The Adverse Effects of Advertising on Women

The Adverse Effects of Advertising on Women

Stacey was tall, blonde, tan, and slender. However beauty was not her only attribute. In addition to being voted Homecoming queen our senior year of high school, she was both a straight-A student and the President of our class. She was a strong leader who enjoyed having fun like any other girl her age. Yet in between the jokes and fun that most friends have, she was always talking about going to the gym or counting calories. Despite my constant reassurances that she was beautiful the way she was, she never felt adequate. In Stacey’s eyes nothing less than perfect would do. She believed that there was an ideal image that she had to obtain in order to be considered attractive. After trying diet after diet and joining several health programs, Stacey’s waistline finally began to get smaller; the compliments only made her want to lose more. As time went on, it was clear that her health was beginning to suffer. Her eyes had a more sunken appearance, and her once toned body looked unnaturally bony. Gradually, Stacey was starving herself.

An average American will see hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of advertisements on a day-to-day basis, which attempt to manipulate impressionable minds into a new way of living. Advertisements may be good sources of information about new or revised products, but at what cost? The barrage of slender woman with perfect skin and hair emits the idea that there is such a thing as a perfect woman. The actresses, musicians, and models in these ads create a warped sense of beauty, which in turn affects women’s self-perception. Yet this goddess-like image is exactly what advertisers rely upon in order to continue their revenue. D...

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...sion ads may not be real, but the affects that they have on women are. From discouragement and sadness to depression and diseases, forms of false advertising oftentimes have a negative impact on the morale of the American people, including Stacey, whose battle with anorexia continues. The saddest part of the whole scenario is that things could be different if advertisers were to put a little of their greed aside in lieu of the unique charisma of people by putting models of all shapes, sizes, and varieties in their ads. After all, who defines the normal woman anyway?

Works Cited

Greg Apodaca “Greg’s Digital Archive” Greg Apodaca’s Website. September 22, 2003.

National Institute of Mental Health “Depression” Publication No. 02-3561 (2000).