Body Image
11
Ms.Spangenberg
BritLit, period 5
28 March 2011
If looks could kill For most people in order to feel good they must look good, however for some people looking good doesn’t cut it they have to be perfect. In our minds every one of us has an idealized body image which comes from “a mixture of ideas and feeling about one’s physical appearance…linked to self esteem and emotional stability” (Maggie 2). Factors that influence ones self- perceptions are the 21st century media, peers, and family basically our main social surroundings. All these factors influence us whether we know it or now, so it’s only natural for girls to look up to super models, film stars, and athletes. Wanting to be just like them, dressing like them, buying what they do and overall looking perfectly flawless just like them. Even though it’s important for some occupations to have the perfect body image like models, athletes and movie stars, it’s virtually impossible for an average person to have a perfect body image because of psychological issues and physical problems such as anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). The Media is responsible for the negative effects on men and women who are influenced by unrealistic images, which include perfect skin, pulp lips, breasts, hips and a slim waist and for men idly, a lean and muscular physique. An individual is exposed to many different types of perfect images once this occurs, he/she starts comparing themselves with these images. In other words this comparison starts a self image process made up in their mind about themselves the “media images and self identity go together… media affects how one sees themselves and in some cases it affects women negatively” (Maggie 54). If girls don’t look similar to what’s posted in magazines and up on billboards they aren’t incredibly happy with their figure, because according to the media it’s not perfect. For this reason woman become depressed, stressed and unhappy. Through advertising
Ms.Spangenberg
BritLit, period 5
28 March 2011
If looks could kill For most people in order to feel good they must look good, however for some people looking good doesn’t cut it they have to be perfect. In our minds every one of us has an idealized body image which comes from “a mixture of ideas and feeling about one’s physical appearance…linked to self esteem and emotional stability” (Maggie 2). Factors that influence ones self- perceptions are the 21st century media, peers, and family basically our main social surroundings. All these factors influence us whether we know it or now, so it’s only natural for girls to look up to super models, film stars, and athletes. Wanting to be just like them, dressing like them, buying what they do and overall looking perfectly flawless just like them. Even though it’s important for some occupations to have the perfect body image like models, athletes and movie stars, it’s virtually impossible for an average person to have a perfect body image because of psychological issues and physical problems such as anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). The Media is responsible for the negative effects on men and women who are influenced by unrealistic images, which include perfect skin, pulp lips, breasts, hips and a slim waist and for men idly, a lean and muscular physique. An individual is exposed to many different types of perfect images once this occurs, he/she starts comparing themselves with these images. In other words this comparison starts a self image process made up in their mind about themselves the “media images and self identity go together… media affects how one sees themselves and in some cases it affects women negatively” (Maggie 54). If girls don’t look similar to what’s posted in magazines and up on billboards they aren’t incredibly happy with their figure, because according to the media it’s not perfect. For this reason woman become depressed, stressed and unhappy. Through advertising
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