Most of us are aware of how fashion magazines and lipstick commercials too often depict women: We’re reduced to overly sexualized, dolled-up mannequins in skimpy clothes and lots of makeup. And the result is harmful: women are constantly exposed to commercial ideals of beauty and impossibly Photoshopped models, which can be extremely damaging to their body image. One way to combat this over-sexualization is comprehensive sexual education, which teaches young women about healthy body image and that they can combat sexualization.

Artist Yolanda Dominguez has come up with another, more unusual way to tackle the problem. Her latest project puts those unrealistic, sexualized magazine images in new perspective. “Poses” captures the ridiculous nature of many magazine photos and uses the humorous result to share an important message. Dominguez had women “pose” to recreate the positions and expressions seen in fashion spreads, then displayed the original photos and remakes side by side online. Her subjects are far from high fashion; the women are certainly much more like our moms and neighbors than supermodels. And her settings are everyday scenes.

The result is incredibly bizarre. Put into a real-world context, the images become ridiculous. It’s almost impossible to believe that they were shot to sell handbags and high heels in the first place. Dominguez makes us consider how lots of make-up and special lighting have made us forget that these poses are unnatural to the point of absurdity. That we hold them as a standard makes little sense—they’re impossible.

Dominguez hopes we will also wonder why men in magazines are rarely shown in such absurd poses. According to the artist, in photo shoots men emphasize their strength, standing up with broad shoulders and straight backs. In other words, they seem fit, while women—often emaciated, contorted, and wearing sour expressions—are portrayed as exactly the opposite. It would appear that the body image magazines promote in women is not only sexualized but also simply unhealthy. Whether or not this double standard exists across all fashion spreads, Dominguez’s chosen images of women seem to speak for themselves. “We don’t identify with this type of woman—we are much more,” explains Dominguez.

—Meg Gibbon, 19, Contributor

In the hit single “Teenage Dream,” Katy Perry sings, “You think I’m pretty without any make-up on,” gushing about the special guy who accepts her for who she is. Maybe Rolling Stone magazine should start taking some cues from this popular song.

Last month, Perry was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone wearing sexy lingerie and her signature doe-eyed expression. At first glance, this looks like a typical photo, but a quick glimpse of the “before” and “after” pictures tells a very different story.

With the help of Photoshop, Perry’s thighs become instantly thinner, her breasts grow an extra cup size, her right hand completely changes position and any lingering blemishes and skin folds are magically removed. While such extensive retouching is nothing new, it is important to remember that even the most stunning celebrities and models are changed to fit impossible beauty ideals. No wonder Perry feels like she’s living a “teenage dream” when she finally finds someone who appreciates her natural, un-Photoshopped beauty.

—Cynthia Lam, 17, Staff Writer

via Sociological Images

Entertainment Weekly recently featured an article on how gay teens are suddenly “popping up” in major roles on national television. From Degrassi’s Riley to Glee’s dream partnership, Kurt and Blaine, many shows have included openly gay characters holding hands, hugging and kissing. TV shows portraying openly gay characters may seem controversial to some people, but Sex, Etc. is more interested in whether teens in high-profile television roles will have any impact on gay teens’ experiences in school.

Do these shows accurately portray what it’s really like being a gay teen in high school? How does the spotlight on gay teens in these shows affect teens? Will gay teens be more accepted in their schools? Will seeing gay teens on TV eventually reduce homophobic bullying?

Tell us what you think, and share how or if these shows have affected your high school experience.

—Luke Morgan, 18, Staff Writer

Have you ever looked at a magazine and been awed by how flawless and beautiful everybody seemed, and then felt that you were less than adequate? Women are not the only ones that are made to feel like they should resemble Victoria’s Secret models. Advertisers and magazines target men with pictures of perfection just as often as they target women.

In this clip from the video, “Bigger, Faster, Stronger,” Chris Bell talks to photographers and discovers that images of men’s bodies are subjected to unbelievable manipulation just as often as their female counterparts. Take a look at what happens when Chris takes a “before” picture, and then an “after” picture. For his “after” picture, he gets his eyebrows plucked and his body shaved and spray tanned before taking his photo. The picture of his body is then further manipulated by using editing software.

Watching the graphic artist broaden Chris’ shoulders and enhance his abdomen to make him look “buff” makes it obvious that male perfection is something that can be virtually created with a few clicks of a mouse.

Magazines and ads show us perfect bodies, but wouldn’t it be great if some of those images included average looking, healthy bodies? Then maybe some people would get the message that they can be happy with their bodies just the way they are.

—Lina Chappelle, 16, Staff Writer

Let’s pretend for a minute: You’re a girl who walks into a grocery store. You pick up some milk and a loaf of bread. At the last minute, you decide to buy a magazine, just some light reading for a lazy afternoon.

You get home, and you start to read. But here’s the problem: the articles are mostly about ways to sexually please men. OK, so I’m sure we can all see what makes this a bit weird. Why are women’s magazines only focusing on ways to give sexual gratification to men? Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying men shouldn’t be able to enjoy their sexual experiences, but why do these articles assume that the only role for a woman, in a heterosexual relationship, is to please her partner? Whatever happened to mutually enjoyable sex? I sure haven’t seen men’s magazines with the tagline, “Ten Ways to Please Your Woman.” And why do women’s magazines assume every woman has sex with men? That kind of assumption is what you would call “heteronormative.” It completely dismisses all the women who do not identify as heterosexual. And what about the women who aren’t sexually active?

The real question, I suppose, is why do women keep buying these magazines? It has to be stressful—and frankly a bit sad—to only be concerned with pleasing your partner sexually, without ever getting any satisfaction yourself. Wouldn’t it be better if these magazines encouraged couples to communicate to find out what pleases both partners? But unfortunately, sensationalism sells. These magazines promise a quick-fix for all relationship or sexual worries-and that can seem appealing, even when deep down we all know life doesn’t quite work that way.

—Taylor McCabe, 18, Contributor