Stereotypical Beauty

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Stereotypical Beauty

Do stereotypes of body images exist? “A "stereotype" is a generalization about a person or group of persons. Our society often innocently creates and perpetuates stereotypes, but these stereotypes often lead to unfair discrimination and persecution when the stereotype is unfavorable” (Grobman). It is hard to understand how much the media affects us unless one stands back and evaluates things such as commercials, magazines, and television shows. Women today follow the stereotypical images of beauty that the media portrays. These images of beauty deal with women’s physical appearance on the outside. The unbearable pressure from the media causes women to look a certain way so they are accepted into society. Over the past two centuries, women in this world have strived to reach the stereotypical beauty that the media presents. There are many arguments for the certain ways the media illustrates negative body images. Throughout the years, magazines, movies, billboards, and television shows have made woman’s body images worse. I am going to explain the stereotypes of body image and the difference between them in the mid 1800’s and today. I chose these two times periods to compare because they are complete opposites. I feel that by showing the difference over three hundred years allows one to see how weight and beauty has fluctuated. I feel that is important to compromise between these two different stereotypical images of beauty. Stereotypes can negatively alter women’s appearances and cause women to treat their body differently and hurt themselves. It is important to examine these stereotypes to see how they evolved and how women can avoid these negative influences. Stereotypes on women’s physical appearances a...

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