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The media's portrayal of body image
The media's portrayal of body image
The media's portrayal of body image
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More handpicked essays just for you.
The media's portrayal of body image
The media's portrayal of body image
The media's portrayal of body image
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
After reading “Why Looks Are the Last Bastion of Discrimination” by Deborah L. Rhode and “The Makeup Tax” by Olga Khazan, both readings focus on the concerns of appearance discrimination. Appearance discrimination can be validated, yet it cannot. For instance, it is valid to appearance discriminate an individual when an employer is interviewing him or her because it is the first quality employers examine. An employer is often likely to not hire an individual if he or she comes into the interview wearing informal attire, in contrast to an individual showing up to the interview with formal clothing. Nonetheless, it is not okay to validate appearance discrimination when it comes to an individual’s weight.
In Gary Soto’s short story “The Talk” he reveals how society values appearance way too much. The main characters discuss about how their appearance affects their self-esteem, mindset, and their future jobs. The characters start out discussing their appearance and call themselves ugly, “We were twelve, with lean bodies that were beginning to grow in weird ways. First, our heads got large, but our necks wavered, frail as crisp tulips” (par.2). The boys talk about their appearance as if they were really awkward when in reality they probably don’t look like the way their describing themselves.
Societal pressures such as unrealistic beauty standards fetter teen girls and women
There are tons people everyday that are made fun of because either they dont look like everyone else, or they don 't act like everyone else. In the book A Raisin In The Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry, An African American family lives in the suburbs of Chicago pre civil rights movement trying to find a better life outside of their rundown apartment. In the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding Toula changes her appearance so she can go out with the guy she likes. When they see each other it was love at first sight, Ian and Toula later get married. In the book American Born Chinese written by Gene Luen Yang, Jin changes his appearance because he wanted to fit in, and get the girl everyone likes.
Although, in today 's society disrespect is more common that is not the case for everyone. Respect is something that people have or they do not; it is mainly taught
Conformity Conformity is the behavior in accordance with socially accepted standards, rules, or laws. Conformity is expressed in the play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, in the two characters of Cyrano and Christian. Cyrano is insecure about his outside appearance and Christian’s insecurity is on the inside. Conformity creates justice and equality, but if rejected that leads to an individual having self esteem issues, and a society where there is no individuality. Conformity creates justice and equality in a society because of the laws and standards set to keep people safe and secure.
Respect is a big part of our lives still. Although the presence of many of the virtuous Native American values is very meager today, this one still exists as a miniscule glimmer across our lives. One must have respect for others to first have respect for themselves. You make a choice of how people will see you: as a incorrigible person, or as a respectful person. People will usually treat you accordingly.
Respect honors the worth of an individual no matter who they are. Likewise, equity involves fairness to all regardless of their weaknesses. Equity requires the quality of fairness, and not taking advantage of those lesser. These two ethical values have been transgressed by society in both cases because they targeted those who were inferior, punished even the innocent and selfishly abused their targets. To prevent the occurrence of alienation of social groups in the future, one must interact with others through respect and equity.
Why do so many people feel the need to judge others based on how they look? Judging others gives people a sense of honor because demeaning others can create a sense of security and identity. If one concludes who a person is merely on what they look like they will miss what is important, what their morals are, and what their intentions are. It takes an individual who has read the novel To Kill A Mockingbird to understand because it is a perfect example of treating others with respect and not determining who others are based on what they look like. Many characters in Lee’s
According to a survey done by Jesse Fox, Ph.D., 80% of women feel bad about themselves just by looking in the mirror (Dreisbach). This has happened because of social media being changed to make girls feel like they need to have a certain body shape. Models and celebrities in magazines and media show unrealistic beauty and it contributes to eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and much more (Seventeen magazine). Media has put lots of stress on women throughout history with changing body shapes. A survey done by Dove found results that 9 out of 10 women want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance.
Unfortunately, it’s in our human nature to form judgments on people upon gazing at them. Although it’s not something that can be diminished in us, it is something we can rightfully control. A recent incident happened at the bank where a man, who was on the heavier weight side, came into the bank using crutches to help him maneuver. A co-worker saw him and made a comment on his looks which lead me to reply saying it’s unfair to make impertinent comments on random people. It’s imperative to remember that we are unaware of what an individual’s circumstances may be; what if the person has certain health conditions that cause them to be a certain way?
Respect is a word that has a lot of depth to it no matter what way you use it. The word by definition is kind of hard to pin down concretely because it is subjective, and it can be used in many different ways with many different meanings based on the usage. It is a word that everybody wants a piece of no matter how big or small the piece they get is. All definitions aside, the respect that most people want is the respect that is earned by the showing of honorable actions or personality characteristics. Be it dedication and sacrifices for one’s job or ones moral and ethical views and principles.
Teenagers have become much more focused on what he or she looks like. This is because, they are searching their identity, and trying to be someone that the media expects them to be. With social media, comes the stereotypical version of what a man or woman should be like. For example, women are expected to dress sexy, and have the perfect barbie doll body. Whereas men, are expected to be muscular and tall.
Social class is a hierarchy based on wealth, living standards, education level and occupation which impact people’s lives for better or worse. In this essay, I have chosen to explore the idea of how social classes affect the way we treat people. The four texts To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, and Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen all capture the idea in which social class can affect our lives. In each text, we see how social classes divide people from another, that most characters are aware of where they stand in their society because of social status, and how relationships across different social classes can be formed.
In school, if I treat a teacher with respect, they might favor bumping your grade up from a high B+ to an A-. When I make friends, I have to be respectful as well. If I act rude and condescending, then no one would want to be my friend. As humans, we are heavily social animals and our level of success in our lives depend on how well we can work with others. Having respect is a major aspect of this social interaction, making it very important.