English 201CLeone

Position Paper Plan

Topic:

Target Audience:

Purpose:
(Working Thesis)

INTRODUCTION Short Draft/Notes:

o Hook: Halloween story
o Background Info:

Bridge from Hook to Topic: story is bridge; cannot find princess equivalent there our anywhere else

Definition of Problem: little girls are not seeing themselves represented in a positive manner almost
anywhere, and the presentation of the idealized white form as the highest level of beauty is getting
worse

Reasons for Concern: girls internalizing and becoming physically and psychologically ill, costs
money, changes how people relate to each other.

o Working Thesis: The rigidly idealized standard of beauty perpetuated by the female protagonists and side
characters in most media, particularly children's entertainment media, leads to a variety of issues for the
health issues from women and girls, both mentally and physically, as well as promoting negative cultural
standards and stereotypes, that cost both money and human dignity.

BODY PARAGRAPHS:
PROOF: Stage One of StrategyProof why it is a problem (consequences) with examples to prove that it is a pattern
Topic Sentence Claim #1: Lack of diversity harms the young women exposed to the media
Evidence/example: eating disorders (pro ana/mia, thigh gap), fad diets, depression/low self-esteem,
internalization of one way to look/be accepted as beautiful and good

Topic Sentence Claim #2: Lack of diversity costs MONEY

Evidence/example: many of the eating disorders/psychiatric disorders are preventable illness but end up
costing tax-payer dollars, lots of money spent by individuals on fitness programs or fad diets or beauty products
or self improvement productsmore than their might if a singular standard of beauty wasnt pushed upon
women

Topic Sentence Claim #3: Lack of diversity creates long-standing harmful effects on the whole of society grown
women, men, and their relationship
Evidence/example: the idea that all women must be beautiful at all times and in this way affects how men
and women relate. Both begin to view females as sex objects and as defective/offensive if she does not
measure up to standard of beauty no matter how irrelevant that may be. Larger culture spends time and effort

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forcing women to fit mold that few if any can perfectly fill and tells men that this is how a good woman looks and
anything else is freakish

CAUSES: Stage Two of StrategyCauses for existence and continuance of pattern

Topic Sentence Claim # : Trend has been strengthen slowly so people internalize, then regurgitate it in more
extreme forms. Blind cyclicalitythe way its always been, just more so.
Evidence/example: evolution of my little pony and Disney princess even Dora the explorer, quotes about
animated women, premium on beauty and goodness (conflate the two)

Topic Sentence Claim # : Health culture that focuses only on size turns weight into a kind of morality, meaning
larger protagonists would be immoral/dangerous to show children
Evidence/example: the Disney exhibit, actual disgust at fat people, misdiagnoses, glorification of thinness
the extent of unhealthiness while failing to acknowledge the double standard

Topic Sentence Claim # : deliberate manipulation of market by people who can profit from it
Evidence/example: advertisers must make people unhappy before they will buy stuff and catching people
young is a good strategy. There would be a market for plus size protagonists, but better to sell candy and
thinness; better to keep people unhappy

SOLUTIONS: Stage Three of StrategyPractical long-term solutions to change or diminish this problem over time
Topic Sentence Claim # : Parental Guidance
Example Parents explaining flaws in media representations, parents seeking more inclusive media,
parents lobbying for companies to change, parents teaching respect based on personhood not appearance
actively countering impressions given by media

Topic Sentence Claim # : Sex education including body image education in schools
Example classes that really take apart the average screen woman compared to real women, explain
dangers of disordered eating in a realistic and explicit way, and actively address the widespread body
discontent with real facts about health and average weight or larger weights

Topic Sentence Claim # : laws on the realism of images in media fed to young girls; potentially warning labels
Example --

CONCLUSION: So? [Short Draft/Notes]

o Paraphrase of paper ideas / solutions
o Prediction of future if change does / does not occur
o Final appeal or assertion of paper position

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This is so very important like so very important I didnt even realize how important until I
started researching it. Just get people to a tipping point. And there had to be one, right?
Surely this cant keep getting sillier. But just more people. Everyone on screen. More
British. More real.