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Lili Reinhart’s Speech on True BeautyMackenzie HineWest Chester UniversityLili Reinhart’s Speech on True BeautyIntroductionAccording to Schultz (2015), “89 percent of American women are unhappy with their current weight, and 39 percent say worrying about the number on the scale or what goes into their mouth interferes with their happiness.” Body images portrayed in the media are interfering with women’s confidence across the globe. To help raise awareness against this battle, on November 11, 2018 Glamour hosted its third annual Women of the Year Summit in New York City. This conference celebrated the strength of women as well as motivating women to embrace all flaws that make them beautiful. Glamour focuses on inspiring all women to feel confident in their own skin, despite what the media portrays as beautiful. This event is linked with companies such as Aerie and Nordstrom Rack and strives for showing ordinary people that models have imperfections as well. Instead of editing their flaws, these companies embrace the beauty behind stretch marks, cellulite, scars, and even disabilities. On this exact date, Lili Reinhart, an American actress, was selected as a guest speaker to raise the confidence of women that interacted with her powerful message. Reinhart is associated with the television show Riverdale and a selection of movies as well. She has won several Teen Choice Awards and has been nominees for other awards. Reinhart used her celebrity status to speak out against how the media traps our minds into believing in unrealistic body goals. As Glamour (2018) mentions, the reason Reinhart was selected to give this speech was because of her rising fame. In addition, she has experienced body dysmorphia, and is known as an advocate against the disorder. Reinhart achieved her goal by using personal stories of how the industry she works in lowers her confidence. After viewing Lili Reinhart’s speech on body images, I have created a rhetorical criticism essay that proves that Reinhart used the Neo-Aristotelian method to increase the effectiveness of the intended speech. In this essay, I will first analyze how the rhetorical situation that includes exigence, audience, and constraints can be applied to Lili Reinhart’s speech. In addition, I will mention scholarly articles that prove the claim that women who view models result in lower self-esteem which effects the way they see themselves. Next, I will uncover the history of the Neo-Aristotelian Criticism Method. Moreover, I will explain how the canons of rhetoric can be applied to Reinhart’s speech and how they increased the persuasion within her message. Lastly, I will conclude my research of how the media shapes girls and women to believe in unrealistic body goals.We live in a society where almost everything we see within the media, has multiple filters that distorts the natural picture we see. The media portrays beauty in unrealistic ways, which causes individuals to feel insecure about their body, no matter their shape or size. Reinhart decided to stand up against the media industry and explain how all imperfections should be embraced. Exigence is when an incident creates an urge that demands a response. Since the media is filled with impractical goals for ordinary people to follow, she decided to use her credibility to speak out against the industry. The media causes her and numerous others to feel insecure about their body because of all the plastic surgery, filters, and edits that go into perfecting icons. Reinhart gave this speech in front of every individual that came to the Glamour 2018 Summit. However, since this speech was posted on Glamour’s YouTube channel, the purpose of this speech has reached more than 1.3million views from individuals around the globe. The audience included children, adolescents, ordinary women, and a list of female celebrities. Other people within the mass media industry supported Reinhart’s speech and continue to support the movement of strong modern women. The speaker concluded, by giving the audience motivation to express their flaws because it is how they were genetically created. Reinhart faced multiple constraints during her 2018 speech regarding body images. Since she is considered a new face within the media, she must be careful of what she says. Since she does not have the same status as other popular actresses, she could face trouble within the media if she says the wrong things. In addition, this speech is intended for girls and women regardless of age. She must use appropriate language because a child or even a senior citizen could be listening. Furthermore, individuals who struggle with their body image may have depression, anorexia, bulimia, and even body dysmorphia. These disorders are crucial, and Reinhart must not joke around about these topics. Moreover, since this speech is designed to empower all women of shapes and colors, she must not discriminate against any woman. Also, since the goal of this speech is to influence women to embrace their flaws, she cannot speak negatively about certain imperfections. In addition, she must not tell individuals that they cannot wear makeup or even receive plastic surgery if they wish. Everyone has a right to do what they wish to their body. However, the importance of her speech is to allow women to feel comfortable within their own skin and find a balance between natural and glamour if they choose. Literature ReviewAccording to scholar Tiggemann (2014), “There is increasingly convincing evidence that media-promoted unrealistic thin ideals are associated with detrimental effects on women and girls' moods, body image, and eating patterns” (p. 127). There are several common themes which appear among women who frequently access images within the media. Individuals who interact with images in the media tend to follow the social comparison theory. This theory states that individuals tend to compare themselves to others. “Exposure to thin ideal media images produces upward social comparison that then results in body dissatisfaction” (Tiggemann, 2014). When women compare their natural bodies to women in the media, they forget about the edits that go into perfecting models. Women start to become obsessed with unrealistic goals because of the media they interact with. As Tiggemann (2014) mentions, when women set unrealistic goals for themselves it lowers their self-esteem and increases the chance of these women being interested in cosmetic enhancements. This scholar continues to mention how a study was done that involved girls and women looking at other women in swimsuits. Some pictures gave factual information such as “these models are underweight” and other pictures had no information. It was in fact that, that the photographs with factual evidence, “did result in lower negative body perceptions than a warning or no label” (p. 131). When women are given proof, they are not as harsh on themselves compared to when there is no information given. In addition, according to Preston and Ura (2015), they created a study based on the relationship between body image, low self-esteem, and appearance avoidance (p. 20). To conduct this experiment, they selected 500 women models to wear unique clothing and participate in social activities (p. 15). Before they conducted the study, they predicted each topic was interdependent. According to these scholars, “Results showed that both body image and self-esteem had significant influence on appearance avoidance” (p. 20). This article included many graphics that showed the reality of body images. When a model did not feel comfortable wearing certain clothing or participating in a certain activity, her self-esteem decreased which decreased her opinion on her body image. In addition, when the models had low self-esteem, they avoided looking at themselves in the mirror (p. 22). This study was particularly important to Reinhart’s speech because when women look at other women in the media, their self-esteem demolishes. When women have very little self- esteem, they are extremely tough on themselves and believe their body does not follow the definition of beautiful. Lastly, according to scholar Van (2012), “Furthermore, social/environmental influences and self-esteem are the strongest indicators of body dissatisfaction” (p. 41). This article focuses on the cultivation theory revolving around the media and self-esteem. “The cultivation theory is defined as the independent contributions television viewing makes to viewer conceptions of social reality” (p. 43). That is, the more that someone engages in a certain action the higher the possibility they will repeat the action. As Van (2012) mentions, “The more “thin ideal” images women observe, the more accessible these images become” (p. 43). In addition, the positive thoughts with being thin also turn into a repetitive thought. However, Van (2014) states, during this time, more negative associations with unfit people are mentally stored, and is why women believe they need to change their bodies to be skinnier and look fit (pg. 44). Women start to believe the skinnier they are the healthier they are, but, most of the models are underweight. MethodFor this mini-analysis I will be using the Neo-Aristotelian method. As Foss (2018) mentions, this method is known to be used when analyzing speeches (p. 32). This method was first outlined in 1925 by Herbert A. Wichelns. Since then, multiple individuals have challenged this method and is the reason why Neo-Aristotelian is not widely used today. This method includes five important canons that stem from classical rhetoric, which are invention, arrangement, style, delivery, and memory. The first canon invention deals with creating your argument and speech. Next, arrangement is the structure of the artifact. In addition, style includes the language found within the artifact. Furthermore, delivery involves all nonverbal elements which create the speech. Lastly, memory is the ability to remember your speech (p. 32-35). However, memory is not a canon that was found within Reinhart’s speech about body images since she was reading from a script. These canons impact the way the audience will make sense of the speech.AnalysisInventionThe invention canon includes the artistic proofs created by Aristotle known as ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos refers to the speaker’s credibility, competence, trustworthiness, and goodwill. Within Reinhart’s speech regarding body images, these features are established. Since she has won several awards the audience already assumes she is credible and competent. In addition, she shares personal stories about working in the media industry. She mentions, “I did not think anything was wrong with my body, until I was in an industry that rewards and praises people for having a smaller waist than I will ever have” (GLAMOUR, 2018). The audience assumes she is competent and trusts her since she has first-hand experience working in the media industry that causes so many women to be insecure. When she shares personal stories, women feel like they can connect with her through similar situations, which increases their trust in her. She mentioned, “I caught myself examining my body constantly in the mirror, sometimes thinking everything is fine, and then I would go back a couple hours later and would think my stomach would look completely different” (GLAMOUR, 2018). For her to announce her insecurities out loud showcases her goodwill. Furthermore, pathos, which revolves around emotions is found within this speech. Reinhart wants every woman who is listening to her speech to feel confident and shamelessness. Within the middle of her speech she states, “How ridiculous is it that we even think about explaining the natures of our bodies to people, so they do not judge us” (GLAMOUR, 2018). This exact quote explains that women should not consider having to apologize for not meeting the medias beauty standards. Women should not be shameful in the genetic body they were created to have. Reinhart states, “We are told to alter ourselves in order to be beautiful. We are conditioned to feel ashamed or embarrassed about certain parts of ourselves” (GLAMOUR. 2018). This quote proves that because of what we see in the media and internet, individuals believe they must modify their body to live up to the expectations created from the media. Reinhart wants listeners to understand that we should not be shameful in our bodies just because they do not match the models on Vogue. She explicitly mentions, “We are all imperfectly beautiful, so let’s embrace it. Natural beauty does not exclude anyone. There is no fine print. You can be naturally beautiful with acne or scars, cellulite or curves.” (GLAMOUR, 2018). Reinhart is speaking from her heart, and truly wants women to feel proud of their body. She wants everyone listening to be happy of the body they were born with, because it makes them unique. She continues to motivate women to take pride in their flaws and have confidence because it leads to the movement of strong modern women. Reinhart mentions, “We need to change it ourselves, showing what is real with no filter and certainly with no shame. With doing so, we are helping the movement of strong modern women when we show the parts of ourselves that we have been told forever to hide” (GLAMOUR, 2018). This was a powerful quote within the speech because many women feel like they should hide their flaws because of the misrepresentation of reality within the media. The last component of invention is logos which includes sounds reasoning and logic. Logos can be presented in facts and narratives. According to Foss (2018) mentions, “ Narratives organize and shape the stimuli of our experience so that we can make sense of the people, places, events, and actions we encounter in our lives” (p.319). In addition, narrative rationality has two important components, coherence and fidelity. Coherence relates to how consistent the story is and if the listeners can easily understand it. However, fidelity involves if a story holds true to the audience (p. 337). Reinhart is successful while using narratives to persuade her audience into accepting flaws because each story includes good persuasive information as well as mirroring reality. Reinhart stresses the importance that what individuals see within the media is presented with multiple filters. She mentions, “Do not set impossible goals of meeting those fake standards” (GLAMOUR, 2018). This quote directly tells the audience that what we view in the media cannot be changed naturally. All the shapes of bodies we praise require plastic surgery, filters, and edits. In addition, she shares multiple narratives throughout the speech. She lets the audience know that she suffers from what she views in the media, but she continues to love every edge of her body. Sharing personal narratives makes it easier for the listeners to relate to what they hear. When individuals can relate to a speech, they are more likely to be persuaded by the speaker. In this case, if the audience can relate to Reinhart’s narratives, they may take her advice on how to fight media beauty standards. Logos can also be presented in forms of enthymemes. Enthymemes are truncated syllogisms that are missing certain parts. Reinhart mentions, “People told me that I didn’t have the right to talk about being self-conscious about my body because I was skinny” (GLAMOUR, 2018). This quote would be considered the conclusion in an enthymeme. The major and minor premises are left out and require the audience’s participation to understand her quote. This enthymeme is important because no matter an individual’s body type, they are still negatively influenced by the media. Most of the time, people assume only individuals’ overweight are unhappy with their body image. However, Reinhart proves that even skinny people are upset with their image. The media has trapped healthy individuals to believe they are not beautiful enough because of the photoshop that goes into the media. This enthymeme is the reason women need to stop comparing themselves to the unrealistic shapes they see in the media. If more women start to love their curves, the strong modern women movement will continue to soar. ArrangementThe next canon is known as arrangement. This is how the speech is organized. Normally, a speech starts with an attention getter. Reinhart opened her speech with stating, “We exist in a world today where everything can be faked or fixed. Noses can be changed, and stomachs can be tightened, and cellulite can be lasered away, apparently” (GLAMOUR, 2018). This opening proved Reinhart was not going to sugarcoat the truth of how the media shows us fake representations of what they call natural. The introduction of this speech revolves around explaining how we are not born with insecurities, we are told to be insecure about our bodies. She continues with explaining parts of her body that she struggles with. The main body of this speech does not have a distinct organizational style. For instance, Reinhart jumps around from talking about the present to bringing up her past. In addition, she will randomly offer solutions to how she deals with her insecurities. Not every speech is organized in an exact method, but still leads to a positive conclusion. This speech concludes with Reinhart mentioning, “So let’s celebrate each other, and ourselves, as we are, as we will be, and as we were meant to be. Unique. Imperfect. Beautiful. And so incredibly powerful" (GLAMOUR, 2018). This was an influential ending to remind each woman to love their body despite what the media portrays. StyleFurthermore, another important canon is known as style. The style of a speech is related to the word choice and figures of speech. For the most part, Reinhart’s speech is formatted in the simple style. Her speech is presented in the way individuals normally talk. She does not use phrases or words that are considered out of the usual. The importance of the simple style she uses allows her to connect with the audience more. It allows the audience to forget that she’s a celebrity and focus on the similarities they share when referencing the media. Moreover, alliteration can be found in this speech. Reinhart mentions, “From a young age we are unknowingly being trained by magazines, marketing, and all forms of media into thinking that having cellulite or not wearing makeup is worthy of being publicly shamed” (GLAMOUR, 2018). Alliteration is found within this quote with mentioning magazines, marketing, and all forms of media. In addition, antithesis is found within this quote, “Somedays I feel strong and confident, and sometimes I’m sucked into the rabbit hole of awful comments” (GLAMOUR, 2018). This quote shows the contrasting ideas that Reinhart feels. Using different figures of speech catches the audience’s attention and keeps them entertained. Reinhart’s speech was filled with figures of speech. Without these stylistic elements, her speech would have appeared dull and may not have influenced as many people as it did. DeliveryThe last canon found within Reinhart’s speech is delivery. This feature includes the nonverbal elements of speech and how speakers say their words. Throughout the whole speech, Reinhart for the most part, has a very mellow tone of voice. She tends to project her voice on topics she cares about. Her voice becomes louder when she mentions how ridiculous it is to explain your body to others. In addition, when she pronounces the word “beautiful” she stresses it which makes it louder. Delivery also refers to a speaker’s posture on stage. During the whole speech, Reinhart had great posture with her shoulders back and holding her head up high. Also, she walked around the stage instead of just standing in an exact location. While she was moving around, she made sure to make eye contact with all viewers in the audience. Lastly, she did not have a paper script, but she did have the script on large televisions that allowed her to remember the major points she wanted to mention. ConclusionIn conclusion, Lili Reinhart’s speech on body images can be analyzed deeper than the message she hopes to send. This speech was a perfect example of how the Neo-Aristotelian method includes several canons to allows artifacts to be most effective. Reinhart successfully reached her goal of persuading the audience to embrace their flaws and change the culturally determined definition of flaws. Our culture sees stretch marks, cellulite, scars, and acne as flaws, but it is how we were genetically created as Reinhart mentions. Reinhart believes we should not live our life in hiding, just because our bodies do not match the models in the media. In fact, the models themselves do not match the image we see in photographs because of the filters, edits, and plastic surgery that goes into making a model flaw-free. Instead of having the media filled with unrealistic goals, companies like Glamour are working to incorporate models that mirror ordinary individuals. When a viewer can feel connected with someone they see in the media, it creates a powerful bond of satisfaction. In addition, having the media bursting with realistic images will give more women confidence. Similarly, to the scholarly articles I mentioned in the literature review, self-esteem, body image, and appearance avoidance are interdependent and positively correlated. If a woman feels confident, she will have a positive body image, and be more willing to look at her reflection. Having confident women leads to the Strong Modern Women Movement several companies are striving to create. With that said, my rhetorical criticism essay based on Lili Reinhart’s speech regarding body images is significant because it opens the doors to a successful future revolving around confident and happy women. As Reinhart mentions, “There is a massive, worldwide community of women who are rooting for beauty to be recognized in every shape and color that we come in. Events like this Glamour Summit are a part of that movement” (GLAMOUR, 2018). ReferencesFoss, S. K. (2018). Rhetorical criticism: Exploration and practice (5th ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland. GLAMOUR. (2018, November 11). Lili Reinhart’s revealing speech about body image [Video file]. Retrieved from Glamour. (2018, November 11). The biggest movements from Glamour’s 2018 women of the year summit. Retrieved from Preston, K., & Ura, M. (2015). The influence of thin-ideal internalization on women’s body image, self-esteem, and appearance avoidance: Covariance structure analysis. American Communication Journal, 17(2), 15-16.Schultz, R. (2015, August 24). 89 percent of American women are unhappy with their weight, here’s how to change that. Shape. Retrieved from Tiggemann, M. (2014). The status of media effects on body image research: Commentary on articles in the themed issue on body image and media. Media Psychology, 17(2), 127-133. Van, K. (2012). Media effects on body image: Examining media exposure in the broader context on internal and other social factors. American Communication Journal, 14(2) 41-57. ................
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