Unrealistic Body Image

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Recommended: How media has affected body image over the years

“Talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does” - DOVE Campaign for Real Beauty
People need to be informed on an issue in light of the fact that unrealistic beauty standards, set by the society, are harmful and can cause a “schema that combines three fundamental components: the idealization of slenderness; an irrational fear of fat; and a belief that weight is a central determinant of one’s identity” (Lintott 67). Our society promotes a specific body image as being attractive: being thin. It is represented throughout mass media, both in the physical and online worlds. The media exposes society with unrealistic body types, pushing individuals, especially women, to look like them. Today, negative body image encourages women to engage …show more content…

These factors end up resulting in serious eating disorders. Today, there is an increasing rate of eating disorders than there used to be. The eating disorder symptoms are becoming more common among young women. It is alarming to think that eating disorders and detrimental dieting has become normalized in our society. The two authors, Ninoska DeBraganza and Heather A. Hausenblas, in their article, “Media Exposure of the Ideal Physique on Women's Body Dissatisfaction and Mood”, looks at how the media make women judge their bodies. They argue that “the encouragement of thinness leads to eating disorders within young women and there is a strong connection between the media and advertising (DeBraganza 709). In addition, they continue by stating that, “advertisements and images of women” are taken in ways that inspire female audiences to “follow a specific mindset when looking at other women and themselves” (DeBraganza …show more content…

The optimal beauty has been revealed through an assortment of body types; however, Fiona MacCallum notes in her article, “Altered Images: Understanding the Influence of Unrealistic images and Beauty Aspirations”, that the thin ideal has been a “sign of femininity,” stressing women to display a specific body figure (MacCallum 6). This ideal has ended up influencing women to lose weight since the 1800’s, and today, models are much thinner. In 1980, “a fashion model was 8% thinner than the average woman. In 2015, that percentage has risen to 23%” (MacCallum 7). In the current society, agencies are actively seeking out thin

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