Over the course of the past month I have done much research to try to find an answer to a very important question, what effect are advertisements having on young women’s perception of beauty? At the time of my first post, I believed that advertisements were a large part in decreasing the self esteem of young women. Throughout the posts following this, I discovered that advertisements are more to blame than I first thought. Not only are they causing harm to self esteem, they are partly to blame for the self harm and eating disorders that adolescents take part in. I also was surprised to discover that men, as well as women, are affected by advertisements. I now know that even if it is not in the same way that young women are affected, men still feel self conscious when faced with advertisements that make them question their appearance.
I found much research and many pieces of writing which helped me to understand the depth to which advertisements effect young women. While I did technically find an answer to the effects advertisements are having, I am left somewhat unsatisfied. All of my research has lead to many more questions. What I am most interested in now, is when did the vision of beauty change from curvaceous to very thin? And who decides what is beautiful and what is not?
If this assignment would have been longer, I would have liked to explore not only the effects advertisements have, but what has caused advertisements and the representation of what is considered beautiful to change throughout the years. During our next assignment, I would like to argue that advertisements should do more to help young women with their self esteem, and grow to include more “average” looking women rather than those who are airbrushed to perfection.
Although this blogging assignment has come to an end, I plan to continue some occasional research to find more effects advertisements have on young women’s perception of beauty. I am, and will continue to be interested in this topic, and I enjoyed this blogging assignment very much.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
IV
As soon as I began my research for the troubling question of how advertisements affect the body image of young women, I discovered some very disturbing effects such as eating disorders and self harm. I figured that these would be the most common and serious effects from advertisements, but while researching this week, I discovered I was wrong. Many women are going to the extreme to achieve their desired looks, by undergoing cosmetic surgeries to fit the standards for beauty that media has created. In an article I read this week titled, “Unrealistic Beauty Standards Affect Men and Women,” the author states: “The media constantly enforces the idea that if women lose weight, they will have it all – the perfect career, family and sex life – making the majority of women feel inadequate.” What I want to know is at what point do women decide that plastic surgery is their only resort to feel beautiful?
As some of you may already know, Heidi Montag, a 23 year old reality TV star, underwent cosmetic surgery for a staggering total of 10 procedures.
Heidi stated in an ABC News article, that her motivation was to overcome the taunts brought on by the Hollywood spotlight: “It really got to me what people would say I had a horse face, and a Jay Leno chin. I kind of started believing it." This is an extreme example of how some people do anything to “perfect” their appearance. But in reality, a perfect appearance does not exist. Take for example the classic “model of perfection,” Barbie.
Images by: huffingtonpost.com, emel.com.
As some of you may already know, Heidi Montag, a 23 year old reality TV star, underwent cosmetic surgery for a staggering total of 10 procedures.
Heidi stated in an ABC News article, that her motivation was to overcome the taunts brought on by the Hollywood spotlight: “It really got to me what people would say I had a horse face, and a Jay Leno chin. I kind of started believing it." This is an extreme example of how some people do anything to “perfect” their appearance. But in reality, a perfect appearance does not exist. Take for example the classic “model of perfection,” Barbie.
For over 50 years, Barbie has been a guide to perfection, but it seems as though this goal is completely and utterly unobtainable. In an article entitled, “Craving a Barbie body - All Dolled Up,” the author states that, if Barbie were a human woman, she would stand tall at 5 feet 9 inches, which would make her size three feet unsuitable for balance – especially taking her F-cup breasts into consideration. Human Barbie’s waist would measure around 18 inches and she would lack the requisite 17-22% body fat required to menstruate, which represents the body of 1 in 100,000 real women.
What I want to know is, if only 1 in 100,000 women are capable of a body such as this, which is such an unhealthy body to obtain in the first place, why is this the model of beauty in our society? I believe each article I read brought up some very interesting facts about low self esteem and poor body image, it seems as though other’s opinions are much to blame for this, but I can't help but believe the main cause is seeing starlets such as Heidi Montag all over the covers of magazines. When young girls see women such as Heidi changing their appearance through surgery, they believe that will finally make them happy. In my opinion, celebrities should do what they can to speak up about the dangers of plastic surgery and promote ways to be comfortable in your own skin instead.
Images by: huffingtonpost.com, emel.com.
Monday, March 19, 2012
III
Throughout my last posts, I have gone over the severe impact that advertisements have on young women. What I haven’t covered yet, is that they greatly affect men as well. Last week as I was in a convenient store with my boyfriend, he mentioned something about the celebrated “Swimsuit Edition” of Sports Illustrated. I am sure that I am not the only one who feels badly about their body after seeing these magazines at every gas station and grocery store I walk into. I know that no matter how much I diet and exercise, I will never have the same measurements as a swimsuit model, which is a serious knock to my self esteem.
What I have never paid attention to, is that men can be just as self conscious as women when it comes to advertisements in media. While doing research, I stumbled across an article in Men’s Health on MSNBC.com. The article was titled, “Guys Have Body Issues, Too” and went into detail about how pictures of hunky guys in media have negative effects on men. In this article, the author tells that men suffer from negative body image, just not in the same way as women. They aren’t as concerned with weight and size, but more, their sweat, body hair, and body odor. Abercrombie and Fitch billboards are filled with men with extremely muscular, hairless bodies, and a study performed in the second article I read, “The Media Assault on Male Body Image,” found that when faced with images such as these, men don’t feel inadequate, but uncomfortable with their own bodies. Some feel as though they do not meet women’s standards for “the perfect man” who is muscular and without body hair.
While both of these articles show that women aren’t the only ones whose self esteem is slightly damaged when faced with advertisements filled with perfect bodies, some of my questions are still unanswered. How, in our society, is it possible for men to look like a mess and still be well respected, while if it is a girl who is incredibly smart but is overweight, or looks like a mess, she will not “get people’s admiration?”
Both of these articles addressed many excellent points, but overall I still believe it is young women who suffer most from the advertisements portraying women with bodies that are somewhat unachievable. While I believe this to be true, I am now aware that men feel self conscious as well when faced with advertisements filled with “hunky” guys. I will keep that in mind the next time I go to say something about how good Ryan Gosling looks in his new movie ad.
Image by: Google images: Abercrombie and Fitch
What I have never paid attention to, is that men can be just as self conscious as women when it comes to advertisements in media. While doing research, I stumbled across an article in Men’s Health on MSNBC.com. The article was titled, “Guys Have Body Issues, Too” and went into detail about how pictures of hunky guys in media have negative effects on men. In this article, the author tells that men suffer from negative body image, just not in the same way as women. They aren’t as concerned with weight and size, but more, their sweat, body hair, and body odor. Abercrombie and Fitch billboards are filled with men with extremely muscular, hairless bodies, and a study performed in the second article I read, “The Media Assault on Male Body Image,” found that when faced with images such as these, men don’t feel inadequate, but uncomfortable with their own bodies. Some feel as though they do not meet women’s standards for “the perfect man” who is muscular and without body hair.
While both of these articles show that women aren’t the only ones whose self esteem is slightly damaged when faced with advertisements filled with perfect bodies, some of my questions are still unanswered. How, in our society, is it possible for men to look like a mess and still be well respected, while if it is a girl who is incredibly smart but is overweight, or looks like a mess, she will not “get people’s admiration?”
Both of these articles addressed many excellent points, but overall I still believe it is young women who suffer most from the advertisements portraying women with bodies that are somewhat unachievable. While I believe this to be true, I am now aware that men feel self conscious as well when faced with advertisements filled with “hunky” guys. I will keep that in mind the next time I go to say something about how good Ryan Gosling looks in his new movie ad.
Image by: Google images: Abercrombie and Fitch
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
II
“A study of network television commercials revealed that 1 out of every 3.8 commercials send some sort of “attractiveness message,” telling viewers what is or is not attractive. These researchers estimate that the average adolescent sees over 5,260 “attractiveness messages” per year.” I found this quote on a
National Eating Disorders website. I find it extremely disturbing that the media is sending this many messages telling girls who could be any age, that attractiveness looks a certain way.
Young girls are very gullible, and if there are sources everywhere they look telling them that a certain look is attractive, they are going to believe it and do anything to be "attractive" like the women in the advertisements. What I am beginning to wonder, is how far some of these girls would actually go in order to look like the girls in advertisements?
Luckily, there seems to be some sense in the modeling industry. Although fashion shows are known for filling the runways with un-naturally skinny women, in this article from USA Today, they make a point to say that, "Any responsible model booker will tell you they turn away girls who get too thin." The article goes on to talk about how they are aware that models have a hand in the cause of anorexia. Young girls are seeing runway models on television and in magazine advertisements and think that it is normal to look as skinny as they are, and that they too, could be models, if only they had the same "perfect" body. But why do girls see only one body type as being beautiful?
While I admire the people interviewed in this article for admitting that beautiful doesn't always mean extremely skinny, I still believe those who control advertisements have a lot to learn about the consequences of their advertisements. The article ends with a quote by Kelly Cutrone, the owner of a company which produces fashion shows, "Unfortunately, most people aren't comfortable with their bodies." This quote is dead on, and if advertisements would only acknowledge this, they could help make many young women more comfortable in their own skin.
National Eating Disorders website. I find it extremely disturbing that the media is sending this many messages telling girls who could be any age, that attractiveness looks a certain way.
Young girls are very gullible, and if there are sources everywhere they look telling them that a certain look is attractive, they are going to believe it and do anything to be "attractive" like the women in the advertisements. What I am beginning to wonder, is how far some of these girls would actually go in order to look like the girls in advertisements?
Luckily, there seems to be some sense in the modeling industry. Although fashion shows are known for filling the runways with un-naturally skinny women, in this article from USA Today, they make a point to say that, "Any responsible model booker will tell you they turn away girls who get too thin." The article goes on to talk about how they are aware that models have a hand in the cause of anorexia. Young girls are seeing runway models on television and in magazine advertisements and think that it is normal to look as skinny as they are, and that they too, could be models, if only they had the same "perfect" body. But why do girls see only one body type as being beautiful?
While I admire the people interviewed in this article for admitting that beautiful doesn't always mean extremely skinny, I still believe those who control advertisements have a lot to learn about the consequences of their advertisements. The article ends with a quote by Kelly Cutrone, the owner of a company which produces fashion shows, "Unfortunately, most people aren't comfortable with their bodies." This quote is dead on, and if advertisements would only acknowledge this, they could help make many young women more comfortable in their own skin.
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| pamemichelle.wordpress.com |
In recent years, Dove has created a "Campaign for Real Beauty." They want everyone to, "
Imagine a World Where Beauty is a Source of Confidence, Not Anxiety." They have created more advertisements, which include beautiful women of all shapes and sizes being at peace with their bodies, but why are there not more of these from other products and companies? I really believe more advertisements such as these would help girls with their self esteem, and let them know that no matter what their body type, they are beautiful.
Friday, March 2, 2012
I
What effect are advertisements having on young women’s perception of beauty? For as long as advertisements have been around, young women have been using them as a guide for what is beautiful. Media is constantly changing advertisements and using what they perceive as most beautiful to sell their products and services. What I want to know is how, in recent years, has this taken a turn for the worse? Why are young women basing their happiness on how they compare to the models in advertisements? What are these girls going through in order to meet the standarts for beauty that the media sets? Who else is being affected by these ads? By the end of this blogging assignment, I hope to have an answer for each of these questions.
There is a very high amount of girls suffering from eating disorders and self-harm, and in my opinion, media has a big role in the cause of this. You cannot flip through most magazines or even watch television for more than 10 minutes without seeing beautiful models that are very thin with long hair, flat stomachs, and long legs. Most young women, seeing this everywhere they look, believe that they will not be classified as beautiful unless they look the same as these models. I believe this issue is extremely important and significant in our culture today. The self-esteem of these young women is rapidly decreasing, all because they feel as though they do not, and will not be able to, meet the standards for what is beautiful, and need to change themselves.
Personally, I am very interested in this issue. In all of the magazines I read, there are numerous advertisements for clothing and makeup picturing only women who fit the standard that media has set for what is beautiful. Starting years ago, I began to feel bad about myself after reading magazine after magazine filled with ads such as these, because I know I do not look this way. It has also affected me to the point that I began working out much more than I used to, and watching what I eat. Although I would never go as far as to even imagine harming myself to look the way the models in advertisements do, many young women have resorted to exactly that. Over the course of my following blog posts, I hope to discover exactly how deeply young women are being affected by how advertisements portray beauty.
There is a very high amount of girls suffering from eating disorders and self-harm, and in my opinion, media has a big role in the cause of this. You cannot flip through most magazines or even watch television for more than 10 minutes without seeing beautiful models that are very thin with long hair, flat stomachs, and long legs. Most young women, seeing this everywhere they look, believe that they will not be classified as beautiful unless they look the same as these models. I believe this issue is extremely important and significant in our culture today. The self-esteem of these young women is rapidly decreasing, all because they feel as though they do not, and will not be able to, meet the standards for what is beautiful, and need to change themselves.
Personally, I am very interested in this issue. In all of the magazines I read, there are numerous advertisements for clothing and makeup picturing only women who fit the standard that media has set for what is beautiful. Starting years ago, I began to feel bad about myself after reading magazine after magazine filled with ads such as these, because I know I do not look this way. It has also affected me to the point that I began working out much more than I used to, and watching what I eat. Although I would never go as far as to even imagine harming myself to look the way the models in advertisements do, many young women have resorted to exactly that. Over the course of my following blog posts, I hope to discover exactly how deeply young women are being affected by how advertisements portray beauty.
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