This study assesses the effectiveness of media literacy in the college classroom by comparing two modalities of learning, watching a video versus reading a text. The research questions guiding this project are: as teachers can we facilitate critical awareness among our students in order to alter the way women appropriate media images to evaluate themselves and others? As educators, can we intervene in the "recruitment process" (Brumberg (2002) phase of eating disorders thus reducing unrealistic body images based upon media imagery? For this study, two specific measures of student learning were used: 1) students' retention of specific factual information and 2) affective changes in students' current body images and ideal body images. Seventy-five, female college students participated in the experimental conditions by either watching a video (Kilbourne, 1995) or reading an article (Kilbourne, 1994) on the relationship between media images and eating disorders. The findings suggest that both text and video are equally useful pedagogical tools for teaching students about specific content information. Furthermore, the video produced a positive affective change in the current body image. This study suggests that even limited exposure to critical media analysis in the college classroom enhances student learning with regard to body image. (Contains 3 tables.)