The Portrayal of Body Image in the Media Essay - 618 Words

Societies standards for body shape and the importance of beauty is promoted by various media. The media links beauty to symbols of happiness, love and success for women. Media portrays these images as achievable and real. Until women accept their body image, they will continue to measure themselves against societies â€Å"perfect image.† Media representations of body image contribute to social trends of unhealthy lifestyles. Female children learn to worry about their appearance from an early age. Huge quantities of girls between the ages of three and ten have one or more Barbie dolls. On television children are bombarded with commercials showing tall and thin women promoting dieting products and leading a â€Å"dream† life. Being exposed to†¦show more content†¦As children reach adolescence they see that nearly all of the famous actresses and models have the â€Å"perfect image†. Some girls will do anything to try and be like their â€Å"roll model† on T.V. Many girls in their adolescence years will acquire eating disorders such anorexia and bulimia to be â€Å"beautiful†. Because of social influence, what many females fail to realise is that beauty is contained within. Social influence extends itself into politics as well. In March 1997, Doug Young referred to Deborah Grey as a â€Å"slab of bacon†. Referring to the size of her body as a slab of bacon can only lower her self-esteem and create dissatisfaction towards her body image. If she were a male, this rude comment would not have been made. Many methods of weight loss being used today are harmful to health. For the first time in history, the smoking rate of girls now surpasses that of boys, with the inviting motivation of weight control. This increased rate of female smokers will increase the number of women who die of a disease caused by smoking. Another common method to lose weight is to diet. This can lead to bulimia and anorexia. Bulimia is characterised by episodes of dieting and bingeing, getting rid of the food and fat consumed by vomiting, as well as intense fear of fat and weight gain. Anorexia is characterised by starvationShow MoreRelated Enjoyment of Being a Girl: Overcoming Industry Standards Essay1489 Words   |  6 Pagesfeelings each time they come in contact with some type of media. The media has always used women as a way to sell products or used them as propaganda, but how far is too far? The media is a large source of entertainment for women of today. Women spend the majority of their time looking a t magazines for latest fashions or trends. These media sources all share one subject: negative images of women. These places all share one thing; negative images of women. Women are being used as a sex object and areRead MoreMass Media s Influence On Society962 Words   |  4 PagesOver the years mass media has become more available and favored by society through avenues such as magazines, television, newspapers, print ads, internet, and including social media. According to U.S. Census Bureau (2007), individuals spend nearly a total of 3,518 hours of their time on mass media outlets. Mass media has become widely popular among individuals, in particularly young adults.73% of U.S adults aged 18–29, have been reported regularly visit at least one of these outlet, and 42% use moreRead MoreMedia s Effect On Teens986 Words   |  4 PagesThe American media industry generates approximately 600 billion dollars annually through its programming and advertisements. The economic system of the United States and tough market competition have led to a massive media boom, and being the largest industry in the United States in terms of revenue, The media have been successful in corrupting people’s mind, with young teens being the largest group of victims. In the current situation, our economic, social and political decisions are widely beingRead MoreNegative Influence on Women in the Media Melanic R. Salomes Article853 Words   |  3 Pagesof in media . Salome considers media as an important tool that affects American women in a negative way. Media has become of paramount interest in our lives, despite the fact that its negative influences on us are increasing at a rapid pace. Media promotes unrealistic and unattainable images that result in depression and dissatisfaction among people. Therefore, media reflects the image of society and the way people think about themselves. Moreover, The writer strives to show the portrayal of womenRead MoreEssay about Movie Icons1614 Words   |  7 Pages Back then, the ideal female body is by having a smaller mid-section (e.g. hourglass ideal/corsets). Marilyn Monroe’s tiny waist and seemingly large bust line triggered female fans to start to engage more on physical activities. The outburst on slender-looking portrayal of body-image began in early 1960s (e.g. Fashion icon, Twiggy). Most western societies experience enormous pressures on individuals to conform and achieve the thin-ideal. This influence by mass-media affects just about anyone includingRead MoreDoes Advertising Affect Self-Image1116 Words   |  5 Pagesa writer from the Media Awareness Network, marketers are held responsible for systematically creating anxiety, promoting envy, and fostering feelings of inadequacy and insecurity to sell us their products. While these marketers believe that advertising only mirrors societys values and alerts them to new products and bargains, they are either oblivious to their detrimental effects on society, specifically the teenage and female markets, or are ignorant to the truth. The Media Awareness NetworkRead MoreThe Media and Body Image Essay990 Words   |  4 PagesMass media is designed to reach large audiences with technology. Its purpose is meant to give us entertainment and information we need to act as a society. Media is everywhere; there is no escaping from it. Almost every home in America has at least one TV, the internet, and a cell phone. You cannot drive down the street without seeing billboard signs. Checking out at the grocery store can be tricky if trying to avoid magazines. There are more forms of media available today then ever before; consequentlyRead MoreMedia and Unrealistic Body Image Essay1053 Words   |  5 Pagesposition where they are constantly flooded with idealistic images that depict what the media perceives as the â€Å"perfect body.† Quite often, young university-attending females, those who are involved in social identity forma tion, are exposed to numerous forms of media that fabricate various experiences relative to body image. In the past, researchers have surveyed women who are exposed to body-related standards using multiple forms of mass media as a unified entity, which has caused for limitations sinceRead MoreThe impact of medias representation of ideal body size on attitudes towards own body image952 Words   |  4 Pagesthat the Medias overwhelming representation of thinness has a large contributing factor towards young women’s attitudes of their own body weight dissatisfaction (Jacobi Cash‚ 1994). This dissatisfaction stems from discrepancies between the accepted standard of female body image repeatedly shown in today’s media and their own bodies leading to the formation of attitudes that their own weight is not adequate. For example, a meta-analysis comparing the results of 25 studies that presented media imagesRead MoreTodays Unrealistic Body Expectations1311 Words   |  5 Pagescomplexion. As a result, many people are affected by our own societys portrayals of good looking men and women that they feel pressured into doing whatever it takes and going through extreme measures, most of the time, spending countless hours in the gym trying to achieve that perfect body. Body image is evident in the gym, as the men are lifting weights they are frequently looking in the mirror examining every angle of their body making sure no area is lacking muscle. On the other hand, women tend