THE MYTH OF
WOMANHOOD
What influences how we feel
about ourselves?
How Does Pop Culture Portray Women?
Pop culture refers to current media and
music video images of women.
What are some of these
characteristics?
What type of consequences could
occur from pop cultures influences?
 Some women experience eating disorders in
order to look like a Super Model.
 Some women choose to have risky and
expensive procedures to change their physical
appearance.
 Images that objectify women, portraying them as
sex objects, demean and devalue women as
human beings.
 Objectification of women contributes to the
problems of sexual assault, unintended pregnancy
and sexually transmitted infections.
Think of a Woman You Respect…
What characteristics
do you value?
What makes a
“True Woman”
valuable?
How does she
treat you and
others?
Chasing the Wrong List~
Compare the pop culture list to
the “True Woman” list

Why are the lists so different?
 How do myths affect women in our
society?
 How can you challenge these
harmful messages in your own
life and among your friends?
Lies and Exaggerations
 If Barbie were a real woman
 She would stand 5’9” and weigh 110 lbs
 She would be less than 76% of her healthy weight
 Chest 39”; Waist 18”; Hips 33”
 Marilyn Monroe: Chest 35”; Waist 27”; Hips 35”
 At size 8 she would be a plus-size model today
GI Joe would have a 55” chest and 27” biceps
About the size of a teenage boy’s waist
Far larger than competitive body builders
25 years ago the average model was 8% lighter
than the average American woman. Today the
average model is 23% lighter than the average
American woman.
What’s
Real?
Many of us fall into the
trap of comparing
ourselves to false and
unrealistic images in the
media. This destroys our
confidence and selfesteem.
What can we
do to change
this?
Confidence and Self-Esteem
 Accepting yourself and feeling good about yourself is
good for your health and attractive to others.
 Find someone who likes you just the way you are.
 Ask yourself, “Do I feel good about myself when I am
with this person?”
 Avoid people who want you
to look like, act like, or be like
someone else.
Remember…
The act of love is to say “I want you
to be who you are.” The act of abuse
is to say “I want you to be who I want
you to be.” It is that simple.
James Gill
You also need to
remember to love
yourself!