The Use of Unrealistic Models by Mass Media Tends - Article Example

Lifestyle Feature Preying Media… Hype not Hip Influencing our world The Coffee shop was our favorite haunt and my friends and I reveled in it each evening when returning from a hard days work. I am sure this wayside café made a huge fortune from us as we were regular customers who did not shy away from good food. The air was filled with the heavy aroma of coffee, cookies, croissants, cake, sandwiches and other delicacies and because it had earned a good name for itself, it witnessed clientele that poured in throughout the day whether rain or shine. The Café was warm and cozy and had hand- painted dome lights that hung from a low ceiling which was off white in color. The walls were made of burnt sienna bricks, which is what gave it a homely and comfortable appearance. After placing our order of hot coffee, sandwiches and cookies we delved into the funny side of what happened at our respective work spots Everything seemed to go on fine till that moment in time, while we were rolling with laughter and almost falling off our seats in the bargain, when all of a sudden our gaze was drawn towards a huge crowd coming towards the Café. Cameras were clicking and video-cams. were rolling and as we stood gaping wondering what the heck was the matter, we saw a pencil thin figure wearing a bright colored dress and a pair of huge goggles enter the Café with her entourage in tow. It seemed as though she had been on the other side of the lens all through her young life because she behaved like a thorough pro while posing for her photographs to be taken. We were racking our brains in an attempt to clear the fog from our clogged minds about who this celebrity was and we took turns guessing as to what was actually happening here. One of my friends asked “Is she an actress?” and another chimed in “I think she must be a model or something like that”. Our doubts were soon set to rest by the curious waiter who finally turned up with our order and when we questioned him, he cheerily told us that she was one of the main stream super models, who was on one of her shooting sprees and since she needed a break had come here to chill out before the next shooting session began. Our super model, as we were told by other bystanders modeled for anything from clothing to perfumes and chocolates. “Man proposes but God disposes”, one of the most famous sayings came into play and the next photo- shoot session of our super model became a far dream, because the next minute, our super model had fallen to the floor of the Café, writhing in pain. The shooting crew was shocked about the happenings just as we were, and ran helter and skelter trying to cal in an ambulance to rush her to the hospital. Our super model, a picture of beauty, just a few moments ago was nothing more than a pitiable sight of a ragged doll that was worn out with use. Her smudged make up showed the pale pallor of her skin and her disheveled hair looked like a riot stricken crows nest. While the manager screamed for the crowd to move away, some fanned her, while her personal secretary splashed her face with chilled water that was handed to her by one of the waitresses. The shocking truth about the whole episode was that our super model suffered from Bulimia Nervosa, having been caught in the clutches of this disease for which she was paying such a heavy price. As the ambulance came screeching to a grinding halt at the portico of the hotel, a stretcher was brought out and our super model was carried by the ward boys and laid on it and taken away to the hospital. We went back to our second session of tea and eateries but this time the conversation was more reserved, mature and concerned about the condition of our model. All of us agreed on one thing – “Getting a lucrative job that gave one celebrity status is one thing, but neglecting health to the point of crippling oneself is quite another.” The next thing we all unanimously agreed upon was that the media was mostly to blame for this. In fact, the hype involving fad foods and getting a wine – glass figure that spells beauty, has become an obsession with the youth, making them go to dire lengths to ape the celebrities who advertise them. Our society today, seems to be at the crossroads as to the real meaning of beauty. While some believe that beauty is only skin deep, there are others who believe otherwise. It is a well known fact, that all types of popular media target women with ethereal images of slenderness and beauty and project them as the “ideal body” that everyone should have. The sad fact is that such beauty standards are highly unrealistic and unattainable by the greater section of women population. The use of unrealistic models by the mass media tends to compound huge problems both physical and psychological on women in general, leading to all sorts of trauma and health disorders. One such health problem is Bulimia that our super model was afflicted with. The plethora of research carried out in the area of health and body image, has shown us time and again, that the media’s portrayal of health and beauty, are highly detrimental to the physic of women considering that most women are easily affected by their appearance and they find it very difficult to be content with their own physical appearance at any given point in time. Women seem to be the more vulnerable lot and therefore are much quicker to react to the juicy advertisements on the “ideal body image” that bombards them day after day. Such images of “unrealistic beauty” and the “thin ideal” become internalized in their minds and they become slaves or victims of the same. Studies show that women can go to any length to try and acquire such beauty and in the wake of it suffer untold misery by way of poor health and other psychological problems that tend to impact their lives even further. “Body image according to (Cash & Pruzinsky, 2002) is a complicated aspect of the self-concept that concerns an individual's perceptions and feelings about their body and physical appearance.” When compared to their male counterparts, the female population was found to be more dissatisfied with their appearance. ((Striegel-Moore & Franko, 2002) According to them dissatisfaction of body image is highly prevalent in the young female population and the deep desire of wanting to be thinner by losing weight is correctly targeted by the media, leading to drastic forms of dieting and unrealistic eating habits. From glossy magazines, to television and films, such detrimental messages are being sent out to the youth who come to believe it is a norm and resort to all types of poor dieting habits or disordered eating. Gradually, their physical as well as psychological health deteriorates and they become victims to dreaded diseases like anorexia and Bulimia, both of which are associated with maladaptive eating habits. ((Striegel-Moore & Franko, 2002) also highlight the fact that “body dissatisfaction surpasses actual body mass as the most powerful risk factor for the development of dieting and disordered eating.” The Media hype created around slimness and beauty, acts as a dangerous vortex that draws the vulnerable female population into its epicenter and plays havoc with their physical and mental health. The most vulnerable of them who do not make any attempt to find out the detrimental factors that shroud this mystery, falls between 15 to 29 years and current studies show that the problem of disturbed body image is escalating in our society. We have no one to blame except such media who paint rosy pictures of exceptional beauty using ultra thin models, without explaining the downside to it. The media is responsible for projecting women’s bodies in such a manner that it harms people who fall prey to it. The super model fiasco that we had witnessed today is a clear example of where our society is being led by the dangerous campaigning carried out by the irresponsible media. Most models shown on the television, advertisements, music videos, stage, films and through other media are pretty much lower in Body Mass Index (BMI) and could be clear victims of either Anorexia or Bulimia Nervosa, just like the model we had seen earlier. According to (Tiggemann, 2003) most of the female population is motivated to read fashion or beauty magazines to procure “information about beauty, fitness, grooming and style.” Actually, only a minuscule number of women meet the media standards of beauty, yet the larger population of women is bombarded with such unrealistic images that send out strong messages “that a woman is not acceptable and attractive if she does not match society's "ultra-thin" standard of beauty “(Dittmar & Howard, 2004, p. 478). Don’t you think that women need a better deal and a more realistic one at that? Both Bulimia and Anorexia are the by-products of eating disorders and we have the media to blame for it, by flooding the market with such fad diets advertised by pencil- thin models, just like the one we had seen a while ago and who suffered from Bulimia. Though it seems rather unfair and irresponsible practices by the media, may I question as to where our individual good sense has gone to? Does beauty have to override good health? Conclusion Media is what reflects the society in which we live. It reflects people’s tastes, likes and dislikes, style and sense of worth. However, since media has a good side and a bad side, it is for us to be mature enough to choose what to believe and what not to. Though the media behaves irresponsibly in many ways, it cannot be held totally responsible for such events because we as individuals have the freedom and right to choose between what is good and what is bad for us. By behaving in a sensible and responsible manner, let us come together and try to make a difference as to what is real beauty and how to go about achieving it while maintaining a healthy lifestyle and better relationships with our body and among ourselves. Are you ready to make the change? References Cash, T. F., & Pruzinsky, T. (Eds.) in Serdar, K. L. Body Image: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice. New York: Guilford Press. Dittmar, H., & Howard, S. (2004). Professional hazards? The impact of models' body size on advertising effectiveness and women's body-focused anxiety in professions that do and do not emphasize the cultural ideal of thinness. British Journal of Social Psychology, 43(4), 477-497. K. L Serdar. Female Body Image and the Mass Media. Web. Assessed in Oct. 2014, from www.westminstercollege.edu Striegel-Moore, R., Franko, D. in Serdar, K. L. Body Image Issues among Girls and Women. In T. F. Cash & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body Image: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice (p. 183-191). New York: Guilford Press. Tiggemann, M. (2003). Media exposure, body dissatisfaction and disordered eating: Television and magazines are not the same! European Eating Disorders Review, 11(5), 418-430. Read More

As the ambulance came screeching to a grinding halt at the portico of the hotel, a stretcher was brought out and our super model was carried by the ward boys and laid on it and taken away to the hospital. We went back to our second session of tea and eateries but this time the conversation was more reserved, mature and concerned about the condition of our model. All of us agreed on one thing – “Getting a lucrative job that gave one celebrity status is one thing, but neglecting health to the point of crippling oneself is quite another.

” The next thing we all unanimously agreed upon was that the media was mostly to blame for this. In fact, the hype involving fad foods and getting a wine – glass figure that spells beauty, has become an obsession with the youth, making them go to dire lengths to ape the celebrities who advertise them. Our society today, seems to be at the crossroads as to the real meaning of beauty. While some believe that beauty is only skin deep, there are others who believe otherwise. It is a well known fact, that all types of popular media target women with ethereal images of slenderness and beauty and project them as the “ideal body” that everyone should have.

The sad fact is that such beauty standards are highly unrealistic and unattainable by the greater section of women population. The use of unrealistic models by the mass media tends to compound huge problems both physical and psychological on women in general, leading to all sorts of trauma and health disorders. One such health problem is Bulimia that our super model was afflicted with. The plethora of research carried out in the area of health and body image, has shown us time and again, that the media’s portrayal of health and beauty, are highly detrimental to the physic of women considering that most women are easily affected by their appearance and they find it very difficult to be content with their own physical appearance at any given point in time.

Women seem to be the more vulnerable lot and therefore are much quicker to react to the juicy advertisements on the “ideal body image” that bombards them day after day. Such images of “unrealistic beauty” and the “thin ideal” become internalized in their minds and they become slaves or victims of the same. Studies show that women can go to any length to try and acquire such beauty and in the wake of it suffer untold misery by way of poor health and other psychological problems that tend to impact their lives even further.

“Body image according to (Cash & Pruzinsky, 2002) is a complicated aspect of the self-concept that concerns an individual's perceptions and feelings about their body and physical appearance.” When compared to their male counterparts, the female population was found to be more dissatisfied with their appearance. ((Striegel-Moore & Franko, 2002) According to them dissatisfaction of body image is highly prevalent in the young female population and the deep desire of wanting to be thinner by losing weight is correctly targeted by the media, leading to drastic forms of dieting and unrealistic eating habits.

From glossy magazines, to television and films, such detrimental messages are being sent out to the youth who come to believe it is a norm and resort to all types of poor dieting habits or disordered eating. Gradually, their physical as well as psychological health deteriorates and they become victims to dreaded diseases like anorexia and Bulimia, both of which are associated with maladaptive eating habits. ((Striegel-Moore & Franko, 2002) also highlight the fact that “body dissatisfaction surpasses actual body mass as the most powerful risk factor for the development of dieting and disordered eating.

” The Media hype created around slimness and beauty, acts as a dangerous vortex that draws the vulnerable female population into its epicenter and plays havoc with their physical and mental health. The most vulnerable of them who do not make any attempt to find out the detrimental factors that shroud this mystery, falls between 15 to 29 years and current studies show that the problem of disturbed body image is escalating in our society.

Read More