Margarita Danielyants

Zack De Piero
Writing 2
5.4.15
WP2: Body Image
Body image is a topic that has been in the center of numerous discussions, studies, and
articles. As a fairly sensitive subject that has been somewhat controversial for quite a while now,
it is fairly easy for people to get access to readings regarding body image issues in todays
society. I will specifically be focusing on three pieces of writing on the topic of body image
two scholarly works. One is titled titled Sociocultural and Individual Psychological Predictors
of Body Image in Young Girls: A prospective study, and the other is Body Image in Children and
Adolescents: Where Do we Go from Here? taken from a peer reviewed journal that publishes
scientific articles on body image and human physical appearance. As well as a mainstream
article from BBC titled Does Social Media Impact on Body Image?
Based on the attributes associated with each genre, it is fairly manageable to distinguish
between works that falls into each category, scholarly or not. With the presence of various
writing components that set a frame for a genre, one topic can be read and understood from
different viewpoints and educational backgrounds. The quirks and personalizations authors use
also play a significant role their presence enriches the writing and helps guide readers to the
point.
To be considered a scholarly text, a piece of work must have specific conventions and
rhetorical features. . Clark and Tiggemanns work for example, has elements such as an abstract,
methods, materials, and results section, as well as statistics and tables, all of which are typical for
scientific studies. Each of the sections has a specific purpose such as summarizing the purpose
and backstory of the study, how it was conducted, or what the researchers found. Other

components of the study papers discussed that fall into the conventions is the inclusion of charts,
which appeared several times during my analysis of them, as well as a references section at the
end of each paper.
According to Kerry Dirk, genres often have formulaic features, but these features can
change even as the nature of the genre remain(Dirk, pg 253). With that being said, one can see
that although the features in Jillian Crolls excerpt follow those of an academic writing piece,
they are not quite identical to those of Clark and Tiggemann. It is written more like a journal
entry -- provided to be more educational to the general public on the topic of body image issues
in adolescents for concerned parents. The author makes use of numerous bullet points to list
statistics and even goes as far as to include questionnaires and tips for the concerned parents.
Such aids make understanding the written information easier for the targeted audience.
Regardless of differences, both scholarly texts share more in common than one would
think. Both are written using formal language. Both are academic pieces of writing produced for
a narrow crowd of people, more specifically those who are interested in the role body image
plays on children and adolescents. Another similarity found in one and the other is that both are
divided into sections and subtopics. While Clark and Tiggemanns study is divided into portions
like method and results, Kroll used contributing factors and screening/assessment to
organize her writing. The division can be viewed as an organizational tactic incorporated into the
writing to make it easier for readers to move through the paper, or save time when looking for
specific information.
In contrast to the two previously mentions writing works, the non-scholarly article posted
on BBCs website provides a different outlook on the topic of body image. The author is
particularly focusing on the experience of a girl by the name of Kelsey. The article contains bold

texts often associated with online articles, and pictures, which in this case are of people in
various degrees of happiness. Such features are common in online articles often present to keep
readers engaged, and accentuate certain points of whatever the article might be about.
As far as moves go, Roxby frequently uses quotes straight form the storyteller to describe
Kelseys situation to the reader. She also made this piece of writing more informative with the
occasional input or statistic from reliable sources such as researchers or parliamentary group
members. By doing so, she geared the article toward a broader range of people because
evidently, it is posted on a website accessible to all. That is further complemented by a more
informal use of language and references to popular culture.
The BBC article encompasses the same idea about body image anxieties as do the
scholarly articles, but the authors moves do not correlate with them. The language Philippa
Roxby uses is informal. She does so in an attempt to make the reading easier to understand for
the public. She uses pop culture references, slang and colloquial terms to enliven her argument.
Other than the actual content of her text, Roxby also structured her writing in a certain way. She
used many quotes, and broke her writing up into numerous small paragraphs, none of which
were longer than two sentences. That is fairly important because as said before, since audience
demographics are wide, keeping the writing straightforward and simple.
The writing in Body Image and Adolescents differs quite a lot in comparison to Roxbys
article. The writer uses more jargon, described in the class reading Style in Arguments as the
special vocabulary of members of a profession, trade, or field (Lunsford, pg. 310). The author,
being a licensed dietitian makes valid points and still manages to avoid alienating readers who
dont recognize technical words or acronyms (Lunsford, pg. 310) even though she does use
jargon. That is because her writing is geared towards concerned adults, and not necessarily her

contemporaries. In her writing we can also find a stern, serious tone, while still maintaining a
professional attitude that carries across credibility and trustworthiness for the readers. She also
provides tips and reassuring messages for the parents. For example, she states things like
Empower youth and parents by providing them with accurate information regarding healthy
eating (Croll, pg 162), therefore motivating her readers.
The moves encountered in the writing pieces vary from author to author. Another clear
example of that are the moves and style of the psychology research paper mentioned in the
beginning of this essay. It is written in a very formal, professional way. The writers did not use
any colloquial language because this piece of writing is not geared toward the general public. It
is a quite lengthy piece compared to the previous two articles, and is fairly complex in content.
Often times there are equations and formulas being shown, with comparisons between subject
studies, which appear in the frequent charts and tables.
When it comes to comparing non-academic pieces against scholarly texts, there will
always be certain drawbacks pertaining to each one. Non-academic pieces will usually be easier
for a large group of people to read and comprehend, and they are more accessible to the general
public, so anyone who desires to is able to read the pieces. Scholarly texts however do have the
advantage of being more credible, seeing as that actual researchers and scientists who have a
credible background write them. Considering those factors, the audience who will find each
piece of writing effective will certainly be different. People of a more scientific background will
clearly find academic articles much more persuasive than simple articles posted online, whereas
the general public might consider both just as persuasive because they can find credibility in
either source.

As far as the overall effectiveness goes, the numerical and research-based content of
academic writing pieces definitely contribute a whole lot. Unfortunately, those pieces tend to
lack in figurative warmth towards the reader that non-academic articles tend to have. This
warmth often draws in audience or gives them something to relate to while reading the pieces.
The overall effectiveness of a genre is determined by multiple factors. And just like any
piece of writing, each one is going to have certain things that either add to the persuasiveness or
subtract from it, which is why sometimes it is hard to determine which one is more effective. I
think effectiveness of a genre is determined by the situation it is used under, which is why both
non-academic articles and scholarly pieces can find a correct place anywhere.