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Media and its influence on body image
Gender roles and social norms
Gender roles and social norms
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Recommended: Media and its influence on body image
In today’s society there is an immense pressure on women to have a beautiful body. Over the last few decades the concept of what a beautiful body is has drastically changed and has become more complex. Now, even very young girls are beginning to hate their bodies because they do not live up to the standards set by the media (Barbara 7). A somewhat new way to modify one’s body that has become popular in the last few years is female genital plastic surgery. If differing views on female genital plastic surgery from females and males, cultural backgrounds, and outside influences are studied, I believe that the results will show that females are more critical about their genital appearance than males and that females and males have a different …show more content…
Media influences, especially pornography, have drastically changed the meaning of normal when it comes to vaginas. Women tend to believe that there is a standard vagina and that theirs must live up to it. “Exposure to images of the ‘perfect vagina’, for instance pornographic altered images, may lead to the development of unrealistic concepts of normal genitalia” (Barbara 5). Not only images, but also the growing popularity of increased shaving of pubic hair, which leaves the vulva exposed, may also lead to women over criticizing their genitalia. This belief of a standard vagina will push women towards female plastic surgery. This is especially true when cosmetic surgery industries use “beautifying the vulva, increased sexual responsiveness and she looks like a 16-year-old now” (Tiefer 5) to describe the results of their surgeries. Besides influences from the media, there are also cultural influences that push women to get these surgeries. An example of this is the hymenoplasty procedure, a surgical procedure that replaces a woman’s hymen. In some cultures or religions that condemn premarital sex, women may get this procedure to avoid ostracism after engaging in premarital sex. There is not just one particular influence on female genital plastic surgery, but one thing is for certain, it presents many ethical …show more content…
These types of surgeries are fairly new and there has not been a lot of evidence to prove the lifelong benefits advertisers promise. “No adequate studies have been published assessing the long term satisfaction, safety, and complication rates for these procedures” (Braun 6). This lack of reliable data brings female genital plastic surgery into question and whether or not it is medically beneficial to have these procedures done. Those in charge of advertising for these procedures are deceiving because they do not include the risks of surgery and the pain of recovery. Another issue that aesthetic female genital plastic surgery creates, is whether or not the procedure will really help the patient. Most physicians believe that surgery should be a last resort and that is why most “referred their patients to either a psychiatrist or psychologist for a comprehensive evaluation prior to considering surgical intervention” (Lowenstein 9). Although some may see these procedures as unethical, it is one’s right to do whatever is desired with one’s body. Therefore, “if a woman’s choice is to have cosmetic surgery, it is her right” (Cain 5). As for me, I believe that females’ genitalias are all different, there is not just one version that everyone needs to be. I think getting genital plastic surgery to fix a functional problem is
"Skin blemishes made it impossible for me to really enjoy myself. I was always worrying about the way I looked" (Brumberg, p. 87). Woman all around the world share the same problem, they feel unhappy and self-conscious with the appearance of their bodies. In The Body Project by Joan Jacobs Brumberg, she successfully illustrates the way adolescents begin to change focus from inner to outer beauty in the early 19th and 20th centuries. Through use of personal diaries and historical research, Brumberg shows her readers the physical differences between girls then and now. Brumberg talks about an array of topics in her book – periods, acne, dieting, piercing, virginity, and sexuality. From their roots in the 1800’s through the Victorian era and into modern society the reader gets a glimpse of the way young women evaluate their bodies and turn them into body projects, and is still to this day sweeping the nation more than ever.
We hear sayings everyday such as “Looks don’t matter; beauty is only skin-deep”, yet we live in a decade that contradicts this very notion. If looks don’t matter, then why are so many women harming themselves because they are not satisfied with how they look? If looks don’t matter, then why is the media using airbrushing to hide any flaws that one has? This is because with the media establishing unattainable standards for body perfection, American Women have taken drastic measures to live up to these impractical societal expectations. “The ‘body image’ construct tends to comprise a mixture of self-perceptions, ideas and feelings about one’s physical attributes. It is linked to self-esteem and to the individual’s emotional stability” (Wykes 2). As portrayed throughout all aspects of our media, whether it is through the television, Internet, or social media, we are exploited to a look that we wish we could have; a toned body, long legs, and nicely delineated six-pack abs. Our society promotes a body image that is “beautiful” and a far cry from the average woman’s size 12, not 2. The effects are overwhelming and we need to make more suitable changes as a way to help women not feel the need to live up to these unrealistic standards that have been self-imposed throughout our society.
The reading assigned titled “The Socially Constructed Body” by Judith Lorber and Yancey Martin dives into the sociology of gender with a specific focus on how the male and female body is compromised by social ideals in the Western culture. She introduces the phenomenon of body ideals pressed on men and women by introducing the shift in cosmetic surgery toward body modifications.
In today society, beauty in a woman seems to be the measured of her size, or the structure of her nose and lips. Plastic surgery has become a popular procedure for people, mostly for women, to fit in social class, race, or beauty. Most women are insecure about their body or face, wondering if they are perfect enough for the society to call the beautiful; this is when cosmetic surgery comes in. To fix what “needed” to be fixed. To begin with, there is no point in cutting your face or your body to add or remove something most people call ugly. “The Pitfalls of Plastic Surgery” explored the desire of human to become beyond perfection by the undergoing plastic surgery. The author, Camille Pagalia, took a look how now days how Americans are so obsessed
In her article “Should There Be Only Two Sexes,” Anne Fausto-Sterling discusses the implications of this genital surgery. She states that infantile genital surgery “causes extensive scarring, requires multiple surgeries, and often obliterates the possibility of orgasm” (80). Fausto-Sterling explains the consequences of these surgeries in order to argue against them. She instead says that intersex individuals should be allowed to make their own decisions regarding their bodies after being well-informed about the choices they have. The individuals interviewed in the documentary confirm the consequences Fausto-Sterling discusses and her conclusion. One person discusses how doctors had removed her clitoris and performed multiple surgeries to widen her vagina during her youth; however, these surgeries have caused sex to be painful and eliminated the possibility of orgasm. Another individual talks about how multiple childhood surgeries had led to significant pain and infections, resulting in scarring. These stories are not uncommon among the interviewed individuals, and all of them express the belief that genital surgery should be a choice made by the intersex individual later in life rather than by others early in life. While they concede that some intersex individuals may feel differently,
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has had different definitions in the ‘Scientific World’ and the world of those who embrace the act. According to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO), Female Genital Mutilation is the act of removing the external parts of the female genitalia, partially or totally for non-medical reasons (WHO) whereas the practitioners see it as the cutting of “extra skin tags” of the female’s reproductive organ. Various reasons have been put forward to support it, ranging from social, cultural and religious reasons, mainly in the so called Islamic communities. FGM is a violation of the rights of the girl child, causes health implications and drastically disempowers the sexuality of women.
That year there were 139 clitoral reduction surgeries and in 2009 there were 156 (Greenfield, 2014). It is still debated what the moral or correct course of action is for intersex
The media has had an increasingly destructive effect on young people who are becoming worryingly obsessed with their body image. The media is saturated in sexual imagery in which young people have to face every day. The sheer volume of sexual imagery in the media today has resulted in the vast majority of young people to become hooked on looking as near to perfection everyday by using the latest products and buying the latest fashions. This used to be enough but lately the next step to achieving perfection is cosmetic surgery. Everyone wants to look attractive, especially teenagers who are not only put under massive strain to succeed but to look beautiful and climb the ranks of the social ladder, and it seems that the only way to achieve the much desired beauty is to turn to drastic measures.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is an ancient traditional non-therapeutic surgical procedure that involves total or partial removal of the external parts of female genitalia. This paper aimed to define and classify FGM, identifies the prevalence, describes reasons for performing the practice, and concentrates on the problems associated to this practice with regard to women’s health, religious beliefs, and socio-cultural, behavioral and moral consequences. Researches and survey reports that the global actions have been taken to reduce or abolish the prevalence of the practice will be assessed.
In this age, media is more pervasive than ever, with people constantly processing some form of entertainment, advertisement or information. In each of these outlets there exists an idealized standard of beauty, statistically shown to effect the consumer’s reflection of themselves. The common portrayal of women’s bodies in the media has shown to have a negative impact on women and girls. As the audience sees these images, an expectation is made of what is normal. This norm does not correspond to the realistic average of the audience. Failing to achieve this isolates the individual, and is particularly psychologically harmful to women. Though men are also shown to also be effected negatively by low self-esteem from the media, there remains a gap as the value of appearance is seen of greater significance to women, with a booming cosmetic industry, majority of the fashion world, and the marketing of diet products and programs specifically targeting women.
Flipping through the pages of Vogue's latest edition, 23 year-old Susan seems quite upset. She struggles with the thought of lacking the perfect body and delicate features in order to be considered attractive. Surprisingly, Susan is not alone in this kind of an internal struggle. In contemporary society, every other woman aspires to have the lips of Angelina Jolie and the perfect jaw line of Keira Knightley. Society today looks down upon individuals that do not fit in, whether in terms of body shape or facial attractiveness. This forces them to consider the option of 'ordering beauty.' Since cosmetic surgery is no longer a social taboo in America given its widespread popularity, more people are promoting it which ultimately affects the rest of the world due to the unwavering influence of American culture. Cosmetic surgery should be deterred in the US because it promotes the idea of valuing appearance over ability, gives rise to unrealistic expectations, and brings with it high cost to society.
To many, the notion of a teenager undergoing plastic surgery is appalling and unbelievable. For others, such as eleven-year-old Julia, a nose job was able to help her lead a happier and more normal life. To eighteen-year-old Kristen a breast augmentation is a traditional rite of passage of the family. She claims that she “just wanted to look normal,” and that after surgery, she does. (Sweeny, 2009) In these types of cases, cosmetic surgery can be beneficial to the confidence of teenagers in what Ann Kearney-Cooke calls “an epidemic of low self-esteem among girls.” (Sweeney, 2009) Whether it is a physical deformity, such as protruding ears, or simply a lack of something that other peers have, such as large breasts, cosmetic surgery can help teenagers cope with self-worth in a world where beauty is ridiculously selective. However, aside from the confidence-boosting possibilities resulting from teen cosmetic surgery, there are many reasons why it should not be taken lightly for an adolescent. Although cosmetic surgery can potentially be beneficial, there are also many extreme risks for teenagers, including medical complications and in some rare cases death, and thus should be solely a last resort after meticulous analysis for serious cases. Furthermore, neither the adolescent brain nor body is even fully developed.
Imagine this! Being either a young girl or a woman forcefully bound against your will while elders perform a procedure called Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The young girls and women who are forced to have this procedure done not only loses their rights to sexual pleasure but their rights are sliced, chopped, punctured, and finally burnt away. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) otherwise known as Female Genital Circumcision (FGC) is also a controversial topic in Western societies. This paper will examine the history of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), hegemonic perspective on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), health consequences of having this procedure done, how Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) affects women’s sexual function, and women who have gotten genital reconstruction done on their vagina.
Seldom examinations have been conducted to appraise the risks for teens of these increasingly common surgeries. Research is especially needed for vexed procedures such as breast implants, liposuction, and genital plastic surgery. The hazards of breast alteration seems to duplicate with the cost of them, ($3,618 - $5,146). “Teenagers are often oblivious to the well-documented long-term health consequences of smoking, tanning, and other perilous behaviors, and are anticipated to pay even less attention to the risks of cosmetic surgery, making informed consent onerous. (Zuckerman, 13). Cosmetic surgery addicts imply to be familiar with a mental obsession to diversify their bodies and faces. “Cindy Jackson has altered her appearance through nine major operations. She says she felt “plain looking” and recognized how well beautiful people are treated. So, she devised a plan to change her appearance based on rules of physical proportion and beauty, and has been dubbed as the “Human Barbie.”” (OSU, 2). It is notorious for cosmetic surgery to become addictive, customarily this comes from indispensable insecurities and desires to be appeased with one’s self-concept or acceptance. People who unceasingly find faults to revise are usually
There has been a substantial increase in cosmetic surgery being performed on individuals to enhance their looks leading to perception of beauty being changed in society. Many people who receive cosmetic surgery claimed that the surgery has improved their overall mental and physical well being. We must understand that, the most crucial and motivating factor of people wanting cosmetic surgery is through body image. There is two components of constructs in body image, body image through orientation, refers to how important the body is to the person. The second leading factor for cosmetic surgery is body image evaluation,