Our Concept of Reality Is Manipulated by the Images We See on Television - Essay Example

? Body Image and the Media Too often in today's world, our concept of reality is manipulated by the images we see on television and which are generated by the entertainment industry. This is especially true of body image. The visuals of people's bodies on TV, the movies, or in music videos can create unrealistic ideals that may be unattainable for the vast majority of us. The gap between reality and fantasy may be so large for some people, that unhealthy disorders can develop. This paper will explore the issue of body image and the media, and what can be done about it. One of the most important things to remember is the health of the United States is under serious threat. Many peoples lives are sedentary and feature little exercise. As several researchers have indicated, in strident tones: “According to the American Obesity Association, 65% of adults and 30% of children are overweight, and 30% of adults and 15% of children meet the criteria for obesity. Rarely playing outdoors, children spend their days chatting online or watching TV while snacking on nutritionally empty foods. The average child spends 4 hours per day watching TV, and only 1 hour per day completing homework” (Derenne and Beresin, 1). These health problems are causing a crisis in body image perspectives. Because people are living such unhealthy lives, they see the gap between their own bodies and bodies they see in entertainment products, and this may result in depression or other disorders. The entertainment industry unwittingly encourages this by refusing to feature people with “normal” or “average” bodies and by promoting unfortunate stereotypes. These issues can affect both men and women, but it appears that more magazines target women's insecurities and can have a big impact on them (Grogan, 108). Films do a great deal to shape our ideas of body image. One example would be the American film, the Nutty Professor starring Eddie Murphy. In this film, the Klump family is shown to be hugely obese. Each member of the family has bad hygiene and appears foolish; they are in the film to be laughed at. This is typical of the portrayal of overweight people in contemporary films: they are comedic subjects to be mocked. Rather than show them as people with a full range of feeling and complex motivations, the entertainment industry reduces them to silly stereotypes. This occurs in many films. Is it any wonder that overweight people see these images and internalize the negative energy surrounding them? It is not hard to see how people can develop eating disorders or low self esteem from the constant bombardment of such images. The alternative can be true for music videos. Music videos are famous for their sexually idealized representations of both sexes, but especially of women. In many videos, half-naked women cavort around luxury sports cars. Men sing about their bodies as if they were mere objects. The most desirous women are those who are thin, have large breasts, and wear lots of make up. They wear clothes that reveal their body. To young people watching these images, the shows of wealth and power suggest that these things are attracted to these kinds of bodies. These bodies, viewers are told, are to be emulated, as they are the key to gaining access to this privileged world. While this is true for many kinds of music videos, there are some videos by artists such as Pink and Christina Aguilera which try to counteract the messages of most music videos. These rare videos tell viewers that they are special just they way they are and that they do not need to change in order to fit into a stereotype. It is evident that music videos largely portray unattainable body images, but that some videos do tell a different story, one of innate rather than physical value. Many television shows have similar body image issues as music videos and films. Attractiveness is everything. The comedian Chris Farley was routinely mocked for being overweight on Saturday Night Live. He eventually died from a drug overdose. Clearly, his life was very unhealthy. It almost certainly did not help that he was seen as a figure to be mocked because of his body. His career also unfortunately showed viewers that the only way for an overweight man to get ahead in the entertainment industry was to mock himself and make jokes about his body. That is all he was wanted for. How close is the link between body image issues and unhealthy disorders and even mental illness? There definitely is a causal effect but it is possible to overestimate its importance. Most women are relatively unaffected by thin models presented in the media. Those women most likely to be negatively influenced by such images appear to have preexisting body dissatisfaction concerns or high neuroticism. Other women, particularly those with positive body image, may experience positive effects following media consumption . . . Given the available data, popular and even scientific analyses of body dissatisfaction often overemphasize the causal power of the media (Ferguson, et al, 14). It is clear from this study that other factors at play. By focusing too narrowly on representations in the media, it may be possible that a number of other factors are being ignored, to the detriment of those who develop anxiety and negative behaviours relating to this issue. Some people have preexisting mental illnesses or anxiety disorders which are exacerbated by seeing certain body types in the entertainment industry. Body image is increasingly a topic for academic and theoretical discussion. More and more young people suffer from problems relating to their body image, problems that are often exacerbated by portrayals in the media of unattainable shapes and sizes. This is especially problematic for young women who can be at risk of developing anorexia or bulimia, both of which can cause serious physical problems. We, as a society, need to work together to pressure the entertainment industry to change their ways and show a more normal range of bodies in their products. We need to teach our children that we love them just they way they are. We need to work to be more forgiving and accepting in order to but behind us the issue of body image once and for all. Work consulted Derenne, Jennifer L. and Eugene V. Beresin. “Body Image, Media, and Eating Disorders.” Academy of Psychiatry Review, 30, May-June 2006: 257-261. Ferguson, et al. Who Is the Fairest One of All? How Evolution Guides Peer and Media Influences on Female Body Dissatisfaction. Review of General Psychology, 15, 2011: 11–28 Grogan, Sarah. Body Image: Understanding Body Dissatisfaction in Men, Women, and Children. Taylor & Francis, 2008. Read More