The Media’s Influence on Body Image Everybody is born to be different. Therefore shouldn’t we all have a different perspective on what is “beautiful”? Our body is what makes us who we are and a person different from everyone else. At one point or another, we have all looked in the mirror and wish to change the way we look. Why can’t we be happy with the way we look? Many believe that the media is to blame. Unattainable ideals of beauty presented in the media are creating problems in society. The messages that media sends out to viewers are setting unrealistic standards for both men and women; this is causing emotional and physical problems for people. To help end this problem, advertisers and the fashion industry should make an effort to …show more content…
And whether we know it or not, the media exposes us to so many images that are “perfected” with the help of technology. Most of the pictures we view in the media of these perfect people are either use of models and actresses that are underweight or close to it, or by making the models and actresses fit their idea of ideal thinness and beauty through digital manipulation. But do we really understand how serious this issue is? These photos are changed to fit unrealistic ideals. These unrealistic ideals that we see are so hard to maintain and achieve, causing problems all across the world. Why does the media continuously send out these unhealthy standards to us? The media industry as a whole is a multibillion dollar industry, and the fact that people are constantly being told that they need to look better, feeds into the bottom line of these industries selling the perfect image. Sad but a person will spend endless dollars on trying to perfect themselves, the companies that create the fantasy of the ideal female body, just keep getting …show more content…
The media illustrates these standards through the models we see every day. For females the body image is very slim but curvy and an importance on having large breasts; however, for men the standards are to be tall, and trim but muscular and toned. Wither many people realize this or not, this problem has been going on for decades. The media’s idealized portrayals of beauty have always placed standards for people. In 1920s they idolized the female body as being narrow hipped and flat-chested. Over time a new image was valued, in the 1950s there was emphasizes on proportioned hips and breasts. Icons that were portrayed changed over the years; for example first, Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth to 1950s icons Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield, then to 1960s stars such as Ann-Margret and Raquel Welch. The 1960s made a mark of a new beginning of new body image trend. The new body image was popularized by the English model and actress, known as Twiggy. Twiggy was about 5’8” tall, and weight almost 90 pounds. This had made a significant difference to the 1950s beauties because they were about 5’6” and 120 to 130 pounds. Ever since Twiggy’s trademark still to this day set a body image standard for women which is unhealthy and unrealistic. Standards of beauty are being imposed on women as well as
We hear sayings everyday such as “Looks don’t matter; beauty is only skin-deep”, yet we live in a decade that contradicts this very notion. If looks don’t matter, then why are so many women harming themselves because they are not satisfied with how they look? If looks don’t matter, then why is the media using airbrushing to hide any flaws that one has? This is because with the media establishing unattainable standards for body perfection, American Women have taken drastic measures to live up to these impractical societal expectations. “The ‘body image’ construct tends to comprise a mixture of self-perceptions, ideas and feelings about one’s physical attributes. It is linked to self-esteem and to the individual’s emotional stability” (Wykes 2). As portrayed throughout all aspects of our media, whether it is through the television, Internet, or social media, we are exploited to a look that we wish we could have; a toned body, long legs, and nicely delineated six-pack abs. Our society promotes a body image that is “beautiful” and a far cry from the average woman’s size 12, not 2. The effects are overwhelming and we need to make more suitable changes as a way to help women not feel the need to live up to these unrealistic standards that have been self-imposed throughout our society.
Beauty is a cruel mistress. Every day, Americans are bombarded by images of flawless women with perfect hair and smooth skin, tiny waists and generous busts. They are presented to us draped in designer clothing, looking sultry or perky or anywhere in between. And although the picture itself is alluring, the reality behind the visage is much more sinister. They are representations of beauty ideals, sirens that silently screech “this is what a woman is supposed to look like!” Through means of media distribution and physical alteration, technology has created unrealistic beauty ideals, resulting in distorted female body images.
The media has created an obsession with perfection through the use of technology by digitally enhancing still and moving images of models, music artists, athletes and actors. From enlarging muscles and breast to erasing wrinkles and slimming waists, airbrushing has been constantly used to influence unobtainable idealistic goals of perfection for our younger generations. We need to correct the media’s warped portrayal of beauty in the minds of our young people through education, because it is helping contribute toward encouraging low self-esteem and low self-worth in our young people. “Many studies have found that exposure to certain stimuli through the media can lead to body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and thin-idealization in certain individuals” (Cohen, 2006, pg 15). These portrayals contribute toward poor body image and eating disorders, which contribute toward self-injury and suicide rates in our younger generations.
Researchers have used various abstract foundations for examining the relationship between media and body image ( Holmstrom, 2004). Here I review the theory that has been used by researcher in the area. Bandura’s Social cognitive theory (1994) assumed that “people learn and model the behaviors of attractive others”. The supporters of this theory suggest that young women find slim models in the media attractive and try to imitate them through dieting which leads them to eating disorders.
The media has had an increasingly destructive effect on young people who are becoming worryingly obsessed with their body image. The media is saturated in sexual imagery in which young people have to face every day. The sheer volume of sexual imagery in the media today has resulted in the vast majority of young people to become hooked on looking as near to perfection everyday by using the latest products and buying the latest fashions. This used to be enough but lately the next step to achieving perfection is cosmetic surgery. Everyone wants to look attractive, especially teenagers who are not only put under massive strain to succeed but to look beautiful and climb the ranks of the social ladder, and it seems that the only way to achieve the much desired beauty is to turn to drastic measures.
While women have made significant advances over the past decades, the culture at large never fails to place a strong emphasis on the way women look. The new standards for beauty are ultimately causing dramatic influences on adolescent females and their body image. Anyone who is familiar with American culture knows that these new standards for beauty is proliferated through the media. No matter the source, we are constantly surrounded by all kinds of media, and we continue to construct ourselves based on the images we see through the media. The more young girls are surrounded by the “thin ideal” kind of media, the more they will continue to be dissatisfied with their bodies and themselves. Thi...
One's body is what makes us who we are. Every single person is unique due to an individual physical trait. Even though everyone has an opinion about what his or her perfect body would be, changing one's personal features would take away from individuality. I personally would never have plastic surgery because when I look at myself, I do not see a tall, skinny young man with a funny looking nose and big "bug" eyes, rather I see a beautifully sculpted masterpiece that God has made just for me. I take pride in the fact that there is no one else on this earth exactly like me. Not just my inner beauty, but my outer beauty makes me different from everyone else. Life would be so boring if everyone looked exactly the same. I personally could not be more content and happy with my body image. What’s body image? Body image is how people picture themselves and how they think other people picture them. It is basically how you feel about your body, and it includes your perception, imagination, emotions, and physical sensations. Mass media has been able to shape popular culture and often influence public opinion. However, when abused, the power of media can harm the general population. Images portrayed by the media tend to make people strive to be someone else's idea of perfect while subconsciously ignoring their own goals. Stereotypes formed by the media that include thin, tanned women, and wealthy, muscular men have led to a decline in self-acceptance. The majority of media today often present the perfect body to the public, hoping that consumers will strive to achieve fitness using a certain product or idea. While this form of advertising may somewhat increases a product's market share, many people suffer from inner conflicts as a result of f...
The media is constantly showing one body image calling it perfect and it’s an impossible goal to reach. As you just read the media alters every image it sets out thus the video released on YouTube showing a model posing and then getting a total makeover digitally making her perfect in the medias eyes and how that can affect the way a woman thinks and how they feel of their body making our minds our own worst disorders for example anorexia
Media has a negative impact on females’ body image by promoting artificial beauty. Women often become dissatisfied with their bodies, which cause them to develop eating disorders. Body image affects a woman’s perceptions and feelings about their physical appearance when looking in the mirror. The media portrays unrealistic beauty of women who are thin with perfect hair and make-up. Many women who expose themselves to the unrealistic standards of the media often idealize, covet, and become very insecure. The many women who do not expose themselves would influence others to perceive their physical appearances as beautiful. “Many popular magazines for females tell women to focus on their physical, outer attributes (i.e. body shape, muscle tone, bone structure, hair, makeup, clothing, etc.) and rarely mention the importance of being smart, sophisticated, funny and/or possessing many other positive attributes that have nothing to do with physical attributes” (Sparhawk 1). Obviously, the media’s representation of the thin ideal connects to the majority of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. In other words, the media’s use of unrealistic women sends a hidden message that in order for women to be beautiful they must be unhealthy. The importance of physical appearance is encouraged at an early development for most girls. For these reasons, the connection between media and body image is very important because low body image will lead to eating disorders and potentially death.
...ese images but it is awareness that society should be promoting. In 2009 in Europe, French Parliament member Valerie Boyer suggested that all published images that are digitally enhanced - including advertisements - come with a warning label that reads, “Retouched photograph aimed at changing a person’s physical appearance.” If they fail to do so they will be fined up to 50 percent of the cost of the publicity campaign in question. America should be creating a proactive movement that will bring teens and adults in society up to par on what is going and informing them of how they can change how they view their images. Like cigarettes, advertisements with false images should be given a warning label. Essentially, these industries should be creating an encouraging message to their viewers to provide a healthier outlook about size, beauty, and weight.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In our society today, people would rather see what celebrities are up to than what is going on with our health plan. Watching the news makes us aware of the latest trend, new gadget, who’s in rehab, or who has an eating disorder. In the eyes of society, women like Eva Longoria, Kim Kardashian, and Megan Fox are the epitome of perfection. What girl wouldn’t want to look like them? Unfortunately, this includes most of the girls in the US. Through TV shows, commercials, magazines or any form of advertising, the media enforces a certain body type which women emulate. The media has created a puissant social system where everyone must obtain a thin waist and large breasts. As a society, we are so image obsessed with the approval of being thin and disapproval of being overweight, that it is affecting the health of most women. Women much rather try to fit the social acceptance of being thin by focusing on unrealistic body images which causes them to have lower self esteem and are more likely to fall prey to eating disorders, The media has a dangerous influence on the women’s health in the United States.
In modern society there is more and more digital editing without the knowledge of consumers. Currently there are various reasons for why women develop negative body image, low-self-esteem and eating disorders. According to Naomi Wolf in her novel “Beauty Myth”, one of the many reasons women obtain concerns with their bodies is due to the universal images of young female bodies presented through advertisements in fashion magazines. Advertisements in magazines are altering and shaping the desires of men and women. Magazines sell viewers images of beautiful, skinny, flawless confident young women. When people are constantly antagonized with the magazine industry’s ideal of “perfect beauty” the viewer’s then, subconsciously believe these images to be true and begin to form biases about what they themselves should look like and what other people must also look like. People who view magazines get mislead by advertisers because they are unaware that all the images displayed are digitally altered through Photoshop and airbrushing. Today’s magazines are formed completely on false ideals of flawless beauty and unattainable body images, to prevent women and men from falling victim to the magazine’s deceitful images we as a society need to become aware and educate ourselves.
According to Maggie Shiffrar, Ph.D., body dissatisfaction is defined as “a negative subjective evaluation of the weight and shape of one's own body.” Body dissatisfaction develops in both men and women. In an article written by Christopher J Ferguson, women experience more dissatisfaction with their bodies than men. Men suffer from muscular dissatisfaction, whereas women suffer from weight dissatisfaction. This article deems the media as one of the explanations for why this occurs. Women who already suffer from body dissatisfaction are more likely to experience negative outcomes when exposed to the models in fashion
The media have been criticized for portraying the thin women as “ideal” .This research plans to look at the effects of media on the body image of women. This cumulates the findings of empirical studies that observe the effects of media on body image. This study will also look at the different social comparison theories that relate media and body image. It will also investigate the different sources of media that have an impact on the body image of women. It also scopes to find out which sources have a greater consequence than the others. Furthermore it also researches about how the women could be prevented from comparing their body image from that of the models and actresses portrayed in the media.
Susan Bordo states in her article “Never Just Pictures”, that children grow up knowing that they can never be thin enough. They are thought that being fat is the worst thing ever. The ones responsible for this are the media, celebrities, models, and fashion designers. All of these factors play a big role on the development of the standard and how people view themselves. Everyone at one dreams about being the best they can in any aspect. But to achieve that most believe that one of the big factors is outer beauty. So people look at celebrities and fashion designers, and believe that to be accepted they have to look like them. That’s when they take drastic measures to change their appearance because they’ve been influenced by the Medias idea of “beautiful.” This feeling mostly happens in women but in recent years the gender gap has become smaller. Now men also feel the need to look good because of the media. On the TV, instead of having infomercials ...