April 25, 2010
Media reports often ask a provocative question to get our attention. Sorting through all the endless media clutter makes efforts to get our attention all the more challenging. And if it is a provocative question that got our attention in the first place, well–we’ve all played or heard of the old ‘telephone’ game where a statement that reaches the last person in the party usually is quite different from the statement made by the first person. Shorter. Interpreted through the lens of all the ‘hearers’/listeners along the way to the end… So, do we repeat the provocative question to others and even give it a bit of a twist to make it, well, even more provocative?
As best, I can tell, the question posed in the title of this post emerged from an article that appeared in a Russian news story. Here is the link to the story I found: http://english.pravda.ru/society/family/10-11-2009/110401-mini_skirt-0.
In a nutshell, the article–which has been translated into English so it may include some translation biases–asserts that “Mini-skirts should be worn sensibly.” The physician interviewed in the article says she herself has experience wearing min-skirts and has never experienced health problems as a result. She also goes on to note that mini-skirts can increase the risk for some conditions due to exposure to metal benches, stone steps, or cold weather. Near the end of the article, it is noted that women wearing min-skirts without wearing stockings should not sit down when using mass transportation in order to avoid infections. The article includes the statement that, “In rare cases such carelessness may lead to infertility.” So there is the seed.
In sum, as with using public toilets and any other situation in which we might encounter an infection, taking care to avoid infection is the best path to avoiding illness. In terms of talking about health, track down the source of surprising statements like the question posed here and see what the message might be that could promote our health…
Mind if I use some of the information from this post if I provide a link back to your site?
Excellent site, I’ve been looking around and you have some nice posts in here. Keep it up!
Like pretty much everyone else, the title of this question made me very interested. I would never have thought that wearing a mini-skirt could affect your reproductive health, but maybe I’m not really understanding how “mini” a mini-skirt is. It does make sense now that I think about it that it is the same idea as not sitting on public toilet seats to avoid infection, but as far as reproductive health that still seems absurd. One thing that I have noticed in the health world especially online is the tendency to have catchy titles that quickly inform you that something is not what you thought it was. I think this deals with the concept of uncertainty in health. If we thought we were certain before all of the sudden we are uncertain because something we thought we knew all of the sudden is not that way anymore. It is important that we manage our uncertainty effectively by reading the whole article and not just catchy titles which ironically are probably there to entice us to read the article in the first place (I sincerely doubt that titles like this are meant to spread rumors but instead a valiant effort of authors to get their work read and cared about). When we take the time to educate ourselves with the proper information that will help our health communication skills and hopefully help everyone communicate about public health more effectively.
Seeing the title of this is what drew me to read on, so that even shows that such provocative wording can affect the message drastically, as well as who listens and who doesn’t. I feel that in cases like this it is very important for people to read on instead of saying something like, “Hey I saw online that wearing mini skirts causes health problems!” Which I have heard similar stories very often and when I ask about details they can never tell me, but I think I have Communication 636.01 to thank for that and Ms. Krieger for teaching because I now question a lot of the things I hear and I don’t say anything until I’ve read the entire story! The article that is talked about just sounds like it should be common sense, I mean I feel like a lot of girls would know that if they aren’t wearing stockings they shouldn’t sit in public places because infection could be caused. I guess this is where health literacy comes in and it still blows my mind that not many people know things like this. Just goes to show that doctor patient communication is that much more important!
When I first think about mini – skirts I think of New York or Chicago and the busy works going to and from work. Mini – skirts is a piece of clothing I can honestly say I have never worn and have no desire to wear.
After reading this article, I have to admit, I found it very interesting and funny. I would have never thought that a mini-skirt could possibly lead to reproductive issues. Most American’s I don’t think would believe that it would lead to reproductive issues. I would be interested in looking more into this information to see if it is accurate or a scam.
It is funny how a title can drag you in. I was intrigued by this blog because I had never heard of a mini-skirt affecting female reproductive health, and I wanted to find out more. Although clever, it is misleading. It can cause a lot of false anxiety and confusion. One of the main problems with news and media using titles like this one is what health illiterate people take from away it. Health illiterate people may not realize that just because it is the title, does not mean it is the truth or the real topic of the article. One who is health illiterate could read the article, not be able to fully analyze what it is saying and take whatever they interpreted as the truth. Another problem with news and media is that someone who is health illiterate may not be able to tell if the site is a fraud or not. Anyone can put anything on the internet. If one is health illiterate, I doubt they will know the difference between a website that is fact and a website that is opinion.
There have been many times when I am skimming titles for a good article to read, I see one that looks interesting and click on it – more than often I get some boring article that just knew how to present itself with a good title. I usually stop my reading after I realize it was not what it said it would be. My only concern is, for one who is health illiterate, do they know the difference? An article could end up being harmful instead of just a ‘catchy’ title or a funny article.
I agree with the statements above about this article being related to health literacy and the media. I have been a victim of believing things that the media tells us what we can and cannot do. After a while, I stopped buying into whatever they said; it just seemed like everything (food, medicine, daily routines) were named as a potential danger. I realized that I was being health literate and actually analyzing/researching the content. However, many people lack this ability so they will go on thinking and spreading skewed information. I think that health professionals and campaigns should work with the media on how to transfer these messages in a more beneficial way.
I found it funny that the title of the blog is what initally drew me to read it. This is what happens everyday when the news and the media takes stories and spins them in a way that will produce a profit or encourage people to read on or tune in. To me, this article relates not only to who profits from our health, but also health literacy. Many people could walk away from reading an article like this thinking that mini-skirts cause infertility. I think another disadvantage to headlines like this is that several people will read the headlines, but not read the story. This can be very discouraging when it comes to improving the health literacy of our country.
This question relates well to Chapter 6 of Dr. Parrott’s book, “Talking About Health”. The news and other media outlets target messages to certain populations, and often these messages are made to seem more “sexy” than they really are. I have been a victim of this many times, telling friends about a news story that I heard about someone becoming violently ill after eating a certain food or using a certain cosmetic, only to find out after reading the whole story, that the illness was due to something else entirely. Titles and short media blurbs are frequently spun to grab the attention of viewers as gullible as I was in this situation. This is potentially dangerous, as the media may intentionally take advantage of viewers with low health literacy. It is important for consumers to be careful in the interpretation of health information, especially when it is coming from a media source.