Preview

America's Obsession With Physical Appearance

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
460 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
America's Obsession With Physical Appearance
Americans place to much emphasis on physical appearance

In recent years, Americans have become obsessed with their appearance. Millions of dollars are spent each year on superficial items, such as cosmetics, weight loss programs, and designer wear. There are newspaper ads, television commericials, and magazine advertisements that are in place to entice consumers. Consequently, Americans have fallen victims to the many pressures of being fashionable, thin, and beautiful.
In addition, fashion companies attract the attention of approximately 70 million American young people know as generation y. Trendy urban clothing lines, in fact Fubu, Sean John, and Phat Farm which has an average purchase cost of $75 per item. Generation x, roughly 45 million people born between 1965 and 1978, in fact estimates are that this newest group of consumers already has about $150 billion to $250 billion in spending power each year with almost a third of the devoted to clothing. Retailers are developing more products to appeal generation x the biggest group since the baby boomers.
…show more content…

There were 300 weight loss advertisements that ran during 2001. Many of these ads are taken from: television, radio, internet , newspapers, magazines, email, and direct mail. A weight loss program, for instance Jenny Craig advertises for $20 a month that you can loose a pound a week. There are advertisements for electronic exercise belts, which promise to reduce your abs while you sleep. There is a miracle pill advertised that will lead to instant weight loss. American has been lead to believe only thin people are accepted in today's

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Women today are constantly bombarded by media in one form or another. It could take the form of a fashion magazine, a favourite blog, a TV commercial, or a myriad of other sources. When in any public commercial setting such as a grocery store, a clothing store, or a hair salon, one is bound to see a plethora of magazines and various advertisements; most of them adorned by thin, happy models. Women see fashion models as the pinnacle of health and beauty, often feeling inadequate in comparison. They may strive to become like these women by radically changing their eating habits without fully understanding the potential risks and consequences. The inability to measure up to this idealistic body standard has also been linked to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. The evolution, expansion, and ubiquity of technology has played a role in perpetuating an idealistic body image and bringing forth new methods to pursue it. An unrealistic body image has become an object of obsession for many women and this obsession is aiding in the development of physical and psychological disease among women.…

    • 1197 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Glassmeyer addresses how our appearance-obsessed culture has facilitated an enormous incline in the pursuit of plastic surgery and consumption of weight loss products. Glassmeyer explains how transformation stories that drive body-enhancing advertisements captivate consumers with blandishments of beauty, improved self-image, and success. Recently, Glassmeyer describes, these industries have flourished and received more attention as individuals’ confidence in their bodies have plummeted. Glassmeyer clarifies…

    • 1145 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The ad industry is revolving around trends, fashion, and creating new ways to express ideas from the past and making them popular today. But these ads, whether they be on magazines, commercials or billboards, they all surround the idea of being “beautiful” and giving the false representation that they care more about being healthy than being…

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Throughout the decades of time, society has been continuously determining the perception of what it is to be "beautiful." The American standard of beauty is often reflected upon advertisements that convey an unrealistic expectation for most everyday women. Whereas, teenagers have grown to interpret advertisements as a model for how they should appear physically. Marilyn Monroe was perceived as the epitome of beauty in the 1950s. The well-known sex symbol was recognized because of her curvaceous build. But for instance, Twiggy, a popular model in the midst of the 1960s, later set a misconstrued standard to what was beautiful. With the rising of her stardom, the glamorization of being thin was beginning to take a turn on a more positive note. That is until the famous 90s heroin chic model, Kate Moss, hit the scene taking the modeling industry by storm in an unhealthy manner with her campaign "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." As time continues to inevitably move forward in American culture, as will the image and conception of what beauty truly is in the eyes of our society.…

    • 1245 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    From the dieting tricks that promise to shave off weight within weeks, to the constant gossiping of the fashion trends of a femme fatale, the message is clear: the appearances of women matter. Especially prevalent for the past few decades, the pressure for young women to meet a certain physical standard has been growing ever since. Through the influence of the media and the scrutiny of others, women face the stress of carefully choosing each change they add to their appearance, going so far as to permanently change their genetic features in order to conform to what society has defined as beautiful, and such an issue calls for change.…

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to Akst, people nowadays are becoming more and more obsessed with how they look. Because people care so much about appearances, the beauty and cosmetic surgery industry have been booming. His research shows that the number of cosmetic surgeries have gone up 24% from 2000 to 2012 (Akst 332). Even the media industry profits off of our insecurities, as their ideals of beauty are becoming more and more impossible to attain. People of all ages spend money buying products that are unnecessary in an attempt to live up to the standards the media sets for us. But why do people spend so much time and effort on their looks?…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There have been discussions by researchers regarding how the media portrays us to what is beauty and thereby causing a person to be dissatisfied with their appearance, their weight and eating habits. (Levine&Murnen, 2009). The researchers have revealed as to what is considered beauty for women and teenage girls, and what standard they are using that complements what the media has used to define the beauty. In turn, they will use those standards as a means for evaluating their own level and rating of beauty. These women and teenage girls will then seek to achieve those standards so that family, peers and even strangers will be pleased with their appearance. (O’Brien et al., 2009; Thompson, Heinberg, et al.,…

    • 967 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Brave New World

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages

    many advertisements and beauty products that encourage humans to change their personal appearance. Natural beauty was given to every individual from birth, whether it may be looks or the heart of a person.…

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    America is a growing and changing nation, but one characteristic has outlasted the years. The obsession for a socially-accepted body, whether it be wearing a corset, being big and voluptuous or, for men, being muscular and lean, has always existed. The culprit, a negative body image, now haunts approximately eight million people across the United States and is beginning to seep into more American minds as the “Perfect” disease spreads (Davis 8). In the past decade, the pressure to have “the perfect body” has dramatically increased in America; every individual in this nation has a different view of what “the perfect body” actually is, and many people who are seeking it are willing to take radical…

    • 2626 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In this era, both men and women are obsessed with beauty and obtaining perfect bodies to be accepted by society. The majority of the population can be found on social sites or watches numerous hours of television a year, which contain advertisements and product placement. The media is responsible for creating the idea of what body image and beauty standards are accepted. Body image plays a very important role in our society in shaping our identities. Advertisements can have both benefits and damages depending on the illustration, model, and message. In the United States, the damages associated with negative body image is a significant problem as young adolescents, in an effort to adhere to the supposed criterion of beauty, consequently develop…

    • 219 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    America has a very unhealthy obsession with beauty. While growing up, the Disney channel had shows where the cast was around late teens and early twenties. Now, the channel seems to be overflowing with twelve year olds who are all dolled up. Beauty these days is all about appearing young. Companies sell anti-aging creams and lotions, plastic surgery such as face lifts are used to counteract aging. There’s a pressure on celebrities to stay skinny and look young even as they inch their way into their fifties. When celebrities start to look old and are no longer considered as desirable from a societal beauty standpoint, they are moved further out of the spotlight and suddenly it becomes much harder to find a way to re-enter the spotlight if only for just a moment.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Negative Body Image

    • 2040 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The average woman today sees 400 to 600 advertisements per day causing a negative impact on how females view their bodies. Advertisers often emphasize sexuality and the importance of physical attractiveness in an attempt to sell products. But beneath selling a product is the pressure being placed upon women to focus on their appearance rather than buying a product. Advertisements may adversely impact women's body image which can lead to unhealthy behavior as women strive for an ultra-thin body idealized by the media. In a recent poll by People magazine, "80% of women reported that the images of women in advertisements make them feel insecure about their looks."(Gunter)The Negative portrayals…

    • 2040 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The average woman is 5’4 and weighs 142 pounds (McDonnel 35). Many teenagers are aiming for that “model look.” Little do they know that the look that many models show off is unrealistic. Most of the time it’s photo shopped and put through a special design process (McDonnel 35). “The unnatural thinness is a terrible message to send out. The people watching the fashion shows are young impressionable woman “ explained van der Wal, a former Victoria’s Secret Model (Hellmich 1). Even former models are noticing how bad the present models have become.…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hundreds of young girls sit in front of mirrors pointing out all the things they do not like about themselves. Whether it is how far apart their eyes are or the shape of their bodies they find a flaw and they run with the idea that this small imperfection makes them less desirable. They cultivate unhealthy habits that can harms them physical and mental for the rest of their lives. The Media send unhealthy signals to young woman, fashion magazines create an unrealistic idea of beauty, promote eating disorders, and causes competition among women.…

    • 1317 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Weight Loss Advertising

    • 1080 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Advertisements for weight loss are everywhere, but are they helpful or manipulative? According to the Federal Trade Commission, the only thing being lost in weight loss advertisements is money, not weight. With weight loss ads preying on the insecurities of a targeted overweight audience, they abuse the innocence of the viewer by influencing them with displays of skinny models. Weight loss ads use sex appeal to manipulate the audience through the usage of healthy food to appeal to the overweight audience, the display of model transformation pictures, and the way advertised models are clothed and expressed.…

    • 1080 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays

Related Topics