- Wednesday, January 16, 2002
- 12:30 PM–1:30 PM
- Covenant Fine Arts Center Auditorium
Jean Kilbourne discusses "Slim Hopes: Advertising and the Obsession of Thinness."
Obsession with thinness among women and the resulting eating disorders are on the rise. More than half of the adult women in the United States are currently dieting and more than 75 percent of normal-weight American women think they are too fat. Jean Kilbourne, who is internationally recognized for her work on the image of women in advertising and is a frequent guest on radio and television programs, will offer some advice on how individuals and society can combat the $60 billion diet industry. She will examine how advertising and the media contribute to this obsession with weight and how it damages women’s self-esteem and health. She will also explore how the tobacco industry uses this obsession to sell cigarettes to young girls.