Media and Body Image

"Media and Body Image"

Women around the world, from different age groups and cultures share a common problem; they are not happy with their appearances. Most images of ideal beauty imposed by various media devices make women feel that they do not meet the cultural or social standard. "Women are, taught to see their bodies in parts, and to evaluate each part separately. Breasts, feet, hips, waistline, neck, eyes, nose, complexion, hair, and so on-each in turn is submitted to an anxious, fretful, often despairing scrutiny." (Sontag) Women see magazines from cover to cover in which unrealistically beautiful and skinny girls are collaged on ever single page. Body image is greatly affected by the mass media 's portrayal of the thin ideal body type.

First, the media portrays that beauty is a necessity for all women. Unfortunately, the media pushes an unnatural body type, making natural beauty impossible to accept. The average American woman is 5 '4" tall and weighs 140 pounds. Where as, the average American model is 5 '11" tall and weighs 117 pounds. Society is being brainwashed by the media. In fact, studies show that more than sixty percent of women do not like what they see in the mirror (Murphy). Also, at young ages girls are impacted by the physical appearance of Barbie. Many people do not understand that looking like Barbie is physically impossible. Moreover, the models women see in magazines are completely flawless, and have incredible bodies. The majority of society could never look as good as the models they see. To summarize, women are discouraged with their bodies because the media only show beautiful women.

I decided to pick an advertisement in which the girl is completely naked except for the jewelry she is wearing. The girl is very skinny and wearing a lot of make-up. "Beauty publicists instructed women to inflate their breasts with padding or silicone, to frost their hair with carcinogenic dyes, to make themselves look paler by whitening their face and lips with titanium- to emulate, in short, that most bleached and medicalized glamour girl of them all, Marilyn Monroe" (Faludi) Advertisements do not help in anyway from women and young girls hurting themselves in order to be considered being beautiful. Although, most girls do not realize that looks are not important until it 's too late.

There is another add in which the girl is completely naked except for the jewelry she is wearing. This woman is also very beautiful and wearing a lot of make-up propped on top of an elephant. She does not even really look like a live person, she looks more like a cartoon. Although, this is an advertisement for alcohol, I am not sure where the naked woman and elephant come into play, but it definitely peoples attention.

In this jean add, the girl is wearing a shirt very high up and also so low-cut that it exposes her bra. She is a slender girl posed in a very sexual position. I 'm not sure why clothing brands try to sell clothes in advertisements where the woman is almost naked, but sex sells. "Fashion photography was professionalized, a development that paralleled the growth of modern advertising, and models became slimmer both to compensate for the distortions of the camera and to accommodate the new merchandising canon- modern fashion was best displayed on a lean body."(Brumberg) This girl represents an image to young girls that if they go out and buy expensive jeans that they will look different.

In this toilet paper add, a smiling, beautiful girl is placed to the side in her bikini. I 'm not sure what this girl has to do with selling toilet paper, but it is also a breast-cancer awareness advertisement, I 'm sure that is why they felt compelled to show her breasts. The girl in this picture has overly white and perfect teeth, her face is flawless. "The beauty experts also preached the credo of self-denial: to be beautiful, most women most suffer." (Brumberg) When women see this picture the first thing that crosses their mind is probably their flaws and how they do not look fit or perfect.

In a shoe advertisement Christina Aguilera is shown in two images. In one image she is dressed in over tight clothes posed as a police officer. In the next image she is leaning over a car, also dressed in overly tight clothes in a sexual position, although this is an advertisement for shoes, the add spends most of the time focusing on what parts of the skin are showing and displays the SKECHERS logo across the woman 's lower parts as to draw attention. "It is not, of course, the desire to be beautiful that is wrong, but the obligation to be-or try. (Sontag) When people see this advertisement woman most likely think that they must look glamorous, fit, and wear expensive shoes to feel beautiful.

Next, the media portrays an image that women must be skinny to be accepted. At early ages girls are being bombarded constantly, with images of skinny models. Everyday girls have an ongoing battle with their bodies because the media sets unachievable standards. Also, the number one wish for girls ages eleven to seventeen is to be thinner. Girls as young as five have expressed fears of becoming fat (Opdyke). Women are never satisfied with their figure and are always indulging themselves in the latest diets. Eighty percent of ten year old girls have dieted, and at any one time, fifty percent of American women are on a diet (Murphy). Researchers suggest that because the majority of women seek to imitate super models. However, this is a goal that is unattainable for many and unhealthy for most. This constant exposure to female-oriented advertisements may influence girls to become less self-confident about their bodies and to obsess over their bodies. Many children watch between two to four hours of television a day. Half of the commercials being shown aimed at girls spoke about physical attractiveness, while none of the commercials aimed at boys referred to appearance.

Works Cited

Brumberg, Joan. "Fasting Girls The Emerging Ideal of Slenderness in American Culture." (1988).

Faludi, Susan. "Beauty and the Backlash." (1991).

Murphy, Matt. "Women 's Health" Eating Disorders.

Sontag, Susan. "A Woman 's Beauty Put Down or Power Source?" (1975).

Opdyke, Leslie. "Women 's Project" Current Women 's Issues. http://www.nwhp.org/whm/2005 (Oct 21)

Cited: Brumberg, Joan. "Fasting Girls The Emerging Ideal of Slenderness in American Culture." (1988). Faludi, Susan. "Beauty and the Backlash." (1991). Murphy, Matt. "Women 's Health" Eating Disorders. Sontag, Susan. "A Woman 's Beauty Put Down or Power Source?" (1975). Opdyke, Leslie. "Women 's Project" Current Women 's Issues. http://www.nwhp.org/whm/2005 (Oct 21)