Article Analysis: How the Media Keeps Us Hung Up on Body Image by Shari Graydon

1259 Words3 Pages

Everyone care about beauty and media comes in the way to for its interest by using body image as a tool which only exists in people’s mind. It is unbelievable that how media is blamed for its actions. In the article, “How the Media Keeps Us Hung Up on Body Image” by Shari Graydon, the author claims that women are suffering from unhealthy and harmful disorders due to media influence. As strength, Graydon raises the attention of the readers by giving information on how media is affecting women through the usage of celebrities, professionals and researches’ data. However, Graydon’s argument unpersuasive because the author uses radical evidences to manipulate the readers, also blames only to the media regardless of other factors and the solutions to protect the people against the media are ineffective. The first weakness in Graydon’s article is using unusual evidences and manipulating the information to persuade the readers towards blaming the media. Graydon raises the readers’ attention by using evidences of models and celebrities deaths, data from research studies and Television shows. Graydon uses examples of celebrities and models that died from cosmetic surgeries and eating disorders as stories to engage the readers and make them believe that media is harmful. However, there are many problems with the use of such evidences. First the examples of models do not represent ordinary women. Instead the examples are extremes cases of women whose main job which is to be concerned with their appearance. In addition, these models need to have such thin bodies in order to have a successful career. Their deaths may be related to their jobs, but not to the influence of media. Also, the author uses research studi... ... middle of paper ... ...rs such as genetic, environment, family and friend could have applied on development of body image furthermore Graydon’s solutions are ineffective since such solutions will not be useful. (1,409 words) Work Cited Derenne, Jennifer L., and Eugene V. Beresin. “Body Image, Media, and Eating Disorders.” Academic Psychiatry 30. 3 (2006): 257-261. Print. Graydon, Shari. “How the Media Keeps us Hung Up on Body Image.” Herizons Summer. 2008: 17-19. Print. Honigman, Roberta, and David J. Castle. “The Looks Heritage.” Living With Your Looks. Australia: UWA Publishing, 2007. 1-10. Print. Tiggemann, Marika. “Media Influences on Body Image Development.” Body Image: A Handbook of Theory, Research & Clinical Practice. Ed. Thomas F. Cash and Thomas Prunzinsky. New York: The Guildford Press, 2002. 91-97. Print.

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