Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Media influence on body image
Impact of media on negative body image of women
Women and body image in the media
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Media influence on body image
Redefining the Definition of a “***Flawless” Body In today’s day and age positive body image is an important factor to maintain, not only for the physical wellbeing of a person but also because it can determine the mental state and wellbeing of a person. Primarily us women are more subject to maintain and acquiring a “body” that can be acceptable in society. Women are subjected to social injustice on a daily basis about their bodies and what their ideal body should be. Such an “ideal” body can include almost impossible proportions and weight goals. Ideal body proportions, weight and features are demonstrated through media. The desire of an ideal body distorts positive body image and creates a desire to change, especially among young women. Businesses and corporations benefit through this insecurity and desire. One way we can see how businesses benefit from the insecurities of us women is to look at Pilisuk’s theories about the networks of power as well as how big corporations manipulate power and will. Media is essentially a business of advertisement. Through media and business, young women are exposed to the “ideal body type.” This body type includes a flat stomach, thin arms, a large bust, slim waist, and large backside. A face is idyllic with a thin nose, sharp eyebrows, high cheekbones and thick lips. The lead actress of most movies matches this “ideal body type.” This body type is exemplified through media outlets such as magazines, television shows, celebrity shots, blogs, and photography as well as through society’s desired image of a woman. It is shown that through achieving these proportions we will attain happiness and social acceptance. This creates a negative body image among most young woman. The negative body imag... ... middle of paper ... ...Billion in 2007.” Examhealth.com. ExamHealth. 19 April 2007. Web. 2 March 2014. “How Much Does Beyoncé Weigh?” hellobeautiful.com. Interactive One. 28 June 2012. Web. 15 March 2014. Kirby Iona, Watkins Jade. “Beyoncé is thinner than ever…” Dailymail.co.uk. Associated Newspapers ltd. 4 Feb. 2014. Web. 15 March 2014. “Liposuction.” Plasticsurgery.org. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. n.d. Web. 4 March 2014. Miller, Philip. “Liposuction Statistics.” drphilipmiller.com. Dr. Philip Miller. n.d. Web. 4 March 2014. Pilisuk, Marc. “[CN]Chapter 5: [CN] Networks of Power.” Who Benefits from Global Violence and War: Uncovering a Destructive System. With Jennifer Achord Rountree. Westport: Praeger Security International, an imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., 2008. Print. “The Dove® Campaign for Real Beauty”. Dove.us. Dove. n.d. Web. 16 March 2014.
.... N. p.. Web. The Web. The Web. 14 Jan 2014.
... The. Web. The Web. The Web. 5 March 2014.
n.p.. 28 Jan. 2014. Web. The Web. The Web. 08 Feb. 2014.
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.
Society is obsessed with fitness and weight loss. Ever since I was in sixth grade I have had issues with my weight and self-image. The article “Fat Is a Feminist Issue”, by Susie OrBach focuses on how our society puts this unrealistic image of what women should look like into everyone’s heads. The media and magazines urge women to conform, at any cost, into a constantly changing expectation of what is beautiful. Women are taught to look at themselves from an outside view, to be a sex image for men and fuel the diet and fashion industries. Society thinks if women do not fit within the unrealistic image something is wrong with them. The highly glorified concept of beauty marketed by the media contributes to the concern over body image that causes many women, including myself, to eating disorders and poor self-image.
I chose to read the book titled “Understanding the Causes of Negative Body Image” by Barbara Moe because I plan on focusing my research paper on how the media has strong control over women’s development of self-esteem and body image. The message that the media is sending creates the context within which people learn to value size and shape of their body.
Some may say that the media does not have much of a substantial influence on young adults, but some at risk teens have cited that their reasoning behind their development of eating disorders are in response to the many adverts and images that are represented in social media culture. The media in today’s society continuously advocates images of falsely induced perfection women all around the world. The industry that controls what people see on television and in advertisements knows that only a small percentage of average individuals possess these attributes or fit their set high standard of beauty. The idea that one can never be “too rich”, or “too thin” is prevalent in the media as well as in most media oriented images. Social media’s use of unrealistic models send an implicit message, that in order for a woman to be considered up to an acceptable standard, they must be in some sense of the word unhealthy, most people who are being portrayed in advertisements are well below the range of being considered healthy. To understand the reasoning behind why women and even men take this idea of body image to extremes, the term body image needs to be examined. Body image is how an individual feels when they look in the mirror or when they picture themselves in their own mind. It encompasses it what some one believes about their own appearance (including memories, assumptions, and generalizations). Never showing goals or putting emphasize on education or academic achievements. Objectifying the body and making it seem as though appearance is the only achievement to be set in one’s life place little room is placed on young men and women to have more focus on more educational goals.
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.
Dittmar, Helga. "How Do "body Perfect" Ideals in the Media Have a Negative Impact on Body Image and Behaviors? Factors and Processes Related to Self and Identity." : Sussex Research Online. N.p, 6 Feb. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.
... The. Web. The Web. The Web. November 22, 2013.
Web. The Web. The Web. 14 May 2014. Stanley, Jay.
Web. The Web. The Web. 19 February 2014. Rowan Cris.