Popular Culture And Body Image

Now-a-days, you can’t find appropriate clothing for your children because all stores are selling short-shorts and crop tops for 12-year-olds. This issue is contradicting; girls are being sexualized by being told not to wear clothes that show their skin, yet the only clothes that are currently being sold are clothes that only sexualize girls even more by showing too much skin that doesn’t fit their age group. Orenstein also argues that, “ For today’s girls, sexy appearance has been firmly conflated with strong womanhood.” Meaning, instead of having a princess birthday party at the park, preschoolers are now having mani-pedi spa birthday parties; or how the Elementary school cheer dance routine is more provocative; or when 9-year-olds are taught “all the ticks of beauty.” In our defence, when society depicts young women as sexual objects, they make young girls think that their beauty is more important than their brains(hence the reason why you can easily mistake a 13-year-old for a

Perceptions of a Girl in Childlike vs. Sexualizing Clothing” written by the authors Kaitlin Graff, Sarah K. Murnen, and Linda Smolak, they do a study on how girls are perceived in societies eyes when dressed in a more sexual manner. In the study there are pictures of a fifth-grade girl dressed in either childlike clothing or super sexualized clothing. A group of diverse students are presented with three different types of pictures and they define whether the girl is average or above average in her achievements. Concluding in their study it presents that wearing more sexualized clothes do affect how they are looked upon and they don’t regard their achievements throughout life. In the study it states, “sexualization of women in advertisements increased significantly in the U.S. between 1983 and 2003” (Graff, Murnen, & Smolak 765) proving that sexualized advertisements have drastically been impacting societies ideal

Teenagers all across the country contain a fascination in determining who they are especially when shown through fashion. This passion to show who one is, is not racist or ableist, it's just an emotion that many teenagers face while learning who they are. From this passion they style their ideas and clothing choices off the magazines and stores they constantly see. From back to school sales to black friday shopping, advertisements that are posted influence what teenagers spend their money on. One of the most prominent teenager stores would be American Eagle. American Eagle might be a worldwide organization, having clothes on teenagers in every corner of the globe, yet its representation

He knows that celebrities often help people fit in with the latest fashion. Because celebrity fashion is a popular topic with young peoplevery liked topic, there are many places where teens can check out the latest trends, so nearly everyone is in touch. Most trends are very cheap too. Shopping at thrift stores is back in, so even students from poor families can feel fashionable in front of their peers. Celebrities made this all possible by wearing these kinds of clothes.

Article Title: Dedicated followers of fashion? The influence of popular culture on children’s social identities Author(s): Sharon Boden

The culture of media has now taken a large affect on young girls and their body images. Young girls are feeling dissatisfied with their bodies because of the way society views women. The media tells us what to look like, what clothes to wear, make-up, what cars to drive, and sometimes what to eat. Media is changing people constantly through advertising and by showing us the looks and fashions of celebrities. Advertising has negative effects on the formation of oneself as seen through the nature of the promotion of its’ products. This effect is particularly prevalent among young adolescent girls. Young girls feel the need to join dietary plans or result to eating disorders Advertising in society results in negative effects on girls through self-image that leads to harmful consequences. The media is the biggest factor contributing to girls’ dissatisfaction with their bodies, causing eating disorders.

Her research reviewed 21 studies of the media’s affect on more than 6,000 girls, 10 years or older. The results showed that the more the girls were exposed to the fashion magazines, the more they struggled to have a positive body image. (L2)

In a world where young people are only living for themselves, the corporations and brands are booming. Having expensive clothes, the newest phone and an overpriced cocktail in your hand on a weeknight has never been so important. This is the essence of youth, going to parties to show off your brand new purchases, buying a whole new wardrobe for your one week holiday to Ibiza. Major fashion brands have caught on to this and youth culture has began to feature heavily in campaigns.

(Heubeck 2006) For many young people, especially girls, the ideal continues to chase them as they grow into young women. Young girls begin to internalize the stereotypes and judge themselves by media’s impossible standards. The power that the media holds in impacting the lives of young girls is detrimental and eventually affects their body image, their satisfaction of their own body, and portrayal of their body as an object.

Fashion has been a prominent aspect of a woman’s life throughout time. Women of different times and cultures have turned the routine of picking out clothes and putting together different ensembles into a sort of art, or a way to express and promote themselves. Many women also see fashion as part of their identity, or a way to manipulate the way people see them. What a woman wears can drastically change the way society views her - it can increase her chances of getting a job, or make her gain respect (or rejection) from her peers (Sika n.p.).

Over the years a debate over who is to blame over the decline in how girls perceive themselves has arisen. With Photoshop being the societal norm concerning the media, it has become difficult for many to understand where the line between real and near impossible standards lies. Youths see an image edited to “perfection” and strive to reach the standards that they imagine due to the images displayed on magazines, television and social media. From Disney to magazines like Vogue the mass media bombards audiences with fake beauty that they, as normal people, will never be able to achieve. The mass media is responsible for causing the rise in the number of people with a poor body image, eating disorders, and cosmetic surgeries.

Furthermore, media surrounds teenage girls in today’s culture. It is impossible to escape the sight of media. The media’s constant idealistic beauty is ever present to a vast amount of self-conscious girls. This image of beauty causes girls to have low self-esteem (Clay, Vignoles, and Dittmar). Media defining this perfect body image causes many adolescent girls to feel dissatisfied with their bodies and become depressed. “Viewing ultra-thin or average-size models led to decreases in both body satisfaction and self-esteem in adolescent girls aged eleven to sixteen, with changes in self-esteem fully mediated by changes in body satisfaction” (Clay, Vignoles, and Dittmar).

Chanel, Versace, American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Under Armor, True Religion, and Free People are only some of the name brand clothing that teens see in their everyday lives walking down the hallway at school or while shopping at the mall. Kim Kardashian is walking down New York 5th Avenue in skintight Versace cheetah pants with a black Dior chiffon top and spiked high-heeled Gucci boots. Crouching in an inconspicuous bush, paparazzi with its vulture like claws, snap pictures of her strutting by. The next day the picture of Kim strolling down the sidewalk will be splashed across the front page of every magazine. Without exception, girls in Los Angeles, California, or Maple Grove, Minnesota will try to replicate that exact

Teenage girls are at an impressionable time in their lives. Mass Media is a key idea in one of the factors of socialization that become important to teenagers. Teenagers look to the media for a sense of entertainment. Whether it is movies, magazines, or even some aspects of social media, teenagers get a lot of influence from the media’s message. The problem with this is the media has a specific way of doing things and can be negative to a susceptible teenage girl. Media’s way of portraying a woman can be skewed and unrealistic way from what reality is. Teenage girls then have a desire for this look or way. In this essay the three ways I will describe as to why the media can negatively affect a teenage girls body image is by showing

When the trending clothes are getting sold at these type of stores, it sends the wrong message to the teens who can’t fit into the stores’ clothes. It lets you think that only skinny girls or guys can look nice and have the best clothing. Pop culture allows teens to have a low self esteem. People who get forced into our lives and who are constantly talked about are the celebrities. There are many celebrities who teens will look up to as a role model that are going down a wrong path.