Idealized Body and Social Media

On Tumblr there is a group of people called the "wannabe depressed". They post black and white pictures with a quote of misunderstood turmoil. This i... ... middle of paper ... ...e seeing pictures of models reduced the adverse effect of the media. At home, mothers need to have more talks with their daughters about body image. When mothers exercise obsessively, diet constantly, or make derogatory comments about their own appearance it influences the daughter because mothers are the most influential role model for most girls.

Everywhere you turn we are bombarded with unattainable images which models are manipulated in some cases.” (StudyMode.com). Through these quotations, it is shown how the media portrays how a girl should look, otherwise they are not considered to be beautiful. These constant pressures and ideas come from media sources such as; television shows, beauty commercials, and popular advertisements. According to Why Do ... ... middle of paper ... ...ly being exposed to the “ideal” body image. As a result, this leads to a negative outlook of a girl’s body image.

Media depicts women as ultra thin actresses and models, with this came an increase in women's concerns with their bodies. As teens grow up watching these images and depictions of women, they idolize them as something that they want to turn into. “The sexualization of girls and women in the media is a growing concern” said Emma Stydahar “It creates a limiting idea of beauty in our society.”(Nackman) We idolize these women that have been continually photo shopped and done up as if they were dolls. Teen girls are being continually subjected to magazine articles telling them that they should not be happy with themselves and to change their appearance. The media has changed the way women are now seen by both women and men alike.

This image forces us to have self esteem issues.These advertisements are damaging both our mental and physical state of being Many young girls who take extreme measures to live up to the Medias perception of the perfect body type are more likely to develop one of the many body image disorders. The average age a girl starts to diet is eight ("Media and Eating Disorders" 1). When a girl becomes obsessed with dieting and looking better, they can easily become anorexic or bulimic. 79% of teenage girls who vomit are dedicated readers of woman's magazines ("Media and Eating Disorders" 2). The Medias standard of perfection puts stress and pressure on young girls to become skinner.

Furthermore, these same girls are resorting to extreme methods in order to feel like they fit in such as taking unhealthy weight loss pills and developing eating disorders. Advertising has caused more harm than good in this particular situation by compelling girls to feel like they cannot be themselves. Even fashion trends have added to this downfall of women’s individualism. Teenage girls feel the need to match the current fashion trend, no matter how expensive, just so they can feel the same as everybody else. As Andrew Delbanco explains in his work, The Real American Dream, consumer culture has the power to “evacuate the self” (105).

Consequently, the media, and the distorted images they parade, is causing women and adolescents to become dissatisfied with their bodies. Women and adolescents girls are spending endless time and money, desperately, to get this look that the media has portrayed to be perfect. However, not only is the media using advanced technology to distort the images we see, they are also distorting our minds which is causing bodily dissatisfaction. The extent that women and adolescent girls place on themselves and their bodies to attain perfection can cause massive stress and can be a risk to health. Some studies show that eating disorders arise from characteristics such as neurobiology, genetics, personality traits, and personal environment.

Media makes minors believe that in order to fit into society, they must become "thinner" or "prettier". Magazines, articles, and television all coercion teens to be concerned about their body image, but it is not even real. The actors and actresses are photoshopped and modified into an image that is impossible to become. Also, almost 80% of women say that they feel insecure with their own self image due to the images of celebrities and models on television (“Media Influence”). Media has not only had its effect on women, but on men as well.

They have playboy models advertising for cars, boats and body lotion. They use a women’s body to advertise for their products. The media doe... ... middle of paper ... ... they need to resolve, like the depression of not being happy with themselves. Of going through many procedures to make them look “thin” or “ordinary” because they can no longer be happy with themselves because of the media’s interference with adolescent girls images. Anorexia and bulimia are one of the main causes along with the media as to why adolescent girls are always slightly underweight and devastating skinny.

These false images cause severe consequences in young women’s physical and emotional aspects, negatively effecting how they perceive themselves. Today’s media images in advertising and magazines give young women a false and inadequate view of self body image. Dove’s Model to Billboard Campaign Video and Time Lapse Photoshop video represent the negative effects the media has on body image all across the country. Media’s images play with young girls insecurities and make them feel like they need to look like the woman in the picture. Dove’s Model to Billboard Campaign video and Time Lapse Photoshop demonstrate the process of creating the “perfect woman.” The videos show the editing process companies use in order to create a picture of a young woman who all other women will strive to look like.

The media projects images of unrealistic women who only look the way they do because of plastic surgery or airbrushing techniques. The media has much greater effects on young girls than anything else in our culture today. Our society has created an environment so obsessed with image that those who have the power give disapproval for being overweight, and give approval for being thin. This has created a generation of women so self conscious about their body that it starts to affect their health in many different ways. Where Portrayal Starts On average, boys and girls spend anywhere from two to six hours a day being exposed to television, the internet, magazine articles, video games, and so on.