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Body Image Affected By Societal Standards

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Introduction Can a women's body image be affected by societal standards? "Body Image is how you see yourself when you look in the mirror or when you picture yourself in your mind"(What is Body Image?). Starting from a young age, we tend to compare ourselves to the standards that society has made. From there the thought of not having the "perfect body" leads to low self-esteem, depression, and develop eating disorders. In America, the ideal of beauty has continually focused on women's bodies. Being attractive at this time means to be thin. In America, thinness is a precondition for being perceived by others and oneself as healthy. emphasize a toned, slender look, one that exudes fitness, youth, and health. However, it comes at a high price for many women. Today, our body image is formed as we receive and internalize messages about our bodies from those in our external world. It also involves the messages we receive about what is considered desirable or not acceptable about the body.
Agents of Socialization
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The fashion trends make the viewers believe that a girl should be a certain type to appear fashionable and beautiful. Body image and self-esteem is central to a young girl’s definition of self, because they have been socialized to believe what is the prototype of beauty. The 2000s marked a decade where ultra-thin was still not thin enough. The May 2000 issue of Vogue has supermodel Gisele Bundchen on the cover (Vogue), and inside there are swimsuit editorials featuring shockingly thin models. In one of these images, the model’s legs are exceptionally long and unrealistically thin, and in the other photo, the model’s chest bones are alarmingly protruding. In the same issue another candid photo taken behind the scenes at a photo shoot gives the image of four very happy, yet extremely thin, models

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