Skinny women in the Media - Essay Example

Skinny women in the Media The revolutionary influence of media in the contemporary society has significant moral consequences. In this case, we take a critical look at the global subject of body image as portrayed by models in media. The impact of body image on media has attracted significant audience size especially the female members of the society. Beauty is considered as a reflection of what people see on electronic and print media. The question is whether people are able to differentiate between reality and appearance as far as the images of thin models in media are concerned. It is therefore important to investigate the moral consequences of blind pursuit of dreams based on media images. The images that are actually altered on the media have led to the high rise in mental health problems and physical health deterioration. The reason why these images have gone deep into our minds is the increasing media coverage and forms. Statistical findings like with the bureau of Labor Statistics reports that a significant number of American populations spend more than half their time watching television (Biagi 150-3). This is where the several body and beauty products are features as advertisement with celebrity models. Few people take their time recognize the manipulation of the media in respect of the images displayed on television or on magazine cover pages. Women are the greatest target of media as they seek to be beautiful so that they may identify with members of the society. The media has learnt this social behavior among women and has taken the opportunity to reap in profits through posting photos of skinny women as the measure of beauty. Although this is a mere Photoshop work, the ordinary womenfolk believe in its existence and go to greater lengths seeking similar appearance. This is not naturally manageable and it is common to find variety of cosmetics and other beauty related diet requirements which the women have to buy in an attempt to achieve their objective. This works to the advantage of the misleading business community while they connive with media. The effect of such skinny models images has influenced the thoughts of many women who now believe that bigger body of over 120 pounds is being too bulky, ugly and old. This has seen a number of them pursue reduced weight at all costs with serious social and physical health consequences. Much concern goes into the age group that is most affected which in this case is the adolescents. They are vulnerable to media unrealistic images and they resort to undesirable methods of attaining the skinny model size which they consider ideal (Katleman-Prue 117-9). The challenge in this respect is that while adults are able to note the difference in media manipulations against real life situation, the adolescents cannot. Various research findings establish that average American woman weighs approximately 169 pounds while the models range close to 120pouds. This wide disparity gives an insight into the probable distortion of images by media that send women crazy over their perceived overweight. The cost of such media misrepresentation of slim women has provoked mixed reactions in the society with much debate emphasizing on the moral issues it generates. The controversy in question is how such media related beliefs are pushing violation of moral standards in the society. Due to the unrealistic media images of ideal woman, many women and adolescent girls have pursued diverse methods of hitting the mark which cannot be achieved by natural means. It is therefore important to notice how people have decided to disobey nature and alter their body size and shape without recourse to accountability and reality. There are several moral concern on the media unrealities on skinny models and the mass following among women and such include; lacking self-control, ignoring value of life, lacking self-confidence, indirect harm to others and negative attitudes towards some aspects of life (Katleman-Prue 110-5). These are moral issues arising from the media practice of campaigning for being skinny as the ideal standard of beauty. The common mode of working towards weight reduction among women is reducing consumption of calories or minimal eating. This has always led to eating disorders which amount to several of the above listed moral issues in the society. Regulating the amount of food consumption to cut on weight has plunged many women into anorexia and bulimia. The limited investigation women undertake concerning the reality of images they access on media has made them cut on their daily food intake even when they are already very thin and this pose significant health risks of being anorexic and disregard to course of nature as far as body weight is concerned (Biagi 245-7). Slimming related problems can extend to heart disease and kidney problems which translate to the societal increased cost of medical bills. Besides the issue of reducing calories is the ensuing stress foe those who feel they don’t fit the media based beauty standards. In the view of the society, the increasing attention of women on the destructive skinny body desire is degenerating into a moral issue due to the anxiety and depression. A particular source of the moral issue with media body image is the body dysmorphic disorder which psychologically tune obsession in women to do anything about appearance and any perceived flaw as in appearance. This has seen many women and adolescent girls putting on tight fitting clothes to absorb their weight and size at the expense of moral standards of modesty in dressing. It has also been established that victims of media image related mental distortions may end up avoiding social places and this significantly hampers their social interaction in the society. For the adolescents, their crave for skinny bodies to measure up to the models has seen them research on pills and dress codes that disregard moral standards in the society. This has seen unprecedented use of health risk drugs that have future consequences even in pregnancy and birth. Such outcomes break down marriages and tear family apart hence increased campaign against media concerning the honesty and reality of their images. There is also a critical aspect of psychological tricks played by media in dragging women to embrace the otherwise unhealthy body care behavior (Tatar 87-9). The much talked about skinny body is sometimes counterproductive in respect of the societal response to the victims. This pose significant moral challenges to the womenfolk in the society. It is shocking to realize that fashion models’ weight averaged only 8% less than the average women 20 years ago. Today the average fashion model weighs 23% less than the average woman and this presents a worrying trend. The concept of body mass index (BMI) is rarely reflected by the media and this is a critical aspect of physical measurement of models as far as their health and general social welfare is concerned. In this respect, it is common to find that the majority of runway model meet a specific BMI criteria to be considered anorexic or otherwise. The changing global culture of fashion and beauty is likely to mislead society into moral vacuum and this call for government intervention and public outcry to restore sanity in the society. The standard of beauty is being imposed on women by the media despite the reality of their majority being bigger than models. There are economic tactics in play as the media practice can attest. It is very difficult for women to attain and maintain ideal look and means resorting to cosmetics and diet products (Biagi 291-2). This has seen the diet and cosmetic industry bag billions of US dollars in profits. They use media to present emaciated female models as the standard of beauty which sucks several women to go for the products and this is in itself immoral in the face of the society. The government has taken a stand on the minimum BMI for models to be presented by the media besides increasing campaigning by partnering with private sector towards improving on healthy portrayals of real women, including the I Am That Girl blog in Facebook. However, despite such efforts to reduce media misrepresentation, the effect is yet to be combated given the high proliferation of such absurd and unrealistic claims of beauty (Kelly, et al. 67-8). It is worth to conclude that the increasing media coverage and portrayal of skinny models as the mirror of beauty is regrettable to the society for the socio-economic consequences it causes. It is important that a communal campaign on healthy beauty measures are carried out with strict media policies that will guard the society against its information. Unless the trend is reversed, the revolution of fashion is headed to ruin the society in various aspects. Works cited Biagi, Shirley. Media/impact: An Introduction to Mass Media. Australia: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012. Print. Katleman-Prue, Laura. Skinny Thinking: Five Revolutionary Steps to Permanently Heal Your Relationship with Food, Weight, and Your Body. New York: Morgan James Pub, 2010. Print. Bright, Hilda. Easyenglish. May 2005. Wycliffe Associates (UK). 21 February 2014. . Grimm, Wilhelm K. Grimm, Jacob Grimm. Grimms Fairy Tales. Digireads.com Publishing, Jan 1, 2004 Retrieved on 10th march 2014 from: http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=KA_Pt9jfIAwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=cat and mouse in partnership analysis&hl=en&sa=X&ei=n90dU5vyN-bnywO_vIDoBQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false Tatar, Maria. The Hard Facts of the Grimms Fairy Tales. Princeton, NJ [u.a.: Princeton Univ. Press, 2003. Print. Kelly, Karen, C B. Canga, Jacob Grimm, and Wilhelm Grimm. Grimms Fairy Tales. Edina, Minn: Magic Wagon, 2011. Print. Read More