Media Ideal Body Image

To be frank, I also once had a view that only people who are skinny can be considered as beautiful. However, there is one incidence that changes my perception on the idea of what is the meaning of beauty and ‘perfect’ body. When I was in high school, I had a best friend named Alice—she was chubby and curvy. She was so obsessed with the America’s next top model shows. One day she expressed her desire to lose weight to me and I supported her. She also said that her boyfriend asked her to lose some weight to be more beautiful. She said that she really wants to look like the models and also to fulfill her boyfriend’s wish. After three months, she was hospitalized and I was so shocked with that news. She was hospitalized because there was something wrong with her intestines caused by her unhealthy diet. When I went to visit her, she looked very different—she looked sunken and sick. Begin on that day; I realized that it is really impossible to be like the models that we see everyday in the media and I also afraid on how good media is in order to distort society’s idea of beauty.

There are no questions to whether the media has influenced the self-consciousness people have on their body or not. Whether it is the front of a magazine cover or in a film or television show, the selection of models or actors are primarily thin or fit leading readers and viewers to worry or want to change the way their body looks. Body image is the way one sees oneself and imagine how one looks. Having a positive body image means that most of the time someone sees themselves accurately, and feels comfortable in their body; negative body image, what the media exemplifies for the majority of the time, is just the opposite. The media uses unrealistic standards of beauty and bodily perfection to drive ordinary people to be dissatisfied with their body image which can result in the search to obtain these unreachable goals.

Mental health is a big part of obesity many children are suffering from disorders like depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and even suicide attempts. With the way media portrays body image today it is hard for a child to not get discouraged. Women in magizes are photo shopped and air brushed to look as skinny as possible, men are photo shopped and air brushed to look toned and fit. Young men, women and children look at these photos and see an unrealistic person. With that they set unrealistic goals and end up harming themselves in the end. By forming eating disorders and mental disorders, eating disorders by trying to archive a body type that is not real and mental disorders by looking at the results of not having that body type. Children

The issue of distorting body image in the media and its effects on people is not a new concept to modern time. There is a long history of body image’s powerful place in society because of people’s impressions of each other based on body image. Research has been done on the effects and outcomes of this issue. Recently, consumers have fought with the media to try and achieve a safer way to spread information and let these media outlets be successful without having severe impacts on adolescents especially, among other age groups. The general ethical principle that the stakeholders use in this fight is similar to utilitarianism, because each stakeholder believes they are bringing the greatest good to the greatest number of people. The stakeholders

Body image remains to be a very controversial topic in today’s society, because of how easy it is to become a hate crime over a small comment on how small or big someone’s body is. Today, it is unavoidable to see the look that it seems society wants us to look. Professor Susan Bordo writes the article, “Never Just Pictures”, describing her investigation between the media and its effects on how people view their bodies. She uses ethos, logos, and pathos to bring in the attention of the people, in order to get her message across to be aware of media and how they portray the ideal body image. Bordo notes the patterns of the different types of models that magazines and commercial ads use, to say that even though they have changed the face of beauty, they never really changed the body of it. And she analyzes the affects that these ads have on how people view their bodies, and alter what the ‘ideal’ body image is. Bordo uses other sources to prove her argument mainly allowing readers to have more reasons to side with her argument. Having reviewed this article, I think that we should publish this article in the Shorthorns, because it will attract the attention of most people, since right now young people still struggle with differentiating between what is a real body and what is a body that has been altered for the likes of what the media likes.

I agree with how the media depicts the body image because it is just a tool that was created by humans. It is always improving every day, every hour to convey to users with the desire as real as possible. It only does follows the idea or purpose of an individual or group of people, such as it describes in detail outside and inside the body image to serve the medical or entertainment industries. On the user side, we only select, track what is considered to be a good and match for us.

Social media, advertisements and movies have an impact on body image among teenagers. The increased use of social media specifically within teenagers allows teens to compare themselves not only to popular public figures but to their peers. A Region in Fiji having no television and no eating disorder cases got television “Within three years of television being introduced to the region, the amount of girls who induced vomiting to control their weight increased by 11 percent and the amount of girls scoring highly on a test for eating disorder risks increased by 16 percent”(Mulliniks). There was a substantial growth in the amount of cases of eating disorders. Researcher saw a direct correlation with television and eating disorders. Prior to the

Are you happy within your own body? Do you feel comfortable and confident within your self? Chances are you don’t. Media surrounds us on a daily basis, whether its magazines, television or social media and it crucially influences the decisions we make in our life’s- our appearance, life style , the materials we buy and portrays medias ideal body image. As adolescents we allow the views and opinions of the media to shape us and develop a negative view towards our bodies. Judging ourselves through these views, we begin to believe we don’t fit in society and that we don’t belong. The medias effect on the younger generation and also adults is tragic and as the years go on, the problem is developing further and further.

Being a celebrity means a life full of luxury. Whether you have pure talent or candid reality your life gets put into mainstream for all to watch. With watching comes observation and with observation come criticism. Therefore, a celebrity has to maintain an image that is accepted within the public and media. The media can affect people opinions, help them formulate one and even give off wrong impressions. Body image is formed through self wants, likings and dislikes but also can be affected by media. Yet, there is a growing epidemic in poor body image, where the media has an impact into where people formulate self-judgment of unhealthy feelings and habits. Generation after Generation of adults, adolescents, kids and celebrities are exposed

I have a question for you. Is there too much pressure on girls now days to have the perfect body? Are the media, celebrities, society, and dolls putting pressure on the young girls to want to change themselves? You might wonder why there is girls as young as 10 years old getting diagnosed with eating disorders. The media and models are representing women as underweight and it is causing pressure on these younger girls and women to achieve the unachievable body. The definition of the word perfect according to Merriam-Webster dictionary is being entirely without fault or defect. People have taken this definition and turned it into reality. Now we must be without fault within our appearances to be considered perfect.

How can you determine what body image should be? The desire for the perfect body has been prevalent throughout society for a vast majority of time. What makes teenage girls feel the need to strive for this “perfect body”? Some have asked, “…a rapidly growing body of research addresses the question of whether body perfect ideals in the mass media are a core risk factor for negative body image, particularly in women” (Dittmar, Helga)

Body image is defined as “the subjective image of one’s physical appearance established both by self-observation and observation by others” ("Body Image"). “Ideal” body image is constantly re-evaluated throughout the ages. Unfortunately, today, the ideal image is at its height in the American culture. Many factors, such as magazine articles, television shows, and even childhood toys are said to have an influence on body dissatisfaction. This negative self-image has caused many dangerous disorders in women and men of all ages. In the research of this topic, there are many questions of body image among cultures and stereotypes that are yet to be answered.

American society pushes a fantasy of the idealized body through magazines, television, advertising, and social networks. The delusional principles centered on the “perfect body” have caused women to become insecure and feel less attractive. From a very young age, women are given the message that in order to be happy and pretty, they must look like a Barbie doll. Women need to become aware that society’s ideal body image is not feasible. Your body is merely a vessel that contains the beautiful mind and soul that makes who you are. Women need to focus on being attractive from what’s on the inside, rather than the outside. Everyone has flaws, so why not flaunt them? The poems that appealed to me emphasized that our society has created unattainable standards of perfection in body image. Over time, I have learned the most important aspect in life: perfection does not exist.

REPRESENTATION OF HOW MEDIA PROMOTE EXCERSISE IN NEW ZEALAND MEDIA AND HOW IT AFFECTS FEMALES

Media such as the internet, broadcasting, and publishing is a way to express opinions and keep up to date with the latest fashion trends. While these trends continue to go on, new trends are thought of, the trends may be a little tricky to keep up with even for celebrities. While the thought of being perfect for society, cause many adolescents to breakdown for following the false beliefs of society. Some people may use the media to be updated on important news. On the other hand, others believe the media is a horrible setting, resulting in adolescent to do whatever it takes to become just like them, poisoning their minds to become something they are not. The media produces bad influences for body image and messes with adolescents’ minds.