It will still be saying things that aren’t true about people like you…

It might even make you feel bad/odd/out of it if you are different to the people you see reflected in the mirror.

So…

According to MirrorMissy…

The only thing left to do…

Your last remaining hope…

Is…

To get out some Post-It notes,

And a pen,

and write three thousand positive messages to yourself
(one to counteract each of the commercial messages you see every day of your life)

until you can only see things like…

BEAUTIFUL

INCREDIBLE

ONE-OF-A-KIND

EXCITING

GORGEOUS

STYLISH

KIND

Until, in that big old mirror, all you can see are things like…

http://www.karencheng.com.au/2008/02/

Stay Shiny!

Hopefully it is now sparkly and bright, and you are feeling ALRIGHT!

But now let’s imagine we are interviewing a
professional mirror cleaner. Cleaning mirrors is what he does best.

He has just finished cleaning a mirror until it is as
shiny as the sun. As shiny as the hubcaps owned by someone who
really, really, really, really loves
their car.

You approach him and say (a little naively), “Whoah man, that mirror is so clean and shiny you’ll never ever ever need to clean it again!“

The pro gives you a bit of a grin and says,

“Are you KIDDING me? Every day, this mirror is bombarded with fine yet penetrating mists of beauty powder, lipstick marks, little flecks of toothpaste that have blown out of peoples’ mouths, and oily, greasy, smeary, fingerprints. Not to mention the hundreds of millions of tiny droplets of water that can turn into little rust-bombs at any second, corroding all the shine and sparkle. And then there are the occasional mozzies that get a bit too close to their own reflection. Every so often a big fat fly flies into the mirror and never flies off it, and the other week I had the pleasure of cleaning up the distinctive trail of the helix aspersa, aka the common garden snail.”

To which you reply,

“Oh. Right.”

The thing is, just like a country detective or a cowboy, a mirror cleaner’s work is never done.

The Media Mirror is bombarded every day, too, with its own set of grimy culprits!

Here is a list of common ones, so you can be on the alert to exterminate them from your perception of yourself ASAP!

Products and Packaging

Young people are very often accused of being shopaholics, a generation of materialistic consumers who know the cost of everything and the worth of nothing.

But when there are t-shirts out there designed for toddlers printed with things like “Born to shop”, doesn’t it make you wonder whether we are just doing what we have been “told”? It does seem like lots of the merchandise available for young children, especially young girls, today is pushing them in a certain direction.

Celebrities

They offer entertainment in the form of music, movies, TV shows and more – but what else do they give us?

Sometimes it seems like the only way that celebs can remain in the spotlight is if they get involved in some kind of scandal. Drugs, alcohol, nude photos, eating disorders and more – it’s hard to think of five young people in the spotlight who set a good example, or are even an accurate representation of other people of their generation.

Advertising

Ads go hand in hand with a little fellow called Photoshop, and while he is responsible for lots of cool creations, such as these clever promotions:

http://bestphotoshoptutorials.net/2009/03/30/30-photoshopped-images-in-advertising-design/

Photoshop is also to blame for LOTS and LOTS of more subtle and sneaky manipulation, eg:

http://www.nextnature.net/2008/12/the-photoshop-before-and-after/

The thing is, most people know that images in many forms of the media are photoshopped, right? But when research suggests that we see up to 3000 commercial messages every single day, it is pretty easy to forget this! It is a bit like saying to somebody who lives in a forest, “Ok, so the leaves on trees are actually blue. Somebody comes around every night and paints them that green colour.” If you ask this forest-dweller after a long day, “What colour are leaves again?” I’m pretty sure he is going to say “Green!“

It’s tricky not to compare ourselves to the models we see in ads like this one:

which, by the way, is an ad for LavAzza coffee… hmmmmmmm…

without remembering that the original could have looked something like this…

but that is the mission for people trying to see beyond the media mirror.

Besides the whole photoshopping issue, there are also some pretty degrading ads out there, like this one which labels the women pictured in them ‘hideous’ and says that having an ugly mate is the best way to improve one’s own attractiveness.

http://jezebel.com/5296935/bacardi-ad-uses-misogyny-to-sell-alcohol-to-women

Disgusting.

Magazines

Not gonna lie, I love a good glossy! They can defo be a fun way to relax when you have some spare time.

BUT

with there fatal combo of celebrities and advertising they can show pretty distorted reflections of society, if you are not careful to watch out for media bias (check out the previous entry for more info.)

While some magazines have launched campaigns to tackle the body image problems (that they have contributed to making), these efforts, such as Girlfriend‘s Selfrespect ( http://au.youth.yahoo.com/girlfriend/gf-guru/article/-/5968912/self-respect/ ) movement are often nullified by content within the magazine, such as articles that either blatantly or subtly criticise your fashion style, body shape and relationship status.

The above Cosmo cover is a puzzle – on the one hand it offers “6 Instant Confidence Boosters” – maybe things along the lines of “You are great just as you are”, perhaps? Except then in the blue circle in the top right corner it’s promoting, “Girlfriend traits guys find “Freakin’ Awesome” ie “How to change so that boys find you more attractive”…. Hmmmm…..

 Music Lyrics

Check out this article about songs which promote unhealthy attitudes towards relationships and life in general:

http://au.youth.yahoo.com/girlfriend/article/-/6632258/your-say-are-songs-ruining-your-health/

If music is part of the media, which is said to reflect our society – then what does it say about us when just by putting on the radio for a while we hear things like

“I want your psycho, your vertical stick/ Want you in my room when your baby is sick” (Lady Gaga: Bad Romance )

“That kinky stuff, you nasty,
But I like your type and like TI its whatever you like
Bring your girls its whatever tonight, your man just left
I’m the plumber tonight, I’ll check your pipes
Oh, you the healthy type. Well, here goes some egg whites
Now gimme that sweet, that nasty that gushy stuff “    (Pitbull: Hotel Room Service)

“She had a gap tooth and a mean overbite/ But I was like hmm/

If I take one more drink/ I’m gon’end up @$#%ing you/” (Ludacris: One More Drink)

Just blooming lovely stuff, right?

I don’t think I need to explain why this isn’t too healthy for our self respect, or a clear reflection of society, do I?

(By the way, when women [or men, or children] are described as things rather than as beings it’s called objectification. You can see examples of this in many song lyrics such as the ones above, and also in ads like this one: where it is as if the woman’s body is for sale. The positioning of this ad is also particularly offensive as it has connotations of male dominance, gang violence and sexual crime – does it make YOU want to rush out and clad yourself in D&G?)

A life without any TV, movies, internet, magazines and music would be pretty dull. And if you wanted to cut out advertising entirely – well, you can just say hello to your new life… under a rock.

So maybe avoidance is not the best way to fight these culprits.

But just being aware of their presence is a powerful way to acknowledge the distorted nature of the Media Mirror without succumbing to its deceptive and sometimes horrible reflections (next time you see something like that D&G ad, for example, think to yourself “THAT’S A LIE!“)

Stay shiny!

It’s time to give that Media Mirror a streak-free shine, and the MirrorMissy Super Sparkle Mirror Cleaning Kit ® is the best product for the job!
It has a special no-drip formula, smells amazing, won’t sting your eyes , and best of all is absolutely FREE!!!
The Kit includes resources that you can access whenever your reflection is getting a bit grimey – it has a lifetime guarantee for cleaning up your media mirror perspective!
MirrorMissy will keep adding to the Kit over time, but here are a few key products to get that cleaning process underway!
In no particular order of potency…

Womens Forum Australia

 ACTIVATION INGREDIENT:

http://www.womensforumaustralia.org/


WARNING: this product has a very high potency, and some viewpoints it expresses are pretty extreme.

PURPOSE: to improve the lives and promote the advancement, well-being and freedom of women.

TARGET: Australian women of all ages (although MirrorMissy advises keeping out of reach of young children due to content of some articles).

USE FOR: a hard-hitting set of articles that attack the misrepresentation of women by the media mirror.

 Enlighten Education 

ACTIVATION INGREDIENT: http://www.enlighteneducation.com/
WARNING: this product contains an overload of very hot pink
PURPOSE: Enlighten Education helps girls to “decode the mixed messages they receive and help them develop self-esteem and confidence”
TARGET: Girls aged 12-18
USE FOR: Gives great workshops and talks at schools
BONUS OFFER: EE has free printable “GirlCaught!” stickers on their webpage; the idea is that you print them out and stick them on ads which are distorting or tarnishing the media mirror – very awesome.

The Experts
ACTIVATION INGREDIENT: http://au.reachout.com/find/getting-help/who-can-help-you

PURPOSE: this is more of a service than a product, giving you the deets of how you can get some good assistance with sorting out body image.

TARGET: Useful for anyone, especially Australians.

USE FOR: The pros listed on this sight are the Shannon Lush of the Media Mirror world, loaded with info and advice to help you out if you’re finding things especially tricky.

REMINDER: It is always ok to ask for help or guidance, and there are always people there to help you.

BONUS OFFER: This whole webpage is packed with bonus content – very good value!

How to Detect Bias in the News

ACTIVATION INGREDIENT: http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/handouts/broadcast_news/bw_bias_in_the_news.cfm

WARNING: This is just a sample! Use as an introduction, only – further research recommended.

PURPOSE: A nice short explanation of media bias. Gives some good examples of the distorted Media Mirror – such as, should a 50 year old man who stole a car when he was seventeen be reflected as an “ex-con” or as “someone who served time over thirty years ago for a minor defence”?

TARGET: All inquiring minds – remember, it will not always be easy to untwist biased media, this product provides tools for knowing when things may not be entirely accurate, but it is often difficult or even impossible to attain a completely objective (unbiased) portrayal of events.

USE FOR: This website is almost like a set of protective eyewear that you can pop on before reading a newspaper, magazine , or watching TV – staring into the Media Mirror, in other words. Critical thinking is an excellent skill to acquire.

Alternative News Sources

ACTIVATION INGREDIENT: http://www.world-newspapers.com/alternative-news.html

WARNING: May contain traces of brainwashing and/or nuts! Take with an open mind but a grain of salt.

PURPOSE: Every cleaning kit needs one slightly radical ingredient! This is our version of Easy Off BAM® – you might not be able to trust exactly what it says in the ad, but it is still worth a go, just to say “Whoah!”

TARGET: Anyone who is interested in current events, and would like to read a different take on them, or learn about issues which do not get a lot of press time in conventional media. Alternative news sites try to remove the twisted Media Mirror and replace it with a mirror of their own – but be warned, it too might be distorted!

USE FOR: A useful product to remind yourself that it is indeed a big wide world, and the conventional media shows only a tiny slice of it!

copyright chris madden

Why not give the MirrorMissy Cleaning Kit a (free) trial for a few days, and see how it works for you?

It’s just a starter pack to help you start seeing that sometimes, the way the media reflects politics, news, and entire groups of people (eg old men, teenage girls) is not necessary accurate, and sometimes a teensy bit grimy.

That’s it for now,
Stay Shiny!

It's not you, man! It's the mirror!

Media holds a mirror to society.

But it’s not a very accurate mirror.

It’s more like one of those freaky distorted mirrors you find at circuses.

The thing is, the media mirrors are everywhere!

It can be pretty difficult to remember that the reflection they show is all contorted and twisted up.

And it can be pretty easy to start thinking that the media mirror is showing the real deal.

When you start thinking that, it follows that if the reflections shown in the media mirror are different to your own reflection in an ordinary mirror – something is wrong with YOU.

 THAT’S A DOUBLE WHOPPER OF A LIE!!!!!
as soon as we start looking at the media mirror to tell us who is fair and who isn’t, things get mighty mucked up.

WE start to feel like a circus freak, when it’s the reflection that’s a weirdo!

MirrorMissy is here on a mission to clean up that disturbing mirror, because it’s downright frustrating when everything is stretched out and sucked in, so you can’t even tell what’s true and what is FAKE.

Here, you’ll find the resources you need to fix up your own mirror – or at least know when it’s telling a lie!

Remember Snow White? That Evil Queen who was a bit of a mirrorholic? Things didn’t end well for her, did they?

Objects in the mirror are not what they appear!

Stay shiny!