About-Face

About-Face promotes positive self-esteem in girls and women of all ages, sizes, races and backgrounds through a spirited approach to media education, outreach and activism. (See About-Face Goals)

About-Face was born in August 1995 when hundreds of copies of this poster were plastered on temporary structures around San Francisco. The poster is not a statement against thin women, rather it is a protest against the limiting ways that women are depicted in our culture. The image of supermodel Kate Moss was taken directly from an advertisement for perfume. In the actual ad, Moss' natural thinness was exaggerated to skeletal proportions by design. Her pose, her facial expression and the way she was lit all collaborate to make the final image one of incredible vulnerability. This ad, and others in the same series, made people very uncomfortable. (Read more)

Adios Barbie.com

AdiosBarbie.com is a one-stop body shop, where women and men of all cultures and sizes can learn about their bodies; feel proud and comfortable in their natural shapes, sizes, and colors; speak out against impossiblebeauty standards; and share their experiences. It serves as a place for social commentary on body issues, redefining what the body really means and encouraging people to think of themselves first when re-imagining their perceptions of beauty and power. (Read more)

Body Image Betrayal and Related Issues

Developed and Maintained by: Wendy S. McWhorter-Finney

Every day millions of men and women engage in combat with themselves. They fight a constant war between the image they see in the mirror and the image they believe they need to obtain. We name their struggles: Anorexia, Bulimia, and COE. We may whisper as an emaciated girl walks past us on the street, or we may laugh as a larger size man or woman struggles to fit into the bus seat in front of us on the afternoon commute. We might even hear a person throwing up in the bathroom stall. But I wonder if we honestly understand why this battle began, what it's really like for those who are enslaved, or how we can work together to end its tyranny. (Read more)

Body Positive

  • *BodyPositive looks at ways we can feel good in the bodies we have.
  • Remember, your body hears everything you think.
  • * How to Make the Argument for Size Acceptance
  • What do you say when everyone around you is dieting?
  • * 200 Ways to Love the Body you Have Read our selection from Marcia Hutchinson's wonderful book: If you fail to love your body, what will you miss out on?
  • * Dieting Detox Take back your food choices from the diet police
  • * Evaluating the Weight-Loss Programs - What are the Red Flags? An answer to all the "Rate the Diets" articles out now
  • * Message Boards Develop a discussion around what is important to you
  • * Subscribe to our Free Newsletter - "Body Positive Pages" Features from the website, delivered to your e-mailbox

Mediascope - Body Image and the Media

Advertisers often emphasize sexuality and the importance of physical attractiveness in an attempt to sell products, 1 but researchers are concerned that this places undue pressure on women and men to focus on their appearance. In recent survey by Teen People magazine, 27% of the girls felt that the media pressures them to have a perfect body, 2 and a poll conducted in 1996 by the international ad agency Saatchi and Saatchi found that ads made women fear being unattractive or old. 3 Researchers suggest advertising media may adversely impact women's body image, which can lead to unhealthy behavior as women and girls strive for the ultra-thin body idealized by the media.

  • Office Information

  • Open:Tuesdays 4:00-6:00pm
  • Location:314 Ell Hall
  • Hotline:617-373-3173
  • Email:newcope@neu.edu