While TV shows like "Nip/Tuck," and "The Swan" give viewers the impression that body imperfections can be corrected with plastic surgery, a new spin on an ASU English course for first-year students would explore how TV shows, music videos and advertisements affect views about body image.
Body Image in Popular Culture, to be offered next spring, is a new English 102 course that can fulfill a general studies requirement. It would study how popular culture influences people's perception and definition of beauty.
"This would be a good opportunity for students to improve their writing skills while at the same time raise awareness about body image and explore their relationships with their bodies," said Lynda Seefeldt, a health educator with the ASU Health and Wellness Center. Seefeldt is helping professors who are teaching the new course put together a course syllabus.
Seefeldt said class discussions would focus on heath issues such as diet, weight and teaching students ways to help friends they suspect have an eating disorder or an obsession about their body weight.
"The body is a private and personal thing, but we live in a society where there is a perception that there is a certain body image that is the right image," Seefeldt said. "We judge others by making comments about their appearances, and it's painful for those being the target because they carry these comments throughout life."
The new idea for the English course topic came from former English 101 and 102 students, said Jennifer Santos, an English department graduate teaching associate.
"It was amazing how many stories the students wanted to share and how widespread the body image issue seemed to be," said Santos. "It really hit home for a lot of students."
Santos and Seefeldt began preparations for the course in fall 2003, and the English department's curriculum committee approved their proposal. In spring 2004, Santos taught a pilot class to test whether there was enough interest to have an entire course focused on the subject and students filled it immediately.
Psychology and photography sophomore Emma Perkins, who took the class, said she enjoyed it.
"Class discussions were always amazing because people of all shapes and sizes discussed body image openly," Perkins said. "It was interesting that most of the class felt the same way about the media's ideal body image -- that it sucks."
English faculty associate Karen Engler, who plans to teach the course next spring, said the class would also focus on body image issues facing men.
"There is a perception that the issue of body image only affects women and that is not true," said Engler. "It affects both men and women, and male students who have taken the class enjoyed the discussions."
Computer systems engineering senior Mario DeMiguel said the new class would be a good informative subject for students.
"With TV shows basically telling people that having plastic surgery fixes everything in your life, it leaves out an important aspect about body image and that is, our imperfection is what makes us unique individuals and plastic surgery doesn't solve everything," DeMiguel said.
Reach the reporter at lasoamoa.poasa@asu.edu.
