FREE ESSAY ON BODY IMAGE

BODY IMAGE

Body Image Portrayed by the Media
Through the use of imagery, the display of life-styles, and the reinforcement of values,
advertisements are communicators of culturally defined concepts such as success, worth,
love, sexuality, popularity, and normalcy. Of particular concern over the past two
decades has been excessive use of sexual stereotypes, especially of women. Women are
directly affected by this advertising, beyond the mere desire to purchase the product or
service described. The influence of the media on people is tremendous, and the effect of
advertisements that direct images of beauty, and the perfect slim figure have a harmful
effect on a great deal of the world's population, especially women. The media has
portrayed the "perfect body image" so successfully, that women's self-image, self-esteem
and even their health is affected.
Looking at the media, it's almost impossible to ignore the many images of thin, beautiful
women. In many women's magazines, nearly every other page is covered with an
advertisement that displays a person with the "ideal body", a slim figure, a happy face,
and trendy or chic clothes. Most of the advertisements in magazines try to present models
as realistic representations for consumers, particularly women, to compare themselves.
Not only do magazines try to portray the "perfect image," but also television
advertisements try to achieve this representation of the perfect body. Television
broadcasts events and shows like "Miss America," and "Baywatch" that represent
unrealistic body types for ordinary women. 
To accomplish the goal of looking like the models being displayed all over the media,
women think they need to diet. If it was dieting just for the fact of making women feel
better, it would be all right, but the purpose of most people is different. When women
compare themselves to models and pictures of people in advertisements, they believe the
only way they will get noticed is if they also appear the in the same image of the
models. To achieve this goal, they begin to starve themselves. They start to believe that
by eating anything at all they will get fat and the most important thing to them is not
to be fat. It becomes a compulsion to become thin and some women will do anything to get
there. Women need to realize that what the media displays as the "perfect body" and what
really is the healthy body are two different things. Even if a woman does get down to the
smallest size, does this mean she will be happy? Looking like a model doesn't necessarily
mean women will feel like the models feel. Media brings out the conception that women
will look and feel like the models. Media makes women feel bad about themselves and it is
because of what is being displayed in the media that exemplifies this feeling. 
According to the American Anorexia/Bulimia Association, an estimated six- percent of
American women has eating disorders. Low self-esteem and an unrealistic body image can
trigger these eating disorders. A society that allows for such blatant expressions of
contempt for women can only expect that women will be victimized. The media must begin to
take some responsibility for the images, and the on-going implications of the image, that
it presents. When turning the pages of a glossy fashion magazine, women are being invited
by the ads and the carefully art-directed spreads to suspend their disbelief. It is hard
to remember that the average American woman's dress size is sixteen, not six. And the
average age is not eighteen. The average working woman doesn't have the resources or the
time to devote a narcissistic pursuit of beauty. Models look beautiful for a living. They
have hair stylists, makeup artists, wardrobe people, manicurists, and skin care
specialists to make them look wonderful. Not to mention the best photographers in the
world who employ lighting, film stock and every other trick of the trade to enhance their
beauty. The end result is so stunning that people forget to ask themselves why we should
care who the women are, or care about what the ads are selling. Women's advertising
should be directed toward the professional working women who are the target audience.
Beauty and fashion ads are not just selling a product; they are selling a lifestyle. This
idea of selling a lifestyle is similar to the fiction that Miss America represents
America. This emphasis on a particularized type of beauty is becoming far too important
to far to many people. Mode magazine has taken a step in the right direction. With a
motto of style beyond size, it features women with real curves who more closely resemble
the average American woman in dress size. These women exude a healthy, positive appeal
and wear fashionable clothing that is flattering. No smudged black eyeliner, expensively
made up hair or glamour in these layouts.
The beauty industry and magazines are not the sole cause of the problem though, there is
plenty of blame to go around. And so we look at Hollywood. The cardinal rule in movies
and television: sex sells. When people tune into watch a sitcom like "Friends," no one
will see a single leading lady with a waist over size six. The only "imperfect"
characters in the show are the "fat ugly guy and fat ugly lady" who live across the
street and are objects of constant ridicule. The same can be said for virtually all
mainstream shows on television. It is a continual barrage of beautiful people that are
exposed to viewers. Unfortunately, it is becoming accepted that society should indeed
look like television actors. There is essentially no one in this medium saying that it is
okay to be oneself, to look how women want to look and feel good at the same time.
What society must do is tell the beauty industry, tell the magazines, and tell Hollywood
that what they are doing is not acceptable. The image they portray is unrealistic,
unhealthy, and irresponsible. However, it is unlikely that the beauty industry will
loosen its grip on the minds of women and try so hard to make them think they are ugly.
That would of course hurt sales and cause them to make only millions instead of billions
of dollars. It is also improbable that Hollywood will break perhaps its only rule,
because that too would disrupt the bottom line. So, for the time being anyway, we are a
society being told how to look, and trying to live up to an impossible standard.