emPOWERme. tv is hosting a very special discussion with JAM Films and Natural Models LA to talk about how the media impacts our perceptions of beauty, self-worth and what is normal. JAM Films has created a documentary called “False Advertising” due out next year interviewing young women from LA about their perceptions of ideal beauty, dieting, Photoshop and the media. The goal of their documentary is to stimulate critical thinking about the media and how our society defines what is beautiful. Natural Models LA was founded by Katie Halchishick and Bradford Wilcox. Katie became a plus-sized model at age 17. After meeting Bradford, a personal trainer, she lost 50 pounds. She found herself having difficulty finding work as she didn’t fit into the plus-sized or straight-sized categories anymore. She and Bradford decided to open Natural Models LA and to create the campaign Healthy is the New Skinny to change the way the industry views body image. Natural values models and their natural build and body size and encourage models to find a healthy balance in life and in their bodies. In this panel, we will be showing excerpts from the documentary “False Advertising” and chatting with the filmmakers, the women interviewed in the documentary and models from Natural Models LA about how media changes our ideas of beauty.
