Unrealistic Projection of Images of Beauty and Body and Modern Women - Essay Example

Running Head: BEAUTY, BODY IMAGE AND TODAY’S WOMEN Unrealistic projection of Images of beauty and body and Modern Women s Institute’s name: Unrealistic projection of Images of beauty and body and Modern Women “Mirror mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all” (James, 2005). This and many more of such taglines I have known and grown accustomed to since I spoke my first word. What does it incorporate? Today, when I am able to read between the lines and understand what the reality behind these rhyming statements is, I was shocked. This essay is an attempt to uncover those hideous, yet inevitable tactics which have been tricking and manipulating women in today’s age to beautify themselves according to rules set by the media and market. It is hard to admit but it is definitely a fact that every woman’s best friend is the mirror, but not diamonds. There was a time when a mirror was considered as something which always exposed the truth whether you were fat or had got tan; it definitely would come across with one image from it. But as time has evolved greatly, patterns of understanding and defining one’s own bodily changes or admirable features have been dictated by some constant outer sources. These sources include the vast marketing being conducted by the media and commercially saleable companies dedicated to transform the image of women. This would have been a welcoming change for women if it was in direct advantage of them. Instead, it has now taken the shape of a business to mold the woman of today with what media giants think should be an appropriate image of a modern day women. To achieve explosive numbers of sales and popularity, women have been tricked in a way that they do not even know what is happening. Not just in West, but in the Asian countries as well, the situation is getting worse. Now if you have a dark complexion, you can achieve a fairer one by using a certain product. But who can decide what is good for our looks. Why do we need to get rid of our dark complexion? Similarly, weight issues have been tackled in a way that obese women considers themselves as a curse to society. They have been made to believe that you can gain popularity at all levels and get loved by all if you are thin enough like those super models walking on ramp or gracing the covers of glitzy magazines. This situation is getting worse by every passing day and time has come to realize the dynamics of womanhood. It is of great importance to portray the real feminine image for woman. This misguiding attitude being conducted at a global level is utterly preposterous. The stereotypical imagery which is against the actual and natural femininity of women has never been so unrealistic and exploitive as it is now. We can see billboards showing wafer thin models displaying an array of products assuring every passing by woman to bring out the hidden Cinderella within her. Another aspect which is consistently being ignored is the uprooting of the fact that gender bias should be stopped and women should be given equal status in every walk of life. It is a good thing, but the image which has been described for a normal girl/housewife is of one who has super-woman like abilities. Be it her career, home, kids, husband as well as keeping her fit and fabulous all the time, she would be able to handle it all with sheer grace and perfection. This is not the true projection of a perfect woman. The role models for today’s females are not social activists or national champions, but femme fatale from movies and improperly dressed singers and models who use their body for sale. Is this the proper way of guiding a whole generation of youngsters? In my opinion, it is not. This is just the outcome of the competitiveness between media and market. They tend to outdo one another on the expense of innocent minds and girls who cannot foresee the negative effects such an attitude towards femininity can have. Studies conducted on the same issue declared that 78% of 17 year olds are dissatisfied with their bodies (Biermann, 2011). According to a report from the Teen Magazine, 35% of girls 6-12 years old have been on a diet at least once. In addition to this, it further declared that 50-70% of girls having normal weight think they are overweight. In another study it was revealed that among young collegiate women one out of every four use unhealthy methods for reducing weight (Clinton & Langberg, 2011). In 2006 it was estimated that about 450,000 Canadian women were affected by an eating disorder. So this culture of thinness is becoming more of an epidemic. This is a rather alarming situation because such a state of being dissatisfied with own self can lead to unhealthy dietary habits. Not just that plastic surgery is another option being promoted by these celebrities to convince innocent women on how convenient it is to beautify them. Nada Stotland, vice president of the American Psychiatrist Association, states: “We know seeing super-thin models can play a role in causing anorexia. Because many models and actresses are so thin, it makes anorexics think their emaciated bodies are normal. But these people look scary. They don’t look normal” (Hellmich, 2006). The distinction between being fit and being anorexic, should be made at national level in every part of the world. As the common girl’s mind has been constantly fed with the prospect of gaining more attractive features and a successful career by following what the models and celebrities do. The media and advertising are constantly blamed for feeding women such images which are harmful to their self-esteem and rightly so. Advertising is the life-blood of economy everywhere, but indeed the death of our individuality (Furze, Savy, Brym, & Lie, 2011). The reason behind the so-called girl power uprooting is nothing else but monetary issues. To show what sells is the order of the day and the plagiarism of consumers mind is of no value for them. The blame is not only on the entertainment or print Media worldwide; many production companies, certain cosmetics or playful products are also responsible. Has anybody ever seen a Barbie doll with a darker complexion or fuller body? The answer would be “Never.” The distinction is always made between fat and slim and the orthodoxy claim from media giants that this is the way a woman should be. This type of behavior is not just irresponsible but also can produce harmful effects on women of every age group because it can affect everyone and anyone. Now girls go on diet at a very young age irrespective of their DNA or hereditary background for they want to be thin. Not just that only teenagers or adults are the target. Now younger girls at school age also spend hours in deciding what to wear. They are more interested in understanding how to apply the perfect shade of lip gloss and how to make the perfect dance moves. Hence, their priorities are set at the very sensitive age of both physical and mental growth. Now girls are not willing to take part in certain sports because they do not want to bulk up or hurt themselves. The reason being only beautiful women get the best things in life. It has become a proved fact that women or women’s bodies represent powerful images of modernity and progress. The active, mobile and beautiful “modern woman” is promoted everywhere be it entertainment media, beauty contests, shopping malls, advertisements or beauty salon all tend to link feminine beauty to the acquisition and display of the latest market commodities. So it becomes clear that not every woman can become a Barbie doll. This current projection going on of attaining the ultimate feminine body is not in accordance with either the medical or moral sciences. Neither can support the well-being of the highest portion of the global population which is dominated by women. What needs to be done is to create awareness about the wrong effects such images can have on normal women. Attaining such a beauty and body as that of some super model is not where the world ends. And it is not a formula which is applicable for each and every woman. The need of today is that ever woman should be able to identify her own individual self in order to lead a well-balanced life. Governments have to play important role to draw a line for media’s exploitation of young generation as well as aging women who think age is something which needs to be stopped from being noticed. All thanks to the entertainment and advertising industry for playing a villainous role in creating this situation. In Milan and India steps are underway against such harmful projection of perfect feminine body and beauty. It is being made sure that a healthy body image is projected. They have gone so far to make up for the mess created by the irresponsible attitude from the media that they have stopped hiring anorexic or very thin models. Time has arrived to follow the proper moral values and traditions of femininity as far as the electronic and print media are concerned. Otherwise, there will be too much at stake. Youths have to be saved from this epidemic because they in actuality are the building blocks of every nation’s future empire. If we mislead our youngsters or the female section of the society altogether, then there might be a situation which will become hard to handle. References James, S. (2005). Becoming real: Christ’s call to authentic living. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=3dkwqrrgNjQC&pg=PA7&dq=mirror mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all&hl=en&sa=X&ei=v26JT7vxKKXT4QSLreCECg&ved=0CGIQ6AEwCQ Biermann, G. (2011). Stereotypes galore! Women’s emancipation as reflected in advertising. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=mMpv2GKQRk4C&pg=PA24&dq=beauty body image and to Clinton, D. T., & Langberg, D. D. (2011). The quick-reference guide to counseling women. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=dufr7tTeklEC&pg=PA115&dq=The American research group Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders, Inc. says that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control—including fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse, and self-induce&hl=en&sa=X&ei=UFmJT42ODcXvsgbFk4n3Cw&redir_esc=y Hellmich, N. (2006). Do thin models warp girls’ body image? USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-09-25-thin-models_x.htm Furze, B., Savy, P., Brym, R., & Lie, J. (2011). Sociology in today’s world. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=5OTLuh2uXMoC&pg=PA362&dq=media and body image of todays women&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_5iJT97_C8rotQaM2omnCw&redir_esc=y Read More