The story about the impact of all those 'pretty friends' in social media on self-esteem offers one good explanation for self-presentation fatigue. Researchers in the UK, Iowa and Ohio used Facebook to look at the impact on body image of selfies in social media vs. photos of celebrities and other beautiful people in magazines. They found that comparing oneself to Facebook friends "can make a young … [Read more...] about Pretty faces in social media vs. mass media
eating disorders
A call to action on eating disorder sites
Britain's Royal College of Psychiatrists called for "urgent action" to protect online youth vulnerable to pro-eating-disorder Web sites, the BBC reports. It says the number of such sites has "soared with the growth of social networking," and the government's year-old Child Internet Safety Council should expand its definition of harmful sites to include those promoting anorexia (pro-ana) and … [Read more...] about A call to action on eating disorder sites
Undercover Mom in Stardoll, Part 2: The skinny on virtual paperdolls
By Sharon Duke EstroffIn case there’s any doubt over which is more fun - trying on real clothes at Bloomingdales or trying on virtual clothes at a Stardoll department store - there shouldn’t be. The latter is the hands-down winner.Having survived recent bathing suit shopping trauma, I found dressing up MattieLu, my Stardoll avatar, to be a little slice of shopping heaven. Every frock I slipped … [Read more...] about Undercover Mom in Stardoll, Part 2: The skinny on virtual paperdolls
French legislation against pro-thin promotion
A bill that has passed the French legislature's lower house and goes to the Senate soon is going after all media promoting eating disorders, including pro-anorexia Web sites, the Los Angeles Times reports. Forbes reports that "France has several laws in place to regulate modeling agencies, including requiring underage models to have regular health check-ups." Regulating the domestic fashion … [Read more...] about French legislation against pro-thin promotion
Online eating-disorder communities
Eating disorder communities have been with us as long as there were eating disorders. When I was in high school, long before anyone but a handful of innovative researchers used the Internet, some of the cheerleaders would support each other while they binged and purged. The "community" was geographically limited. After the Web came along, ED became an "interest community" not restricted to any … [Read more...] about Online eating-disorder communities