday in childhood is linked to adult aggression. They haven't identified why. But we already know that certain foods cause hyperactivity in our children. We are lucky in this generation to have generally more cash, and we give treats to our children every day - making them routine rather than treats. Perhaps our grannies who kept the biscuit tin and the sweetie jar hidden till Sunday were doing the right thing by us after all.
The other thing was that children of working mothers are less active. Women lead busy lives. Perhaps we ought to all get a bit more active and spend less time in front of the telly. There was no mention of the role of the dad in this research. What was he doing?
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
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