Media. Lowering the self-esteem of many.

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Did you know that nobody is “perfect”? Well in “Killing Us Softly” Jean Kilbourne a speaker who is internationally recognized for her work on the image of women in advertising explains that not even the perfect people shown in advertisements are perfect. Setting standards that aren’t even obtainable. Chris Godsey Professor at the University of Minnesota in Duluth writes in Cro-Magnon Karma how even these “perfect” are now starting to affect how men see themselves including himself. Emily Prager author speaks in “Our Barbies, Ourselves.” How men have an unrealistic idea of a perfect women. In these we will see how (Thesis) media shapes our identities and how we see ourselves.
Media is one of the biggest factor in shaping our identity and how we see ourselves. In “killing us softly” Jean Kilbourne explains the meaning of the advertisements and how women can never achieve the scale of perfection that these advertisements set. Jean explains that these advertisements are saying that you will be beautiful and all the men will love you if you look this certain way. The problem Jean mentions is that they can never look like the models shown in advertisements because not even the models themselves can look like that. During the film/speech she shows how digital editors Photoshop all the photos to fix the model’s flaws and then you see that the models in the ads are a completely different creation. The digital editors even showed the process of creating a complete perfect non-existing being. By that they mean that the models shown in some ads are actually a combination different facial features of 3-4 models. These fake beings are setting standards that are an impossibility to obtain. This type of media is affecting how we see ourselves. ...

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...r Counterpart Ken he was designed in a censored manner without genitals. Emily Prager wondered why Ken’s genitals were not there but Barbie was designed with a giant bust. These dolls give not only an unrealistic idea of a perfect women, but also show that Ken was dignified enough to be censored but not Barbie. The Barbie franchise unknowingly shapes young girls identities and how they see themselves.
Media is always setting a standard somehow that affects our identities and how we see ourselves. From Kilburn discussing the advertisements including models targeting women and Prager talking about how Barbies targeting young girls and displaying what kind of standard is being set, to Godsey talking about how seeing male models and actors lowering the self-esteem of men and setting standards for them as well. Media is affecting our identities and how we see ourselves.

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