How are the pressures of today different from what they were 50 years ago for women?
JW: There is no doubt that women (and the men who support them) have made huge strides in the last 50 years. However, some of the pressures still affecting women everywhere are the struggles to protect our civil rights, have access to affordable health care, and getting paid equally in the work force (we STILL make 76 cents to every man’s dollar). There’s also still an expectation that we can (or should) play all of the societal roles from mother to CEO and do it looking like a Super Model! One modern pressure wreaking havoc on women’s self-esteem is the 24/7 media messaging trying to sell women confidence. Bombarding us with imagery about what to wear, what to weigh, and how to act to get love, keep love, or worse – steal love from another woman – as if there isn’t enough love to go around! I often wonder, if we didn’t spend so much time thinking about our bodies and what’s wrong with our lives, how much more we could achieve. 4. How is the media portrayal of body image affecting youn
