Many media activists argue that producers should be called to account, and that images of women should be forced to be more realistic.
Some producers have taken the lead. In the late 1990s, cereal giant Kellogg released an ad campaign for Special K which used pictures of older and larger women, and copy such as "the Ashantis of Ghana think a woman's body gets more attractive as she ages. Please contact your travel agent for the next available flight." The ads attracted such positive attention that in 1999 they were followed up by a TV campaign.
Teen magazines are also getting a makeover. Although stories about "The perfect boyfriend—three ways to find him" continue to grace the cover of magazines like Cosmo Girl, the features inside are expanding beyond the requisite beauty tips and fashion spreads. In 2002, the Christian Science Monitor reported that teen mags were running stories about homeless teens, a young female Palestinian suicide bomber, and an actress who refused to lose weight to get a movie role.
Christina Kelly, editor of YM, made headlines when she announced that the magazine would no longer run stories on dieting and would include pictures of bigger models. Media activist Jean Kilbourne applauded the move, saying, "Any magazine that purports to be for girls and young women, dieting has no place in it. This is a step in the right direction... It would be wonderful if some other magazine editors would be equally as courageous."
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