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Health & Fitness

Medias impact on girls to be discussed at Girl Developers Summit

ANN ARBOR – Perhaps television sets and computers should come with the warning:  “Caution, too much use could be hazardous to your overall health.”

Based on what Sarah Domoff is finding in her research such a warning may be in order, especially for children and adolescents.

Domoff, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Michigan with the University Center for the Child and the Family, focused her dissertation on the impact exposure to objectifying media has on individuals.  She will be among 14 presenters at the Girl Developers Summit at Washtenaw Community College on March 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.  The Summit is sponsored by Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan.

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“Children and adults spend a lot of time viewing different forms of media.  I thought it would be interesting to see how viewing media affects people,” Domoff said.  “I found that even brief exposure to media has an impact.  Young women in particular had a greater level of concern about their appearance and how they appear to others which impacted their sense of self worth.”

Each participant in her study had a one minute exposure to reality media programming.

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“There have been relationships found between media use and sexual activity, poor body image, aggressive and risky behaviors and gender stereotypes,” Domoff said.  “My research provides evidence for some of these relationships.  It’s important for caregivers and parents of adolescents to know this so they can reduce the likelihood that children internalize these messages.”

Current and relevant issues like this which impact girls are the focus of the Summit, said Mariel Rua, coordinator of the event and Adult Recruitment and Education specialist with GSHOM.  She said topics such as sexual assault prevention, healthy eating habits, and teenage depression are among additional workshops which will be held throughout the day.

The day’s activities will begin with a keynote address from Rose Bellanca, president of Washtenaw Community College.  She is planning to speak about the path she followed to become head of one of Michigan’s largest community colleges.

“Adults will walk away with tools in hand that they can use right away to address issues girls are faced with on a daily basis,” Rua said.  “They will be better prepared to discuss topics that are generally difficult to talk about with girls.

“I think it’s important to have the expertise of these workshop presenters and to also have the support of the organizations they are with.”

During her presentation Domoff said she plans to discuss different programs or modules that girls and groups can get involved with to talk about the media messages they encounter.  These resources include websites that empower girls and young woman to challenge media stereotypes and prevention programs where girls can learn skills to deal with media messages.  In addition, there are community programs and school-based prevention programs that are aimed to teach these skills.

Rua said Girl Scouts of the USA and GSHOM each have programming and curriculum available to girls and adult volunteers about the unrealistic portrayals of girls and women in the media and how they can effect change.  Among the information available from Girl Scouts at the national and local level is the “Uniquely Me” curriculum for Cadettes which includes a section on how to change the negative media images of girls and women and "Watch What You Watch" which builds awareness about the need to pay attention to not just what kids watch, but how they watch it. "Watch What You Watch" offers a clearinghouse of resources and tools that girls, parents, communities, and the media industry can use to help young people encounter and use media content that inspires, empowers, and engages.

“Girl Scouts is the premier leadership organization for girls and a leading authority on their healthy growth and development. As the leading voice for girls, we are committed to addressing the issues important to girls, such as self-esteem and body image,” Rua said.

Parents play a crucial role in this effort and need to be a part of any conversation involving the media messages their girls are getting.

“I think it would be beneficial if possible for parents to preview or co-view what their kids are watching, whether it’s TV shows or programs on the Internet, and have a discussion with them about it,” Domoff said.   “I think that girls have an opportunity through prevention programming to learn about these media messages and stand up for how the media’s portraying them.  Girls need to challenge those messages.”

Both girls and their parents need to identify what constitutes excessive media use and establish limits on time spent in front of a TV, computer or cellphone.  Domoff said when she first began doing clinical work she was “blown away” by the amount of time kids and adolescents spent with media and technology.

“There has been a lot of research that demonstrates the objectification of women in the media and it has been consistently increasing over the years,” Domoff said.  “Other research has found that overweight or obese women in the media are more likely to be criticized.”

These examples of media representations will be among the information Domoff will present.

Cost of the Summit is $50 for the general public, $40 for registered Girl Scouts and adults, and $30 for college students.

For more information about the Summit visit the GSHOM website at www.gshom.org or call (800) 497-2688.

 

 

 

 

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