The Media And Its Effects On Society

Every time you flip a magazine, change channels, or go online, you are struck with images of models who are super skinny with flashy outfits and have excessive make-up on. Ads not only try to sell their products, but also promote how females should look like. These models are airbrushed and photo shopped which is false advertisement. The media progressively encourages a thinner body image as the ideal for women. We see advertisements every day. Some of these ads use manipulative strategies that influence our choices and spending habits. For example, “One in every three articles in leading teen girl magazines included a focus on appearance, and most advertisements used appeal to beauty to sell their products.”(Teen Health) To grab the viewers’ attention, especially females, they include

Advertising is an over 200$ billion industry and according to Jean Kilbourne, people are exposed to over 3000 advertisements a day. Advertisements are everywhere so there is no escaping them; they are on TV, magazines, billboards, etc. These ads tell women and girls that what’s most important is how they look, and they surround us with the image of "ideal female beauty". However, this flawlessness cannot be achieved. It’s a look that’s been created through Photoshop, airbrushing, cosmetics, and computer retouching. There have been many studies done that have found a clear link between exposure to the thin ideal in the mass media to body dissatisfaction, thin ideal internalization, and eating disorders among women. Body dissatisfaction is negative thoughts that a person has about his or her own body. Thin ideal internalization is when a person believes that thinness is equivalent to attractiveness and will lead to positive life outcomes. Less than 5% of women actually have the body type that is shown of

In the media, the advertisements play a big factor in the promotion of the ideal body image across the various platforms. Advertisements are usually seen on a daily basis from billboards, flyers, public transportations, and the internet. The advertisers use many different techniques to draw in consumers. The models that are used by advertisers are generally the ones that fit the ideal body image. Additionally, the models are further enhanced using photo shop and other editing tools to perfect their bodies. According to a Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research, “Fashion media are one of the strongest transmitters of unrealistic body shape and appearance ideals, and have been consistently linked to widespread body image and weight concerns among women in western society” (Catherine M. and Chandler). The false deception that is created of the ideal body image by the advertisers leads many women to being dissatisfied about their body. Models who qualify to be models are not meeting the standards of the ideal body image. Their images can be altered to make them seem as if they have the ideal body image. People who are dissatisfied with their body are comparing themselves to something that is impossible to achieve. Advertisers are able to promote and sell products successfully since they have thin models that are attractive. Consumer will not buy products

Women around the world face overwhelming oppressions in their daily lives. That is not news to anyone and these oppressions have occurred for so much of history, that it is often times overlooked by the mass majority; even the younger generations of women do not know the types of oppressions that they will soon have to face. To combat this, FCKH8.com, a well known organization that sells t-shirts and other merchandise with witty anti-racism, anti-homophobic, and pro-feminist catchphrases on them, created the video, “Potty-Mouthed Princesses Drop F-Bombs for Feminism”. As the title implies, the video contains little girls, ages six through eleven, aggressively yelling “FUCK,” towards the camera while rattling off facts and statistics about some of the oppressions women face because of their gender. The comment section of this video is erratic; the viewers often have conflicting views about the meaning of the video as well as whether or not it was successful in its purpose. One thing is for sure, the video makes an impact by using several rhetorical devices including word choice, pathos and logos; all which separate it from other pro-feminism videos that exist.

Demi Lovato once said, “I’m not going to sacrifice my mental health to have the perfect body.” However, today we find that many individuals are doing the completely opposite. In Susan Bordo’s, “Globalization of Eating Disorders” essay, they fall into the media trap, the self-image trap, where they are concerned of what people may think about them. Americans nowadays have pageants, modeling, and media to thank for this absurd notion. Fit women, along with strong men give this motivation to others to want to be like them. Most people should be comfortable with their own bodies. Americans are mesmerized with media and enthralled by one’s body image, and ,as a result, face ramifications like eating disorders and anorexia.

The media group that retouches images skews the “normal” body image of people through many of its outlets, including models in advertising and magazines, and actors in TV and movie productions. “The average model portrayed in the media is approximately 5’11” and 120 pounds. By contrast, the average American woman is 5’4” and 140 pounds” (Holmstrom, 2004). This statistic shows how the media manipulates consumers into believing that because they are not what the average model looks like, they are not living up to a certain standard which implies that they need to look like that to be beautiful. Another research fact that shows a similar concept is that, “In the United States, 94% of female characters in television programs are thinner than the average American woman, with whom the media frequently associate happiness, desirability, and success in life” (Yamamiya et al., 2005). This association of female thinness and happiness, desirability and success makes consumers believe they must achieve this unrealistic thinness to achieve more ultimate goals and fulfillment in life. “The media also explicitly instruct how to attain thin bodies by dieting, exercising, and body-contouring surgery, encouraging female consumers to believe that they can and should be thin” (Yamamiya et al., 2005). This idealization of thinness in the media is seen so much, and is extremely harmful to women’s self confidence and is often associated with body image dissatisfaction, which can be a precursor to social anxiety, depression, eating disturbances, and poor self-esteem (Yamamiya et al.,

The largest forms of media we encounter in our daily lives are the advertisements and commercials we see on TV, the Internet and in magazines. One of the key strategies used to reinforce the feminine image is to depict every woman to be “thin.” This strategy is used all over the media and this depiction of “women should be thin” is negative. For example, “Seventeen” magazine, Pretty Little Liars star Troian Bellisario is featured on the cover captioning, “Get an insane body – It’s hard, but you’ll look hot.” This idea that the media is portraying to all women and girls is publicized wrongly. Everyone thinks that being thin is hot and if you are not thin, you don’t belong to society. However, this happens because women and girls are too taken away by getting slim,

Then in the 1950's, more voluptuous figures were the ideal. Since that time the ideal body shape for women has become more and more slender (Borzekowski, Robinson, & Killen, 2000). Unfortunately, for many people the ideal thin body is nearly impossible to achieve. This makes women feel dissatisfied with their appearance. Hence the beginning of a negative body image. Recently, researchers have become concerned with the question of how and to what degree advertising involving thin and attractive women is related with chronic dieting, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorders in American females (Stephens & Hill, 1994). The esteemed attention that female thinness culminates began in the United States back in the 1950's (Garner, Garfinkel, & Thompson, 1980). During the last three decades, pageant contestants, fashion models, and famous actresses have grown steadily thinner (Lake, Sweeney, & Wagner, 1999). Twenty years ago the average fashion model weighed only 8 percent less than the average women. Today the average model weighs 23 percent less than the average woman (Dunn, 1992). Surprisingly, as the body standard has continued to thin, the average weight of American women has actually risen. In 1950, mannequins closely resembled the average measurements of a woman. The average hip measurement of mannequins and women was 34 inches. By 1990, the average hip measurement was 37 inches for an average woman, while the average mannequin hip measured only 31 inches

Obese men and women are beginning to accept themselves for who they are and the health issues that come along with it. Obesity has been a dire issue for quite some time in the United States and is getting worse as time progresses. “The nation will spend… about $190 billion a year- paying for the health consequences of obesity.” (Brady 519) Although obesity rates are skyrocketing, individuals demand that every body is beautiful and the curvier the better, but when does too curvy lead an individual onto an episode of My 600lb Life? All forms of social media have been normalizing those who are unhealthy. Shows like My Big Fat Fabulous Life shows off the beauty of being plus-sized, and how individuals treat you if you are a larger individual. Mainstream media had flocked to obesity and its tabu nature in extreme ways; people are disregarding the health effects of being plus-sized and are crediting it with daring to be different. Growing obesity rates have been one of the main situations that are threatening the health care system. “...the American diet of highly processed food laced with added fats and sugars is responsible for the epidemic of chronic diseases that threatens to bankrupt the health care system.” (Pollan 514) Plus-sized model Tess Holliday is a size 24 model who believes her weight is healthy and acceptable. Her confidence has inspired

Many negativities have resulted from what the media is portraying as the idealized body image; the body size of women portrayed in the media is noticeably getting smaller. The media will do everything to sell a product, especially when it tugs on someones insecurities. The term “thin-ideal media” refers to media images, shows, and films that contain very thin female leads (“Body, Of”). The media has made a thin body appear as if that is what the ideal body image should be, even if it is harmful to a person’s health. The average fashion model is typically 4-7 inches taller and 50 pounds lighter than the average American (Insel 292). Many consider that having good looks means you have good health; furthermore, it then makes it difficult for some women to go without thinking

The message is being sent loud and clear that the body you were born with isn’t beautiful enough. Roder states that, “The average American encounters 3,000 advertisements every day, and spends a total of two years watching TV commercials in their lifetime.” These ads hunt down our self confidence like wolves, shining the light on six foot tall supermodels weighing only 120 pounds . According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the average weight for an American woman is 166.2 pounds, a number that many women see as overweight (False advertising, photoshopping mars our body image). The drastic difference between the reality of teenage bodies and media portrayals only adds to the escalating insecurity among American children. Teens who are insecure about their bodies are more likely to buy beauty and bodybuilding products, new clothes, and diet aids, spending anywhere between $40 and $100 billion (Beverly and Geraldine). For the past few years, much of the media has had its eye concentrated solely on women, this has changed since the 1990s. Young teenage boys have also been victims of unrealistic male physiques, such as the famous series of Calvin Klein underwear ads. (Ballaro, Wagner) Not only do we allow media images to tear

Every day there are masses of women that are bombarded with today’s “thin-ideal media” of the so-called “picture-perfect” body. These unrealistic photos portray images in magazines all over the country to entice to our youth; which gives them the indication that they are skinny enough or pretty enough. The term “thin-ideal media” is a term that shows images and films that enclose unrealistically thin females as their centerfolds or lead characters. This is something that occurs habitually in the fashion industry, such as in magazines, clothing catalogs and television shows that appeal mostly to teens. Thin-ideal media gives the idea that being thin is a good thing and something that they should view as desirable and in some cases even strive to be like. Even if it could be potentially hazardous to one’s health by not

Why are women and men pressured because of an image of skin and bones or walking muscles? Most commercials and magazines flicker photos every second of photoshopped or unrealistic bodies. In addition, Americans on average spend 250 billion hours watching television. More importantly, children and teenagers gape at 20,000 commercials a year. Using unflawed advertisements, they gnaw at children's minds into thinking they aren't beautiful. For example, women are accentuated to live up to the expectations of a Victoria's Secret model--a skinny waist, huge breasts, and meaty thighs. Men, on the other hand, are bombarded with pictures of a projected, heavily built abdomen. In society, people are driven to look like living Barbie dolls. Human beings shouldn't have the weight on their chest to look like the model on an advertisement. Several people can have higher expectations of a person, develop eating disorders, and even lose self-esteem.

The media makes us believe that the people seen in magazines are one hundred percent real. It makes us believe that the bodies every person observes are achievable and healthy. According to Ballaro and Wagner (2017), the fashion industry faced several eating-disorder related deaths of female models in 2006. This proves that the media negatively influences us on what our bodies should be to be considered beautiful and that it will cause deaths. As a result of models and everyday people believing that they are not small enough, several die from eating disorders. “At the same time, advocacy groups such as the National Eating Disorders Association's Media Watchdog program, which was founded in 1997 to encourage companies and advertisers to create healthier cultural messages about size, beauty, and weight, continue to pressure media outlets that persist in the promotion of unhealthy body images.” (Ballaro & Wagner, 2017). In other words, companies and the media are aware that they are promoting unhealthy body images but choose to promote it anyway, even though they are aware of the consequences. Though this terrible, it is not the only

The media, such as T.V, the internet, even video games emphasize the importance of being attractive. While models in magazines are typically shown wearing a size 00-2 in pant size, the average pant size among women in America is a 12-14. On top of that, the models are typically photoshopped: airbrushed, slimmed -even though they are skinny as it is- teeth whitened, all to fit our society's mentality of “perfection”. This false advertising causes women to believe the “thin ideal” mentality, where slim is the only beautiful body type and to achieve that is to achieve beauty-which then can lead to eating disorders-such as bulimia or anorexia- among women to strive for this “perfection”. Another effect of this unrealistic expectation is anxiety, inadequacy, even