MEMO

Date:

October 21, 2014

To:

BUS 2200 Colleagues

From: Tara Goldman

RE:

SERVICE LEARNING PROPOSAL- BODY IMAGE AND THE MEDIA

OVERVIEW
I propose that we compose an informational brochure/website that informs the public about
the negative effects of what the perfect body image looks like according to the media. Many if
not all of us, have thoughts about what the perfect body type is for men and women. Selfdiscrimination and self-esteem are a rippling effects on both youth and adults from edited
images posted everywhere. Many believe they are not socially pretty enough if they dont look
like a model in a magazine.
Specifically, we will research the following:

Eating disorders caused by the thoughts of not having the perfect body figure.
Low self-esteem and effects of it.
Thoughts and feelings of not being beautiful enough to be considered wanted.
A skewed perception of what normal body weights and figures are.
Medias roll in all of the above.

We will conduct research through the Internet and use creditable sources, many of them
primary, conduct face-to-face interviews and finally, conduct surveys. When we have compiled
research, we will then draft a brochure/website that will inform our intended audience of what
body image is according to the media and compare it to what it should really be.
Potential benefits for BUS 2200 students:

Put our business communications skills into action. Be able to communicate in

interviews, writing and then to critically think about what we find.
Compile a brochure/packet/website that will show what we have learned in layout,
readability, structure etc.
Expand our knowledge about the negative effects of body imaging.

RATIONALE
Benefits for Business 2200 Colleagues: Doing this project will require us to act as professionals
in business as we will have to:

interact with others in their workforce as we listen, speak and collaborate with them.
design documents in a manner that they look professional and meet the audiences needs
for good information, visual accessibility, and readability.

M. Lambert & BUS 2200 Colleagues

October 21, 2014
Page 2
provide information that target our audience needs.
Benefits for target audience: People concerned with negative thoughts that the media has put
into our minds about not being socially acceptable because of the standard of the perfect
body types seen in images from the media. This will prepare society too look at the standard of
the body image and be able to decipher what is normal and what is not. This project will have a
positive impact on our lives and the lives of individuals struggling with the effects of this.
PLAN/TIME FRAME
Methodologies: To accomplish the booklet for the community, we will need to develop a plan
that will lay out what questions we must address, interviews that we preform, and present the
data into a booklet/website/brochure.
Time Frame
Week 1

Weeks 2-3

Plan our approach, create interview questions, contact individuals involved in

the work to curve the thought of the perfect body image, develop survey
questions
Conduct interviews, distribute surveys and research as needed

Weeks 4-5

Complete any research needed, analyze data, begin compiling information for
brochure/website/booklet, begin template for group report

Week 6

Finish editing and proofreading of brochure/website/booklet and the group

report and present to the class

PERSONNEL
To complete the project in a timely manner and have relevant information, we will need three
to five group members. These members will have a desire to learn more about body image
effect from the media and the impact of that.
We will be able to collaborate outside the classroom to get our tasks completed. This project
will definitely require some out-of-class work. In-class will be time to discussion the information
we have compiled. Out-of-class will include interviewing professionals and conducting surveys
that we deem necessary.