How advertising has changed the perception of womens self-esteem - Essay Example

This essay "How advertising has changed the perception of women’s self-esteem" describes the alteration in women’s self-esteem brought by the media and advertising as they experience great pressure to cope and adapt to the world around them. Contemporary western culture strongly eulogizes the virtues of products and interventions which seek to enhance one’s physical appearance, through aggressive advertisement campaigns aimed at appealing to the sensibilities of the vulnerable target groups – the female consumers.

This is evident from the gamut of television advertisements promoting and advocating the merits of medical alterations and the use of cosmetic products which promises the proverbial "fountain of youth" to the ageing population, and enhanced sex appeal to the youth. Such an increased penetration of medical marketing and cosmetics as tools to increase one's social standing and elevate their likeability within the contemporary society has generated a greater awareness regarding such products and at the same time, significantly transformed the very definition of "ideal beauty".

It now encompasses a term which refers to the achievement of unrealistic beauty standards which are acquired through the normalization of an individual's body which are in sync with the digitally enhanced images and those unattainable through natural means, i.e., cosmetic surgery. The fixation with slenderness as an ideal body type and an unrivalled eagerness to conform to the widely accepted social standards of beauty has provided an added boost to the cosmetics industry.