Is the American Media Responsible for Perpetuating an Unrealistic Beauty Ideal for Women - Essay Example

?Topic: Is the American media responsible for perpetuating an unrealistic beauty ideal for women? Introduction Women always have been a symbol of beauty and perfection in the eyes of people throughout history .The images of women are portrayed everywhere to attract the attention of men population. The female bodies hold a pivotal place in advertising media and any products from car to food products is promoted by utilizing their image. For this very reason, the body image of women has been given extreme importance. In order to appeal the public, the supermodels and movie actresses have taken over an ultra thin body image which has been projected as the ideal size for female population. The female models appearing on television channels and movies maintain such an unhealthy body weight that the female audience watching these perceive them to be perfect role model. Moreover, the American media also has been popularizing underweight females as perfect beauties, which is in reality an unrealistic and unhealthy beauty concept. Beauty of woman since ever has been a motivating factor for the male population and many have described the ideal body image for women being curvy. “Biologically speaking, humans are attracted to symmetrical faces and curvy women for a reason: it's those shapes that are believed to produce the healthiest offspring”(Bennett).In previous centuries, women were robust and healthy and symbolized fertility and prosperity. There were no standards of beauty forced upon on women at any cost. It is recently with the emergence of technology and industrialization that international companies in order to promote their product formulated a wafer thin structure for female models. Industries in order to attain popularity and profit crucified the health and beauty concept of innocent female population who are otherwise normally attractiv American media’s role in promoting thin female body image All the population around the world watches American entertainment media and nurture their fashion and beauty concepts around it. The female models displayed in all the media are extremely thin, which is an unattainable body image for the ordinary female population. The television channels like Fashion TV, depicts female models that are so thin that they look terribly starved and undernourished comparing to a normal female. When these models walk the ramp, the youth populations which watch these shows are tempted to follow their footsteps and undergo extreme dieting and starvation. Women watching these American television shows feel that they are imperfect and resort to different shortcuts to attain wafer thin body structure. America’s new Television show named “America’s Next Top Model” has created such a surge among teenagers that they take unrealistic steps to attain thin body figure. According to (Erp,23) “The popularity of talent shows such as America's Next Top Model is just a more pronounced example of society's increasing obsession with youth and beauty, another addition to the flood of images serving up idealized, teen perfection”. The teenagers and young women are blindly influenced by the extreme thin structure of models and actresses that they hardly think about the negative impact upon their health and body. They fall victim to eating disorders like Anorexia and Bulimia and get accustomed to depression and anxiety disorders. Television and movies establishes and put forward a message that only underweight and ultra – thin women are worth living in this era. American media’s promotion of Barbie doll image In America it is not unusual for media to display a Barbie doll concept to the female population all over the country. The Barbie has been influencing the growing up girls who are between the age of 3 to 12yrs.It is estimated that one in three girls aged under 12 yrs in American owns a Barbie doll. Girls playing with it tend to compare her body structure with Barbie and attempt to attain her body image. If Barbie doll is imagined as a human being, then she would be so thin that she cannot menstruate as normal women as her body fat percentage is extremely low. The body image of Barbie is unattainable and not average. As per (Prager 323)“There are millions of women who are subliminally sure that thirty-nine-inch bust and a twenty-three-inch waist are the epitome of lovability. Could this account for the popularity of breast implant surgery?” Barbie had so much impact on American teenage girls that they took over a concept of not eating until they acquired the image of Barbie doll. Barbie is the first doll to come into a child’s life in the form of an adult .Her super thin waist and slender body captured the heart and minds of young girls who played with it. Barbie became a role model and an icon, a body image which was revered and emulated by the child who played with it. It is not only the child but also their mothers followed Barbie’s message about how a women’s body should look in order to gain attention and beauty status. Media and its effect on health of young women The media portrayal of thin body image has led to an increase in eating disorder among young female population of United States. The teenagers and young women are more concerned and preoccupied with their body image and this led to an intense diversity in their eating habits. Females have a belief that thinness is a fashionable concept and having voluptuous or heavy body is a shameful idea or an old concept. It is observed that US women have grown terribly thin since 1950s and the sole agent responsible for this is the American media. It is a pathetic situation that young generation is being delivered an unhealthy message of being utterly thin which can harm their bodily functioning. “We must re-educate ourselves in health. Balance, not bone, is the true mark of good nutrition. Food is not the enemy”(Courtney,59-62) These entertainment channel and advertisement campaigns promote women who are lifeless and skeleton structures. This gives an idea to the mass that food is to be treated as an enemy and more they stay away from food more they get close to model like image. Even in teen magazines and on music channel and movies only thin figured females are highlighted. Media targets on innocent teenagers who are less knowledgeable about healthy weight and eating habits. They in order to remain in glamorous status starve themselves to malnourishment and invite physical disorders illnesses. Since decades the body image of women has been decided by media .This negative publicity of unhealthy body image has stolen the self esteem and confidence of health teenage girls. Conclusion The idea of beauty is not something similar for every woman as every woman is different in her body structure and features. We cannot stereotype the body image of a person and there is no hard and fast rule for the concept of feminine beauty. Current American entertainment and mass media is powerful and ubiquitous and has a strong hold on the entire population on the planet. It has sent strong message to public which led to a complete dissatisfaction among women and men alike regarding their body image. This situation can only be reversed if the government and other voluntary organization take deliberate step to boycott unhealthy concepts promoted by American media. There should also be funding from the part of government to advertise health promoting campaigns to acknowledge the teenage population about ideal weight and right beauty concept. Media is a channel which has a tremendous power to communicate to people around the world. If mass media and advertisement campaign does not pass on a beneficial message to the public then they are misusing their power and position. Beauty is not a thing to be achieved by torturing the body and undergoing mental stress and bodily deprivation. Beauty is something which reflects happiness, health and joy. A human being needs healthy and nutritious food to function in a balanced way. When young women deprive their body of essential nutrients they end up being diseased and ugly looking. Today the world is running after glamour and sexy body image but people are forgetting that in the long run when they suffer from illness no media will come for their help or resort. References Bennett, Jessica. "The Beauty Advantage." News Week. 156.4 (2010): Print Erp, Hedy. "Truth and Beauty." British Journal of Photography. 157.7755 (2009): 23. Print Emily prager. “Our Barbies, Ourselves”.323. Martin, Courtney. "The Famine Mystique." Off our back. (2005): 59-62. Print Read More