Thin Ideal
"THIN IDEAL"
The impact of media images on men and women in America is a formation of an unrealistic illustration of the thin ideal. The media has painted a picture of "the perfect body", people who choose to accept these ideals develop a fantasy and fictitious image of what the ideal body is. In our society, where the mass media is the single strongest transmitter of unrealistic beauty ideals, it is often held responsible for the high proportion of women and men who are dissatisfied with their bodies. Now there is a new America with a new obsession, one can never be too thin. This new lifestyle has affected our relationships, activities, and our way of life. Seid points out "We pursue thinness and fitness in response to a now-invisible aesthetic and moral structure. We believe them to be healthier, more beautiful, and good. The unusual alliance between our beauty and health standards gives the imperative to be fat-free a special potence and has bred an ancillary conviction that thinner is also happier and more virtuous."(Seid, 1989) There is a fine line between healthy and thin. Sometimes we try to associate these media driven beautiful bodies as being healthy, when in essence they are just a fabrication of what is actual health. The thin ideal is the actual body type a man or women portrays through the media which encompasses a thin build, model look, and an acceptable standard of beauty. The thin ideal increased rapidly through publications such as Playboy centerfolds and Miss America Pageants. Kalodner explains, "Alarmingly, they found that approximately 60 to 70 percent of these models weighed 15 percent below their expected body weight." (Kalodner, 2003) This brings huge health concerns, and what the media portrays to be perfect and ideal is really sick and unhealthy. Moreover Kalodner clarifies "The majority of models have 10 to 15 percent body fat, while the normal percentage of body fat for healthy women is 22 to 26 percent." (Kalodner, 2003) The
The impact of media images on men and women in America is a formation of an unrealistic illustration of the thin ideal. The media has painted a picture of "the perfect body", people who choose to accept these ideals develop a fantasy and fictitious image of what the ideal body is. In our society, where the mass media is the single strongest transmitter of unrealistic beauty ideals, it is often held responsible for the high proportion of women and men who are dissatisfied with their bodies. Now there is a new America with a new obsession, one can never be too thin. This new lifestyle has affected our relationships, activities, and our way of life. Seid points out "We pursue thinness and fitness in response to a now-invisible aesthetic and moral structure. We believe them to be healthier, more beautiful, and good. The unusual alliance between our beauty and health standards gives the imperative to be fat-free a special potence and has bred an ancillary conviction that thinner is also happier and more virtuous."(Seid, 1989) There is a fine line between healthy and thin. Sometimes we try to associate these media driven beautiful bodies as being healthy, when in essence they are just a fabrication of what is actual health. The thin ideal is the actual body type a man or women portrays through the media which encompasses a thin build, model look, and an acceptable standard of beauty. The thin ideal increased rapidly through publications such as Playboy centerfolds and Miss America Pageants. Kalodner explains, "Alarmingly, they found that approximately 60 to 70 percent of these models weighed 15 percent below their expected body weight." (Kalodner, 2003) This brings huge health concerns, and what the media portrays to be perfect and ideal is really sick and unhealthy. Moreover Kalodner clarifies "The majority of models have 10 to 15 percent body fat, while the normal percentage of body fat for healthy women is 22 to 26 percent." (Kalodner, 2003) The
Bibliography: Hesse-Biber, S (1996) Am I Thin Enough Yet: The Cult of Thinness and the Commercialization of Identity. New York: Oxford University Press Kalodner, C (2003) Too Fat or Too Thin: A Reference Guide to Eating Disorders Rodin, J (Jan-Feb 1992) Body Mania – insights of body image pp 4. Retrieved November 16th, 2006 from FindArticles.com "Psychology Today" Seid, R (1989) Never Too Thin: Why Women Are at War with Their bodies Wiseman, Gray, Mosimann, & Ahrens, (1992) Media/Advertising. Retrieved November 16th, 2006 from Eating Disorder Recovery Center Web Site: http://www.addictions.net/default.aspx?id=22 Wardlaw, F