Name: Sydney Hurley

Social Justice Group: Women’s Role and Representation in the Media (print/ads/tv)

Date of Fieldwork: January 13, 2023

Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):NEDA

Type of Fieldwork: Interview

What I did and what I learned about my topic, activism, social justice work or civil and human rights work from this fieldwork?[:: :

My group interviewed Elizabet Altunkara who is the Director of Education at the National Eating Disorder Association. The NEDA usually helps people who are struggling with eating disorders or body image issues. They also help try to help by educating about the dangers and warning signs of eating disorders.

We thought it would be interesting to get Elizabet’s opinion on our topic and how the media and portrayal of women can affect girls and women who are on the receiving end of posts and ads. We learned more about how Covid caused so much isolation and sudden dependency on media that it created a spike in disordered eating. We talked more about how media usage, especially in young girls, can affect body images and how they view themselves. We learned that eating disorders in women and girls can be caused by beauty and societal standards that are portrayed by the media. This interview helped us understand the impact of the media, and now we can learn more about the cause of the representation.