What began for Kaitlyn Blasko ’23 as a classroom project in Turner Hall led to an opportunity for her to share published research at an international conference in Denver.
Appears InBlasko, who graduated last spring with a bachelor’s degree in fashion design and merchandising, presented “Media Portrayal of Female Characteristics Within Disney Movies Influencing Children’s Body Image” at the 2022 International Textile and Apparel Association Research Conference. The study focused on how female characters in animated Disney movies influence children’s body image.
The research was the outgrowth of a course assignment from Dr. Ui-Jeen Yu, professor of fashion design and merchandising. Blasko’s research group examined key female characters in 30 Disney films, comparing those made before 2012—the inception of the body positivity movement and its advocacy for more realistic depictions of people’s bodies in fashion and media—with those produced afterward.
“We wanted to do before 2012 because we thought that more Disney characters were the ideal body type that people actually wanted to see versus what reality is,” Blasko said. “And then after 2012, we assumed there would be a change for Disney. But we noticed that not a lot has changed.
“What we learned was that Disney actually is causing problems with how children see themselves. When I was younger, I thought, ‘Princesses are really pretty, and my goal is to look like that.’ And as I was talking to other classmates about it, and other people who came to the (University Research) Symposium, and then who I met in Denver at the conference, they also thought the same thing. And I didn’t realize how much it affected people. So, this research was a big deal to us.”
The conference offered Blasko the opportunity to meet fellow researchers and share her work with an international audience. Her trip was made possible, in part, by a relatively new funding program started by Illinois State’s Office of Student Research (OSR).
Since fall 2021, the office has distributed $300 travel grants to 57 graduate and undergraduate students.
“The grant 100% got me to the conference,” Blasko said. “I’m an undergrad student; I don’t make much money. Getting the grant was amazing because when I got to the conference I was relaxed and I got to do what I enjoyed, which was presenting this research.”
Any student accepted to present their research or creative work at a conference or juried exhibition is eligible to apply for the grants. Although the OSR Travel grant is limited to $300, students may combine that money with conference travel funding offered through other campus units, said OSR Director Dr. Gina Hunter.
“A key part of the research process is dissemination. And they get that opportunity through the University Research Symposium, which is a great opportunity on campus to do that,” Hunter said. “But a key aspect of presenting off campus is socialization into a professional environment. It is really important to see how professionals behave; to see the kinds of questions that people ask; and to meet researchers, students, and professionals from other environments.”
To qualify for the grant, students must have their projects signed off by a faculty mentor. Blasko credited Yu with making her opportunity possible.
“She is a great mentor. When she first heard about our research in the class, she definitely wanted us to submit it to this big conference,” Blasko said. “She worked with us endlessly on making sure the abstract was correct so that we would get accepted into this.”
An OSR travel grant also helped pay for Robby Anggriawan’s trip last year to Bethesda, Maryland, for the 45th annual Fulbright Conference. Anggriawan is a doctoral student from Indonesia who earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction in 2020 while on a Fulbright scholarship at Illinois State. He presented the research poster “Teachers in the Educational Overseas: Stress, Burnout, and Resilience During and After COVID-19.”
Anggriawan interviewed four Fulbright Scholars from the United States and four from Indonesia to see how the pandemic disrupted their experience teaching abroad.
“That was really interesting because both (groups were) feeling similar things,” Anggriawan said. “Everything at that time was still uncertain.” They had to deal with changing regulations, confusion, and loneliness. The Fulbright experience was totally different than what they expected, but still the underlying value of the program—deepening the mutual understanding between their home and host countries—remained, according to Anggriawan.
Anggriawan said his research could help future Fulbright Scholars by showing them the importance of networking and knowing and following the rules, especially during tumultuous times.
At the conference, Anggriawan said he benefited from meeting Fulbright Scholars from around the world, including researchers from Ghana and the Middle East, with whom he plans to collaborate on future research.
Blasko also made important professional connections at her conference, in the technical fashion design field she planned to enter after graduation. “Meeting all these people was a great experience, and it’ll help me in the future.”
Apply for Office of Student Research Travel Funds.
