See, I don't view the media (celebrities, ad campaigns, movies, etc) as having any effect on my self image and it shouldn't on anyone else's either. They are entertainment and as a kid, as a tween, as a teen, and now as an adult I never allowed them to mold my image of myself or my self worth.
All of us, from kids to adults, put way too much stock in what the media portrays from fashion to the political agenda and issues we pay attention to. But that isn't the media's fault, that is our fault no matter the age. I don't blame the media for anything because they only have the power we choose to give them and sadly we give them way too much. The solution is actually quite simple, just don't allow them so much hold over you, your thoughts, or your actions.
If they have any influence over your self image or what you think of yourself that isn't their fault, that is your fault. I was a kid and I never watched a show or movie and wanted to alter myself because of it and surely never allowed any of them to lower my self-esteem or self-worth. I just don't get that whole mindset personally but to each their own. I think this is one of those issues where we will have to agree to disagree.
Unfortunately, those with eating disorders or body dysmorphic disorder, all of which are mental illnesses, are influenced by such images, and it is not entirely their fault. No one goes out there and says, "Oh, I'd like to be anorexic today." That is something which happens with a sudden preoccupation of one's body image due to trauma resulting in the need to "control" an aspect of one's life. The images seen in the media feed into that and increase the intensity of the illness. This is a proven fact studied for decades by those in the medical field.
As someone who specialized in the study of eating disorders and their treatment in college (I was a triple major) as well as one who worked with those who suffer, I can confidently say that images like these are highly influential. Anorexics and bulemics, in particular, typically have mental pictures of themselves looking as thin as the characters in the pictures. Sadly, when they reach a near likeness, their dysmorphia colors what they see in the mirror thus creating the desire to "go thinner." It's a sad cycle.
I have had a difficult time passing judgement on these images. On the one hand, I know exactly what they can do to those who suffer from the illnesses mentioned above, but on the other, I think Barney's was going for the artistic approach seen in caricatures of the past. Caricatures are meant to distort features or the body itself solely for entertainment. It brings to mind those I've seen in museums, art galleries, or even in
The New Yorker magazine. The bodies are not meant to be accurate and instead accentuate a specific feature for a particular reason. For example, think of the caricatures done at WDW. Those focus on the face-likeness of the person being drawn. As a result, such pictures are not 100% accurate.
With this being said, I think the media does have some responsibility and needs to be more conscious of the images they put out there especially to those that may be exposed to children. Today's generation is already suffering from poor body image; having famous Disney characters in the unrealistic state shown in Barney's images is only adding to a very dangerous problem.
