Effects of portrayed beauty from reality television on adolescent and young females
We are all aware that media plays one of the largest roles in transmitting messages regarding society’s standards of physical attractiveness, and reality television is no exception. For nearly 3 decades now, reality television has continued to blossom into an accepted form of entertainment in our homes. We laugh with, cry with, and pose questions about the characters who are portrayed on these shows. Many of these shows appeal to a younger audience, particularly adolescent and young adult females. Because media influences society, there is no doubt that watching reality television and it’s characters impacts those who watch it, but in what ways? Media,
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One particular area of study in this regard is that of self-identity. Psychologist Erik Erikson was a great contributor to the study of identity in the 1960’s, explaining the struggle in adolescence for one to create his or her own identity. Self-identity is how one defines herself, and it forms the basis for self-esteem. The development of a strong and stable sense of self is widely considered to be one of the central tasks during adolescence. Although identity development has the ability to change throughout one's lifetime, adolescence is the first time that individuals begin to think about how their identity may affect their lives (Steinberg, 2008). Considering adolescents and young females have been facing the issue of self-identity and self-esteem for a very long time, when you add the pressures of today’s society, it is very clear that these budding females are overloaded emotionally. It makes sense that a positive self-identity will relate to a positive self-esteem, but when teenagers have yet to grasp their self-identity, they are looking for ways in which they can identify. They turn to peers and the media. In our society today, they will turn to social media and media such as television. The majority of programming geared toward these adolescents today is reality television, so here is where these young females are finding their role models: the people influencing who these teenagers will become and how they will identify themselves. Many of these reality shows are appearance-based, such as “Keeping Up With the Kardasians” or “Jersey Shore.” When we think about these types of reality shows and the portrayal of ideal beauty, it is evident that the depiction is anything but ‘real;’ however, it is difficult for young girls trying to find themselves to see the ‘reality show’ as anything but
Female beauty ideals are an overwhelming force in teen media. Approximately 37% of articles in leading magazines for teen girls emphasize a focus on physical appearance. This is none to surprising considering two of the top contenders in this media genre are Seventeen and Teen Vogue. CosmoGIRL and Elle Girl were among the ranks of popular teen magazines, but in recent years have become exclusively online publications. Add in a dash of publications Tiger Beat and Bop, and it becomes glaringly obvious that girls are charged with the prime directive of looking good to get the guy. The story becomes more disturbing when the actual audience, which includes girls at least as young as eleven years old, is considered. In a stage when girls are trying for the first time to establish their identities, top selling publications are telling them that their exteriors should be their primary concern of focus. Of course, this trend doesn’t stop with magazines. A study conducted in 1996 found a direct correlation between the “amount of time an adolescent watches soaps, movies and music videos” a...
Sipple, L. (2011). The appeal of reality television for teen and pre-teen audiences. Journal of
Reality based television has a broad landscape ranging from competitive game-like shows to programs following the daily lives of a group of people. Every major network now has some form of reality programming because the genre’s shows are high in viewership and require low costs for production. The genre is appealing to viewers because it provides them with a first-hand look into the lives of everyday people, which allows them to observe social behavior that helps them determine what is appropriate or not (Tyree, 2011, p. 397). Since the majority of modern reality stars start out as unknowns, frequent viewers of reality programming believed that fame is obtainable if they appear on a popular show (Mendible, 2004). According to Mendible’s evaluation of the genre in the article Humiliation, Subjectivity, and Reality TV, people enjoy reality programs beca...
The first effect of reality shows is the image it gives viewers. Reality shows give misconceptions of everyday life; the Real World and Jersey Shore show young adults relaxing, having a good time, and partying every day. The...
It’s very easy to take for granted how much we as humans are influenced by the media. We have relied upon the media for years to measure success, beauty and power. Many times, our behaviors are based off of what we consider acceptable, due to the actions of individuals displayed on reality television shows. This is often extremely misleading and misunderstood, causing many to believe in such abnormal ideals.
In today’s society there are many words that are used or said without giving it complete thought. For example, the word “identity” is something to which I have never really given much thought or even considered how I identify myself.
Research shows “that regular readers of fashion and beauty magazines in early adolescence are more likely to suffer from a distorted body image during their teenage years” (“Children, Adolescents and the Media”), when they read beauty magazines they read articles and tips of how to look better and they try to them all to look and feel better about themselves. Research shows that “more than three-quarters of girls repot that television influenced their body image” (Mascarelli). Social media influences how we act and what we do Amanda Swartz once stated “Social media and mass media influence the way we react and interact with our world and potentially influence the perception of our own body image” (Mulliniks). In today’s worlds there are more ways to access websites to promote body image as a positive thing, “On the internet, there are now more than 100 pro anorexia websites that not only encourage disordered eating but offer specific advice on purging, severely restricting calories intake, and exercising excessively” (“Children, Adolescents and the Media”). It’s not a bad thing to eat healthy and work out to be fit and healthy but it’s another thing to eat less and work out excessively. Teens always compare themselves to others, either their peers, models and celebrities, “People are on Facebook or Instagram and they’re constantly comparing themselves to other people” (Mulliniks). Also reality television shows, show only the glamorous about what is happening, like “when teen moms become celebrities, the message to avoid teen pregnancy is lost” (Kroll). When teens watch shows like Teen Mom they don’t see the entire negative about becoming pregnant as a teen they see that the teen mom got famous and is on the show. Social media, media, magazines, and TV give teen’s unrealistical facts about body image, pregnancy and
The media is a fascinating tool; it can deliver entertainment, self-help, intellectual knowledge, information, and a variety of other positive influences; however, despite its advances for the good of our society is has a particular blemish in its physique that targets young women. This blemish is seen in the unrealistic body images that it presents, and the inconsiderate method of delivery that forces its audience into interest and attendance. Women are bombarded with messages from every media source to change their bodies, buy specific products and redefine their opinion of beauty to the point where it becomes not only a psychological disease, but a physical one as well.
To begin, social media has created unrealistic standards for young people, especially females. Being bombarded by pictures of females wearing bikinis or minimal clothing that exemplifies their “perfect” bodies, squatting an unimaginable amount of weight at a gym while being gawked at by the opposite sex or of supermodels posing with some of life’s most desirable things has created a standard that many young people feel they need to live up to. If this standard isn’t reached, then it is assumed that they themselves are not living up to the norms or the “standards” and then therefore, they are not beautiful. The article Culture, Beauty and Therapeutic Alliance discusses the way in which females are bombarded with media messages star...
I can recall a time when the media was influencing my life and actions. The week after I graduated high school, my girlfriends and I took a trip to Cancun, Mexico, where the MTV beach house was located that summer. As I look back on the week of drunken partying and sexy guys, I can only wonder how I made it home alive. How could any young woman find this behavior acceptable? Every young woman there was flaunting their bodies to the young men around them. They were proud to be sexual objects. Where did they learn such debauchery? This is the kind of woman that is portrayed throughout MTV and various other aspects of the media. They have even coined the term “midriff”—the highly sexual character pitched at teenage girls that increasingly populates today’s television shows—in order to hook the teen customer. Teenage women increasingly look to the media to provide them with a ready-made identity predicated on today’s version of what’s “cool.” The media is always telling us that we are not thin enough, we’re not pretty enough, we don’t have the right friends, or we have the wrong friends… we’re losers unless we’re cool. We must follow their example and show as much skin as possible. The type of imagery depicted by MTV-- as well as people like Howard Stern, the famous “Girls Gone Wild” videos, and various Hip Hop songs—glorifies sex and the provocative woman.
This is the disadvantage girls experience in the world. Society is playing tug-of-war with girls across America. Since social media sites like Instagram and Snapchat have become popular, the American society has established the ideal girl: model size and height, fair skin, a small nose, thin lips, and bone straight hair. These features and others are accepted widely throughout America. The people in the limelight, who claim to be role models for young girls and teens, embrace and promote these ideals by engaging in provocative behavior clearly showing girls that their self-worth depends on others’ opinions. Stars encourage body shaming by physically altering their bodies through botox, plastic surgery, and surgical implants. One of Hollywood’s most prominent characters, Kim Kardashian, exemplifies and enforces this behavior by wearing revealing clothing and posing for inappropriate pictures. I suggest people remember, especially those whom have captivated the media’s attention, actions speak louder than words. So...what are we saying to young
In American culture today, society's view of beauty is controlled by Hollywood, where celebrities are constantly in the lime-light. The media watches Hollywood's every move, and is quick to ridicule “A-listers” whenever they dare to gain a few pounds or to let an uncontrollable pimple show. The media has created a grossly distorted mental image of what should be considered beautiful, and with almost every junior high and high school-age girl reading and viewing this message, the idea has been instilled in them as well. This view of beauty is causing many teenage girls to become obsessed with a highly problematic and unattainable goal of perfection.
When people think of entertainment, media influence often comes to mind. Reality TV stars and celebrities alike have been placed in limelight acting as role models to not only the youth, but society as a whole. This is an example of the negative influences that entertainment can have as it leads people to hold unrealistic standards and expectations for themselves and others. Some may feel that the entertainment industry makes glamourizes immoral behaviors, making them look fun and harmless. The focus on fitting in and on appearance in the entertainment business have heavily impacted the way our society is today, by promoting the need to be a certain way, both in physical physique and behavior. In fact, people who are considered more attractive, or that fit the molds commonly shown to us, have an easier time obtaining jobs and have access to a broader s...
“Real To Me: Girls and Reality TV.” www.girlscouts.org Girl Scout Research Institute, 2011. Web. 29. Nov. 2013.
If one asked “What is media literacy?” a majority of people would be puzzled. Some would say that it is the ‘written’ part of media that is not usually seen or a written layout of how media should be produced. The bulk of people would say they have no idea what media literacy is. People in today’s society should be informed about media literacy. Society should be informed of what media literacy exactly is and how it applies to the field of communications.