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Influence of self image by media
Body image issues in society
How hollywood influenced fashion
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Recommended: Influence of self image by media
The media tends to promote thinness, flawless skin, hair and labels it as "ideal."
This constant fixation on physical perfection has created unreasonable beauty standards for women, ones we cannot possibly achieve on our own. Such standards permeate all forms of popular media, particularly fashion magazines and advertisements. Women are bombarded with the notion that we must be thin in order to be desirable. These images project an
Media telling us how to dress and what we should look like to match the body of the newly hyped pop star with the thinnest
It is a serious numbers that are increasing daily, and its constantly been fuel by the press. As research shows, it is an issue that the standard of beauty for women is so unreasonable. Promoting a thin standard that is not achievable or realistic could be detrimental to adolescents s health. It is important to realize that parents should limit their children’s exposure to the media, by encouraging participation in activities that promote self- esteem building. This could help children form a better
James Lull defines the term hegemony by stating that it “implies a willing agreement by people to be governed by principles, rules, and laws they believe operate in their best interest, even though in actual practice they may not.” The portrayal of hegemony is achieved through the use of mass communication tools, such as magazines, television, and internet. For example, in the movie Mean Girls, teenage girls are portrayed as dramatic and unintelligent individuals who strongly care about their physical appearance and enjoy to gossip and backstab other girls. The film points out the importance of physical appearance by showing the concern of Regina George, one of the members of “The Plastics,” about her body weight as she strictly monitors
Therefore, this blatant depiction of body negativity within Hollywood and the media aid the contagion that is fat-talk and body
Being slim along with nice hair and a car is now almost a perceived requirement to get a job in today’s society. Years ago people could get a job from hard work and dedication, now it seems as if people do not reach a high visual standard their work will go unnoticed or almost lucky to get a job. Eating disorders are at an all-time high right now while females’ health is on a down fall. Places such as Hollywood have ignored the connection between image and illness. (Goodman)
Overweight or average women were no longer in the picture, but instead underweight women became the ideal for actresses, dancers, and models. This era started when British model Twiggy, with a BMI of 15, started appearing on the screens and covers of magazines with her skinny body, flat chest, and boyish looks that made her shine between other models and become an international supermodel. In the 1960s being thin was main stream, and magazines started using thinner models. At that time, women were still highly objectified even in advertisements to appeal to male buyers; and sexuality was liberally expressed through the media. As the slim image started spreading, women became more concerned with their weight, trying to reach the measurements that were seen as "fit."
"We live in a fat-fearing and food moralizing culture where magazines, movies, and a multi-million dollars "health" and industry all pump out the message ‘thinner is better'" (Cynara Geissler). In this world of ‘skinny people', fat became an emotion of hate, disgust, shame, and guilt. Fat shaming is one of the most powerful tools in today's world to make someone feel guilty about what they are. Do we really need an attractive body or something like skinny body to get acceptance in society? Social media, fashion and health magazines all encourages slim bodies by showing those svelte models in their magazine photos.
From an early age, we are exposed to the western culture of the “thin-ideal” and that looks matter (Shapiro 9). Images on modern television spend countless hours telling us to lose weight, be thin and beautiful. Often, television portrays the thin women as successful and powerful whereas the overweight characters are portrayed as “lazy” and the one with no friends (“The Media”). Furthermore, most images we see on the media are heavily edited and airbrushed
Many struggle with their weight, and with a media culture that only features underweight models as normal, it can create a abnormal image of what we think people are supposed to look like. Cash explains that “While thinness might symbolize control and success in the minds of women who try to emulate the ideal, its unrealistic nature means that women’s energies are wasted. Women’s high levels of body dissatisfaction and the highest levels of eating disorders at any point signify problems with this cultural prescription. ”(Cash 438)
Now imagine growing up with influential women around you saying negative things about their appearance. Children learn things like a sponge soaks up water…and then they copy it. Media is also at fault. Everyone in this generation grows up surrounded by movies, and TV shows. The female protagonist that we think is badass and sooo cool, seem to be always portrayed by sexy, seductive, and stick thin female women.
Relevancy Statement: According to ABC News, "fashion models weigh 23 percent less than the average female, although these representations are perceived to be normal." Preview: Constantly seeing unrealistic body images through the
Whether it’s magazine covers, instagram, twitter, on television or just on the world wide web in general, everywhere we look we see stunning models. Models that are incredibly thin and can look good in anything. Our society is obsessed with how perfect they look, yet at the end of the day women everywhere looks in the mirror and doesn’t see the body of the girl she sees on social media. Even though women come in all shapes and sizes in nature, the expectation to have a skinny, perfect body just seems to be the expectation for our society nowadays. Society puts too much pressure on females to have the perfect body.
According to the Straight/Curve website, about 70% of teenagers think that the ideal body type can be found in fashion magazines, while only 5% of women naturally look that way and about 91% of women diet to achieve what they feel is the perfect body size. Influence of mainstream media on the beauty standards Johnson (2016) stated that from television shows to commercials to magazine advertisements to celebrity culture, mainstream media has a big influence on how we understand beauty. That 's why media including films, spend money in order to cast for good-looking actors and actresses to trick people into setting up their belief on what beauty standard should be expected. Female characters in Hollywood films Films have the power that moves far beyond pure entertainment. In particular, they can sway our collective imagination and influence our perceptions on crucial issues related to race, class, gender, etc., but the extent to which they reflect real-world situations is bleak, particularly in regards to women.