Buying Into the Media´s Body Image - 835 Words

My sister is eleven, and is slightly overweight. Up until a year ago she never had a problem with her body image, she was content with the way that she looked. However, recently she has brought up questions regarding her weight and if she looks okay. It has become evident that she is no longer okay with her body, and her self-image. Over the past year her Internet and television use has dramatically gone up, and her self-esteem has equally gone down. The ads shown in media portray women in a way that my sister, along with many adolescent girls, cannot identify with; they draw from stereotypical understandings, and fail to represent healthy girls. The media, and lack of sexual education for kids, ultimately leads to eating disorders,†¦show more content†¦Girls are pressured at increasingly younger ages to be thin. In her piece New Recruits For The Cult Of Thinness, Sharlene Hagy states â€Å"Eating disorders are increasing in the United States. They are no longer confines to a particular class, or ethnic group, and are affecting females at younger ages† (Hagy, 188). Girls are striving to meet the expectations of thinness that these ads portray, even if it’s through unhealthy means, such as anorexia and bulimia. One young woman that Hagy interviewed told her â€Å"Magazines were the big thing, especially in the teen years. They were always articles talking about how to become thinner and sexier and how to attract the opposite sex† (Hagy, 190). Media rarely every show models fully clothed. They are often displayed in underwear, swimsuits, or incredibly revealing outfits. They are time and time again objectified, and told that if they don’t objectify themselves, that boys will not like them. These ideas are powerful. If a young girl feels that boys will not like her if she is not skinny, or flaunting herself like the girls in the media do, they will feel a strong impulse to follow these trends in order to avoid being alienated. Images of models are constantly construed to resemble the form of beauty that society idolizes, which is often white, unreasonably skinny, hyper sexual, and flawless. Beyoncà ©, a Grammy Award winning singer, appears in a photo used to re-promote her albu m 4, She is pictured lying across a leopard printShow MoreRelatedAdvertising and Promotion1003 Words   |  5 Pagesback to 3000 BC in Babylonian times. Back then they only used graphic signs and word of mouth from town criers to promote their product to the people. Today we still use word of mouth of radio and TV personalities along with more advanced forms of media to communicate with the public. Societal values are both created and reflected through advertising. I think advertising reflects on societal values more than creating them. Most advertising appeals to emotions, specifically the emotional need forRead MoreEating Disorder Reflection Paper1341 Words   |  6 Pagesimpact of societal ideas on body image and eating disorder. 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