Ninety-percent of girls in the 2010 Girls and Body Image survey by the Girl Scout Research Institute say the media places a lot of pressure on girls to be thin.  The alarming statistics about teen girls’ relationships with the media and fashion industry were discussed during a roundtable Thursday night in Hays presented by Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland and Eagle Communications.

Keynote speaker FHSU Marketing Professor Dr. Mary Martin presented her research about the influence of beauty of advertising models on pre-adolescents.   Panelists were Tammy McClellan-Owner/Operator of Simply Charmed; Becky Kiser-Street Beat Executive Producer; Dr. Carrie Nassif-Clinical Psychologist at Turning Point Professional Counseling Services;and Kelsey Stremel-Owner/Operator of Stremel Photography.  The community event was moderated by Dr. Jill Arensdor-FHSU Leadership Studies Department Chair.

Girl Scouts of the USA(GSUSA) is developing programming that promotes girls’ healthy living and supports the “Healthy Media for Youth” House bill introduced by Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI 2nd District).