I am writing a paper on ethics in advertising.  The topic of my paper
is Calvin Klein ads and how they show women who look like heroin
models (skinny, gross, black circles, aweful skin complexion).  Are
these ads really ethical...no.  So, the question I have to answer is
"what are the HARMFUL effects of these advertisments (the Calvin Klein
ads)on women?" (what do these ads cause?)

Hi there!

Calvin Klein ads have been attacked from a number of directions, but
the particular take that you have seems to be best expressed on these
sites:

Why Models Got So Skinny by Megan Turner

http://www.eatingdisorderresources.com/articles/cosmo0801whymodelsgotsoskinny.html

This article from an eating disorders was apparently lifted from
Cosmopolitan for August 2001 and associates CK ads (amongst other
influences) with the current trend to anorexia and bulimia amongst
models.

There's a brief mention of Calvin Klein in 

Mass Media, Body, Self: How Women of Different Sexual Orientations
Relate to Mass Media’s Construction of Body

at 

http://beca.sfsu.edu/action/research/bp_women1.pdf

This is a scholarly paper from 1997 including research and interviews.

Adbusters has produced an 'uncommercial' about the Obsession fetish -
find it at

http://adbusters.org/uncommercials/obsession/

The News Plus Archives at 

http://www.judgmentofparis.com/Liis_News2.htm

contain an Associated Press report on a study under the heading

Study: Magazines Hurt Girls' Images

You can go there direct on 

http://www.judgmentofparis.com/Liis_News2.htm#Study

Hope all this helps!

---

Request for Answer Clarification by sunjet2-ga on 03 Dec 2002 14:09 PST

Your information has been helpful but I'm not lookin for anything
about plus-size models.  I am looking for more factual information
about the harmful effects of this kind of "heroin-chic" advertising. 
Is there anyway you can find me some information on the effects of
these ads on women, or directly how the Calvin Klein ads have effected
women and their body images.  Thank you.

---

Clarification of Answer by diagonal-ga on 04 Dec 2002 11:06 PST

It's almost impossible to obtain "hard" information on the effects of
advertising because of the problems of setting up control groups; how
do you find two otherwise matching groups of people, one which has
been exposed to advertising and one which hasn't? And it would be
unethical (as well as very difficult) to create a 'harmful'
advertising campaign especially for a study.

It sounds like you're prepared to broaden the topic away from Calvin
Klein ads to depictions of women in the media in general, and so these
might help; the first one in particular seems to have done a very
even-handed and thorough job.

------

Here is a very good scholarly study with lots of footnotes: it points
out that:

"experimental studies which have examined whether exposure to slender
images of females in the media cause body dissatisfaction, have
produced often contradictory and confusing results." But it does go on
to say that "certain groups of females may be more vulnerable than
others", especially those with eating disorders.

Relationship between Female's Body Image and the Mass Media by Sarah
Durkin

It's on the International No Diet site at

http://www.internationalnodietday.com/Documents/RS-effect%20of%20media%20-%20update.doc

--------

This page talks about the ECONOMIC costs of dieting and cosmetic
surgery:

Minnesota NOW Celebrates Love Your Body Day
from the Minnesota NOW (National Organisation for Women)

http://www.mnnow.org/LYBD.htm

--------

There's a report on a study of self-esteem here from the Melbourne
Age:

Glossy images of perfection a peril to self-esteem by Karen Heinrich

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/06/22/1023864514284.html

-------

And this Honors research project from the University of Texas looks at
media studies but also points out other sources of negative
self-esteem:

The Effects of Social Pressure to be Thin On Body Dissatisfaction and
Negative Affect by Jennifer L. Maxfield

http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/class/Psy158H/PrevHonors/Fall00/Z25/litreview.HTML

-------

Here's a US government health report which states

'"Heroin chic" as exemplified by rock stars and fashion models has
boosted the popularity of that drug among young people.'

Treatment of Adolescents With Substance Use Disorders
Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 32

http://www.health.org/govpubs/BKD307/32d.aspx

----------

A report from the Medical College of Wisconsin claims that

"There is no question that the fashion industry lends implicit support
through the "heroin chic" look sported in Calvin Klein and other
advertisements."

Adolescent Drug Use -- What Parents Can Do
http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/901291653.html

--------

Here is a long article about body image in children with some
anecdotal evidence:

Building Blocks for Children's Body Image
Written by Marius Griffin (1994). Produced by the Body Image Task
Force, P.O. Box 360196, Melbourne, FL 32936-0196.

http://home.earthlink.net/~dawn_atkins/BITF/children.htm

----------

And here's a teacher's account of trying to deal with the effects of
negative body image and sex stereotypes among second and third
graders:

Girls, Worms, And Body Image by Kate Lyman

on the Rethinking Schools site at 

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/14_03/girl143.shtml

---------

---

Clarification of Answer by diagonal-ga on 04 Dec 2002 11:08 PST

Here's one I missed from the Eating Disorder Recovery Center which
provides a good review of the literature.

Influences: Media and Advertising bu Deborah J. Kuehnel

http://www.addictions.net/advertis.htm

There is a book that was published in the 1980's called 'Looking On,'
which talks about art, the media, advertising, fashion from a feminist
perspective. Very useful, but probably now dated

---
I am writing a paper on ethics in advertising.  The topic of my paper
is Calvin Klein ads and how they show women who look like heroin
models (skinny, gross, black circles, aweful skin complexion).  Are
these ads really ethical...no.
---

What is ethical and what is not varies per person and is not solid-truth definable.

---
So, the question I have to answer is "what are the HARMFUL effects of
these advertisments (the Calvin Klein ads)on women?" (what do these
ads cause?)
---

The ads themselves do not cause any harmful effects -- it is the
misinterpretation that is harmful.  It is the fault of the viewer to
choose whether to react in whichever way they do, not a fault of the
advertisement.  A lack of self-control is a character issue of the
individual viewer and not fault of the advertiser.  Although people
have been known to display a remarkable lack of self control in
response to advertisements such as this (such as girls starving
themselves to become thin), in reality is the personal decision,
misinformed or not, that is at fault -- because it could be just as
likely that someone could see such an advert and be so inspired to
exercise and eat healthily to look BETTER than the model, which would
JUSTIFY the advertisement with your rationale.