Hi Stacey, thank you for writing this. I'm Italian and I grew up watching Berlusconi's TV. All my female friends and I have suffered of body dysmorphia at some point. Deep down, even if we've learned to accept our bodies by now, we still consider ourselves fat, no matter how much effort we put in at the gym or how many diets we try. A constant struggle and self-delusion. I do believe that Berlusconi's TV played a key role in ensuring we don't feel at ease with how we look, ever.
I suppose in a way it can be related to the popularity of reality television here in the US. Reality TV is cheaper and easier because you don't have a written script or rehearsals. You turn on the camera, let it run, and edit in post-production. It makes for some crappy television, but a preponderance of boobs will make a lot of guys forget just how bad a show is.
Stacey, the situation you describe extends into the world of Tarot. The most important Tarot publisher in Europe is Lo Scarabeo in Torino.
I spoke to our business contact from Lo Scarabeo about this issue. The conversation went basically like this: "Your company's Tarot decks would sell far better in the USA if the women's bodies were drawn in a more life-like way," I said, trying to be discreet about the pneumatic boobs on virtually all the women in their Tarots. "In the USA, the great majority of Tarot enthusiasts are women, and gay men. A bunch of friends and colleagues in Tarot have mentioned to me that they are uncomfortable with Lo Scarabeo decks because of this issue, and they won't purchase your company's decks because of it."
He replied, "I have tried to speak to the brothers who own the company about this. They just replied, "We do not see a problem here," and they continued producing decks with women shaped like .01% of the population. So I stopped trying, since there was nothing I could do about it."
My contact was in his early 30s, and the brothers who own the company are around my age, 35 years older, in their sixties now. I am basically hoping they will eventually listen to their younger employees.
Eyeroll........ Sometimes it is really hard to teach Old Dogs New Tricks......
My first thought was, "How is this even possible in a modern, industrialized, democratic state?" My second thought, looking at the picture of Elisabetta Canalis was, "How is it even possible for a mammal of any species to have a waist like that? I don't know that I ever found that attractive, but it has certainly been a long time. The whole "death camp survivor" look just does not appeal.
Is there any pressure on the ratings for all of these shows to move away from such a blatantly horrifying exercise in juvenile manipulation?
Hi Stacey, thank you for writing this. I'm Italian and I grew up watching Berlusconi's TV. All my female friends and I have suffered of body dysmorphia at some point. Deep down, even if we've learned to accept our bodies by now, we still consider ourselves fat, no matter how much effort we put in at the gym or how many diets we try. A constant struggle and self-delusion. I do believe that Berlusconi's TV played a key role in ensuring we don't feel at ease with how we look, ever.
I suppose in a way it can be related to the popularity of reality television here in the US. Reality TV is cheaper and easier because you don't have a written script or rehearsals. You turn on the camera, let it run, and edit in post-production. It makes for some crappy television, but a preponderance of boobs will make a lot of guys forget just how bad a show is.
Yes, men are pigs. Some of us aren't proud of it.
Stacey, the situation you describe extends into the world of Tarot. The most important Tarot publisher in Europe is Lo Scarabeo in Torino.
I spoke to our business contact from Lo Scarabeo about this issue. The conversation went basically like this: "Your company's Tarot decks would sell far better in the USA if the women's bodies were drawn in a more life-like way," I said, trying to be discreet about the pneumatic boobs on virtually all the women in their Tarots. "In the USA, the great majority of Tarot enthusiasts are women, and gay men. A bunch of friends and colleagues in Tarot have mentioned to me that they are uncomfortable with Lo Scarabeo decks because of this issue, and they won't purchase your company's decks because of it."
He replied, "I have tried to speak to the brothers who own the company about this. They just replied, "We do not see a problem here," and they continued producing decks with women shaped like .01% of the population. So I stopped trying, since there was nothing I could do about it."
My contact was in his early 30s, and the brothers who own the company are around my age, 35 years older, in their sixties now. I am basically hoping they will eventually listen to their younger employees.
Eyeroll........ Sometimes it is really hard to teach Old Dogs New Tricks......
My first thought was, "How is this even possible in a modern, industrialized, democratic state?" My second thought, looking at the picture of Elisabetta Canalis was, "How is it even possible for a mammal of any species to have a waist like that? I don't know that I ever found that attractive, but it has certainly been a long time. The whole "death camp survivor" look just does not appeal.
Is there any pressure on the ratings for all of these shows to move away from such a blatantly horrifying exercise in juvenile manipulation?