'Man Show' flyers

Advertising does not effect you, right? So why are you wearing a shirt with "GAP" or "J. Crew" emblazoned on it?

Americans are bombarded daily with thousands of images selling an impossible ideal of physical perfection and beauty. Women are constantly told that they must look a certain way to be accepted in society. No matter what women look like, they simply are not good enough unless they have large breasts, slender waists, hips, thighs and flawless skin. While we may think that we take no notice of such images, statistics suggest otherwise. The Coun-seling Center estimates that one in four female Princeton undergraduates has an eating disorder. Why is the incidence of eating disorders am-ong adolescents rising? A study published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology showed that viewing models from Cosmopolitan magazine led to body dissatisfaction in wo-men. Since the average American spends three years of his or her life watching just the commercials on television, the media must have a powerful effect on our psyches.

As if this were not bad enough, the media's portrayal of women is even more insidious. Women are posed in such a way that they take up very little physical space, a phenomenon that is accentuated by the painful thinness of most models. They are shown in positions of vulnerability and are often depicted with their mouths covered. The message is clear: women should not be too visible, too smart, too outspoken, or too powerful. They should be demure, beautiful objects.

Men learn the opposite lesson from media representations. Not only are they pressured to have bigger, more muscular bodies, but they are also encouraged to have a tough attitude, hide their emotions and show dominance over others. Numerous studies have shown that more and more men suffer from body dysmorphia, an inability to view one's own body realistically, and constantly strive for unattainable goals of bodily "perfection." Furthermore, eating disorders affect men as well. One in ten people in America with an eating disorder is male, and the numbers are rising.

Women and men want to be recognized for their talents and abilities instead of the size of their breasts and six-packs. They may want to be seen as powerful, capable, sexy, intelligent and fun, but they certainly want to be seen as more than just a body. Advertising undermines these goals. A picture of a scantily clad, large-chested, retouched model under the words "Man Show" gives a very clear message: Women are objects for men to ogle. It demeans women to present them as sex objects in any context, even with the intent of being humorous. The actual message conveyed by such an image is simply too offensive to be used for fun. The objectification of men is similarly damaging. An ad for a capella that employs a muscular, idealized male body implies that what matters is not talent, but physique.

On a campus where emphasis is placed on the intellectual, leadership, athletic and musical skills of all students, advertisements that even subconsciously present one or the other sex as a spectacle have no place. Instead of promoting such images, the campus community should work together to fight sexism, rape and body dissatisfaction in order to make the campus a safer and healthier place for both men and women. Tzivia Friedman is a molecular biology major from Teaneck, N.J. She can at tziviaf@princeton.edu.