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Effect of media on people's idea of beauty/body image
Effect of media on people's idea of beauty/body image
Effect of media on people's idea of beauty/body image
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An Ethnic Perspective on Beauty “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” a phrase that everyone has heard of at one point in his or her life. Walk by a cashier aisle in a supermarket and a there will be magazines shouting “How to lose 30 pounds in one month!” “Buff up with this weird new workout routine!”. “Fashion that’ll slim you down!” and the like. Is the concept of beauty and ugly really homogeneous, or does it vary? Is it just weight that’s considered? Exploring different ethnic groups prove that what one person thinks is beautiful may or may not be the same as the next person. (The article will mainly be focused on the women though, since their “worth” is judged more on their appearances than men. It will also be rather general on each ethnicity.) Caucasians Glowing caramel tan on flawless skin, voluptuous breasts and butt on a stick-thin model, long lashes, silky hair with volume, 5’7 or taller, white perfectly aligned teeth under big lips, a hairless body, and on top of all that the latest fashion produced by designer brands that leave little to the imagination. That’s the American beauty perception for women in a nutshell. Men? Biceps, broad shoulders, large chest, six-pack abs, whatever screams manly and won’t scare off the ladies. However there young girls who go crazy over pretty, metrosexual boys nowadays. At least these beauty standards are possible to belong to different races. As expected of the melting pot America is. The average man and woman aren’t as dolled up as Ken or Barbie, hence the word “average”. The obesity rate caused by easily accessible calories doesn’t help the pressure felt by Americans to be thin either, though is it actually thin that’s desired? The reason female models are so slender is becaus... ... middle of paper ... ...ne guy could prefer breasts on his woman while his best friend could like bums. Maybe neither at all and would rather hold a girl that would make him feel manly (without lecherous intent). Flawless skin does appear to be universally desirable, but because of almost impossibility, plenty of people wouldn’t mind settling for someone with a few scars. At the end of the day, these are all just statistics that only reach skin-deep, although there are always exceptions. Some people actually find comfort in changing their bodies as a form of art and expression. It makes them more confident and they are treated differently (Standen, Par 9). Humans have emotions, thoughts, talents, and flaws. There are billions of people on this planet with deep pasts, presents, and futures. This is only the surface, and evolution is inevitable. What is in now may not be fashionable later.
There is a famous saying that states, “ we should not judge a book by its cover”, but oftentimes the first thing noticed on a person is their looks. One’s “physical beauty” strongly influences people’s first impressions of them. As a whole, we tend to assume that pretty people are more likeable and better people than those who are unattractive. Around the world, we believe that what is beautiful is good. There is a general consensus within a culture about what is considered physically appealing and beautiful. “Physical beauty” is associated with being more sociable, intelligent, and even socially skilled. Society shares this common notion of who has and who does not have “physical beauty”. Thus, “physical beauty”, as seen
The ideal female beauty in American culture is predominately white (Bankhead & Johnson, 2014). Throughout U.S history, women’s mainstream beauty ideal has been historically based on white standards such as having blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin, a thin ideal body, straight hair, and thin lips (West, 1995; Yamamiya, Cash, Melynk, Posavac, & Posavac, 2005; Leslie, 1995). Therefore, the features of African American women tend to be viewed as undesirable and unattractive compared to the European standards of beauty (Awad, Norwood, Taylor, Martinez, McClain, Jones, Holman, & Hilliard, 2014). According to Ashe (1995), “African beauty, body and hair have been racialized, with slim/”keen” European features being the accepted standard of beauty since enslaved Africans was forcefully brought to the Americas.” The physical characteristics of Black women such as having broad noses, brown skin, full lips, large buttocks and course hair has been looked down upon throughout United States history (Byrd & Tharps, 2001). In effect, the standard of beauty of European features that were forced on slaves are internalized and currently seen in the standard of beauty of African Americans (A.A) (Chapman, 2007). These standards include African Americans perceiving light-skinned as being more favorable than dark-skinned (Maddox & Gray, 2002; Perdue, Young, Balam,
“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart” (Kahlil). People focus more on the outward appearance instead of the inward appearance. One’s inward appearance is comprised of their character, values, morals, and the true nature of their heart. On the other hand, the outward appearance is composed of one’s dress and grooming. The inward and outward appearance determines whether or not a person is ugly or beautiful. The choices that we make also define whether or not one is ugly or beautiful; choices made in the past can sometimes be repeated in the future.
Many women believe that the models that they see on TV have typical bodies, when in fact "the ideal body type today is unattainable by most women, even if they starve themselves. Only the thinnest 5% of women in a normal weight distribution approximate this ideal, which thus excludes 95% of American women" (Fallon, Katzman, Wooley 396). And yet "more than half of the adult women in the United States are currently dieting, and over three-fourths of normal-weight American women think they are too fat'" (qtd. in Fallon, Katzman, Wooley 396).
The concept of beauty is a subject society speaks on through many channels. Social media plays a tremendous role in how society measures beauty and how to achieve these impossible standards. People from all walks of life have become obsessed with the idea of beauty and achieving the highest level it. In many cases, those who do not meet societal views of what is “beautiful” can become very resentful to these predisposed notions of beauty. David Akst in his writing “What Meets the Eye”, is bitter toward women and their ongoing obsession with beauty.
The models and celebrities in the media that set the standard for what women should look like are thinner than 90-95 percent of the American female population (Seid p.6). This is an unrealistic portrayal of what the human body should look like when compared to most women’s genetic makeup. Women’s self-image, their social and economic success, and even their survival can still be determined largely by their beauty (Seid p.5). Men on the other hand seem to have it a little easier when it comes to looks. Their self-image is largely determined by what they accomplish in life and not by whether or not they meet the social standard for looks. Modern clothing and fashion require women to show off their bodies more in tight clothes and by showing more skin than in the past. According to Roberta Seid ...
The concept of beauty and racism in modern western society is held to the highest of standards for all of it’s members; including celebrities. The perfect woman is described by Odette (2013), as solely for men’s pleasure and domination. If we look on the cover of any popular magazine, the women are usually: light skinned, slender, and tall. Men on the other hand must be tall and powerfully built. Our culture is valued on the basis of how men and women are perceived by their image, making it impossible for the average man or women to achieve the high beauty standard expected in society. Celebrities play an influential role in the way people view themselves, making the need to look like our favourite celebrities all the more desired. A person's
One way the world encourages conformity is through society's beauty standards. “Considering the vast diversity in this world and the countless cultures it contains, one would expect that surely there must be different culturally dependent standards of beauty” (Brichacek). However, Brichacek researched examining the physical attractiveness of the female body often uses the
...th the modern era defining beautiful as having less weight. (WiseGeek, n.d.) Another argument is that thin is a feminist issue and they just use this as a headline grabber because 39.4 million of Americans suffer from obesity and the British NHS survey of Disordered Eating noted 620 hospital treatments for anorexia or bulimia (with some patients registered twice or more) for 2005 to 2006 as opposed to 17,458 for the same period for obesity. They also argue that more material is being saved when models are thinner and clothes look more elegant and drapes effortlessly on skinnier models. Most models and designers argue that models are not supposed to eat and they are meant to be skinny to sell more clothes or make them look more appealing.
Although many women say that they go thru this procedures because it’s something that they truly want for themselves, there has to be some kind of background on why a women wants to change a certain part of their body. Like in my previous example, breast. Women aren’t just born hating their breast, it isn’t until they start associating with society, reading into the beauty standards, or someone put them down about a certain aspect of themselves that they start creating an image of what they believe that they should look like, leading them to this altering procedures for their
Although our diverse, multicultural society has become much more accepting of physical differences; those associated with ethnicity: an inmate sense of beauty, as well as an ingrained notion of attractiveness, defines the most desirable qualities in a lot of human beings. In reference, “Measuring up to the cultural idea of beauty has become necessary in this competitive, media-saturated world, especially for those in certain occupations.” As soon as the hair turns gray, the likelihood of getting a pink slip or being overlooked for a promotion increases. In the mindset of the man, competition among other men to date the most beautiful women, vice-versa, is quite common. Studies have shown time and time again that individuals tend to choose mates based on how attractive they are, or how they perceive themselves to be. Social scientists attribute much of this behavior to genetics, evolution, and the need to carry on the human race. Looks matter in the first stage of the competition, and attractiveness is a matter of survival, especially for women (Driscoll, Sally). Our society 's preoccupation with youth, beauty, and fitness affects each person differently. Some are oblivious, while others count every new wrinkle or wince every ounce gained. For most individuals body image plays a huge role in self-esteem and helps define others sense of self. Plastic surgeons state
Studies have shown that the average American woman is 5'4" tall, and weighs 166 lbs. In comparison, the average model is 5'10" tall and weighs only 107 lbs (Lutz). Also that “only 3 to 5 percent of all American women can achieve the physical appearance of a ‘real’ fashion model” (Lutz). These are what we are comparing ourselves to relating to appearance. This looks like an issue.
There has been an ongoing dispute concerning the media's perception of how people are supposed to look. It seems that every year, the expectations of looking thin becomes harder and harder to meet. I know this from a personal experience of my own. A few years ago, I would look in magazines and see girls wearing size one or size two clothes. By look at this at least once every month, I started to feel that I was inadequate and I had to loose weight. Unfortunately, I took my dieting to far and over used diet pills. Because of my abuse to the pills, I almost became addicted and that's when I realized how distorted the media's idea of looking good was. Fortunately there are numerous amounts of people that agree with me. This would include a woman writer, Susan Bordo, who wrote about the media's ideas of being thin, and how she thinks that they are wrong
There are over seven billion people on earth and every single one looks different. No matter how much people say that being different is unique, they are wrong. Society has set a beauty standard, with the help of the media and celebrities, that makes people question their looks. This standard is just a definition of what society considers being “beautiful.” This idea is one that mostly everyone knows about and can relate to. No one on this planet is exactly the same, but people still feel the need to meet this standard. Everyone has two sides to them; there is the one that says “you are perfect just the way you are”, while the other side puts you down and you tell yourself “I have to change, I have to fit in.” There is always going to be that side that cares and the one that doesn’t.
Throughout history there have been many claims about what is beautiful and what is not on the face and body. America’s idea of beauty in the past changed many times from the fragileness of the Steel-engraving lady to the voluptuousness of the Greek slave. The ideal beauty in America is not so different from the ideal beauty of cultures around the world and follows many of the traditions practiced throughout history. The widespread of advertisement and technology is something that’s said to be the contributing problem to the ideal women phenomenon, but I believe history and trend plays the bigger role.