Senior Project Online Source

" Specific Page Title or Article Title"	"Do thin models warp girls' body image?"
Primary Contributor to the Website (if given) (author, editor, producer, etc)	Nanci Hellmich
Title of the Entire Website (not www. )	USA Today
Publisher or Sponsoring Organization of the website (if given)	USA Today, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
Date Page was Last Revised	26 September 2006
Date You Read It	25 January 2012
<URL address> (ALL of it)	http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-09-25-thin-models_x.htm

FIVE FACTS FROM THE SOURCE (Embedded):

Former Victoria's Secret model, Frederique van der Wal was " shocked" by the difference of weight she had seen in the women walking down the runway of the New York Fashion Week. The article cites van der Wal as she claims that, " The unnatural thinness is a terrible message to send out" (Hellmich).

The article quotes psychologist, Sharon Lamb, that, " Girls today, even very young ones, are being bombarded with the message that they need to be super-skinny to be sexy". Lamb'> s biggest concern with the media and these models is that the images they portray, "are filtering down to girls as young as 9 and 10" (Hellmich).

In past studies, Murnen has researched and has no doubt that "younger girls" are "getting the message" Murnen having studied the topic for nearly 15 years has found out that, "Some girls can reject that image, but it's a small percentage: 18%". That accounts for 18% of the "6000 girls, ages 10 and older" that Murnen had studied on. (Hellmich).

Kelly Cutrone, owner of People's Revolution, states that these " women" shouldn't compare themselves to these images. She believes that these women are "freaks of nature" and that they "are not average" being "naturally thin", having " incredibly long legs" and "high cheek bones". (Hellmich).

Stephanie Schur mentions that a couple of the models she has met have seemed "unhealthy" being "extremely pale, have thin hair, and don't have that glow". Brashich, who works for Sassy and YM Magazine, talks about all the letters she receives from younger girls who wish to be famous singers and actresses. She doesn't "wonder" because " The most celebrated, recognizable women today are famous primarily for being thin and pretty" (Hellmich).

Summary of Source (Three-Four Sentences of the Who, What, Where, Why, and How in your own words. NO OPINION):

Hellmich combines information collected about the topic of how teenage girls are affected by the way that society portrays women. A lot of the sources provided agree that society has quite a negative impact on the way that these girls think. They also believe that models today are very extreme and that it’s quite unhealthy for them as well. As long as being thin is in, these models will continue to shrink.

Credibility of Source:
Author or Site: Who is the author? What training have they had? If there is no author, examine the site. What is the purpose of the site? Who funds the site?

The author is Nanci Hellmich, she’s a contributor to the website and the one who wrote this article.

The website is USA Today, this website contains events going on today in the world and also keeps us updated on topics like news, sports, travel, life, etc.

Attachment: Does the author or site have anything to gain from writing this, or is it simply informative? For example, is it a cigarette business posting an article about the benefit of cigarettes, or is it a scientific community unaffiliated with the cigarette business?

I believe the article is written just simply be informative. I feel like the article lacks an attachment with the author and that she simply just quotes others and throws together a bunch of information.

Bias: Do you detect a bias (a favoring of either side) in the author's writing?

Although I can’t detect a biased opinion from the author, most of the people mentioned in this article seem to favor the side that society has a negative impact on teenage girls.

References: Does the author cite references in the writing? If so, do these add or take away from the credibility?

Referring to former models like Frederique van der Wal, psychologist like Sharon Lamb, and researchers like Murnen, Nanci Hellmich is able to add onto the credibility of the topic.

Use of Source: How will you use this source in your project?

I will use this source in my project to support my opinion on the negative effects of society on teenage girls. I will be able to use this online source for quotes and for more information to help support my opinion.

Senior Project Proposal

Senior Project Proposal

Proposed Topic in the form of an  Essential Question: 
Does the way society portray women impact the way that girls feel about their appearance?

Rationale for Choice

What about this topic appeals to you? Why did you choose it? 
This topic appeals to me because it's interesting to see how people think and how easily affected we become by things like the media.

What do you already know about this subject? 
Many young teenage girls often go to extreme extents to look like these women. It's a very personal subject and although many seem to be happy with their appearance, deep down inside there is something that we truly dislike about ourselves. I've had people who were close to me go through so much just to look skinny or look pretty; they truly degrade themselves and do the craziest things ever.

What are you hoping to learn about the subject? 
I hope to learn why people do the things that they do. I want to learn why they feel as though they need to look like these artificial people and why they don't feel the need to love themselves just the way they are; or why people think that they don't look as good as they really do.

What are you most interested in regarding the topic? 

I'm interested in seeing how many girls have truly been affected by these portrayals and by media. I also am interested in seeing what other steps these girls take to look like those women.

What potential risks or challenges do you foresee for your project? 
Some challenges would probably be finding a place to volunteer for this topic, I might not be able to find some information that I might be looking for.