Mass Media Essay

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Recommended: How has womens body image been affected by media

Once upon a time, before the development and the advertising aspect of magazines, film, television, and the Internet, women were surprisingly admired for their natural bodies. Renaissance women were considered perfect for having a voluptuous body, and natural beauty without the emphasis of makeup was encouraged. However, this standard of beauty drastically changed over the next several hundred years, focusing on highlighting a full figure with flawless skin promoted by the movie star, Marilyn Monroe in the 1940s, and then in the 1980s, women were expected to maintain a toned body, without looking too muscular. Now in the new 21st century women are encouraged to live up to a thin body shape and partake in the world of beauty merchandise. These recent unrealistic standards of beauty and physical ideals deemed by the over-powering influence of the mass media have reflected deeply on the growing negative body image disorders women has developed in order to reach this perfection.
In the 21st century, as one of the most influential mass medias, television takes part in a major role in American society, where about “2.24 number of TV sets are in the average U.S. household, and about 99% of households has at least one television” (Herr). Everyday millions of TV viewers are exposed to hundreds of different television shows on different networks that influence the women audience’s choices, feelings, and self-esteem. One television show in particular, on the Entertainment Network negatively affects females’ perspective on their own body image more than any other television show. Without watching more than 5 minutes of TV show, The Fashion Police, hosted by Joan Rivers you realize that this weekly news talk show that discusses the latest re...

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...can be answered by the use of specific products.
Mass media is the main cause of the negativity women feels when they come across impractical principles of beauty that advertisements promote, however the mass media could also be women’s savior. It’s up to the commercial advertising business to rattle this world of perfection, and start supporting all different body types, sizes and shapes and every women’s natural beauty. Put an end to TV shows that insult other people based on their looks and weight, replace ridiculously skinny models with average size women on billboards, and stop the brainwashing of women and the beauty products they so desperately need in order to feel good enough. If we don’t start changing the way women feel about their selves, I have a bad idea of what the daughters of our generation are going to look like and feel several years from now.

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