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Negative effects of the fashion industry
Cultural expectations for women body image
The impact of culture on body image and self - esteem
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The Fashion Industry has become an extreme issue over the past decade. Teenage girls have been body shaming themselves as a result of the specific body shapes and the unrealistic looks of models in the 21st century. They are doing everything they can possibly do to make themselves look a certain way to meet the idealistic standards of today's society. The fashion industry has negatively affected the self-perception of teenage girls through negative body image, unrealistic body comparisons, and causing eating disorders. Many teenage girls are affected by today's society's standards of how your body should look. Many girls look at magazines and see the pictures of models and compare themselves to them. Those models are made up of a very strict
Since the expectation for women is so unrealistic, girls are starting to develop eating disorders, anxiety, depression and many other illnesses. “If negative body image alone caused anorexia then every person on the planet would develop anorexia” (Farrar n.pag.). Although plus sized women are being effected by the standards of the fashion industry, so are ethnically diverse women. Most of the time, models are white, and there are not many other races, “It's almost as if the industry dictates this blond, blue-eyed ideal” (Bratskeir n.pag.). This is causing problems with other races and how they view themselves as not beautiful, because they do not look like models that they see on the
The many life risking surgeries include “liposuction, stomach stapling, anti-cellulite creams, breast, butt, cheek and chin implants, Botox and collagen injections, chemical peels, facelifts and labia surgery” (Graydon n.pag.).
Some companies take advantage of people trying to lose weight to look like these models. Many food companies are the ones taking advantage by labeling their products as low fat and fat free (Farrar n.pag.). By labeling these products, they are selling more to those trying to lose weight. A lot of girls affected by the fashion industry try to lose weight through the food they eat. When they are looking for foods that are better for, them they look for key words, such as fat free and low in fat, which does not necessarily mean it is
Societal constructs of bodily perfection have a massive influence on both genders and on all ages. If you look at any magazine, you will see women constantly being compared to each other, whether it is in the “who wore it better” section or in the “do’s and don’ts” part of the magazine, comparing body images and overall appearances. All parts of the media that encompasses our daily lives are especially dangerous for young and impressionable teens because they see people being torn down for trying to express themselves, and are thus taught to not only don’t look like “don’ts”, but also look like the “do’s”. This is dangerous in that women in the magazine set very high standards that teens want to emulate, no matter the cost to themselves or their health. Celebrities have the benefit of media to make them appear perfect: Photoshop and makeup artists conceal the imperfections that are often too apparent to the naked eye. Viewing celebrities as exhibiting the ideal look or as idols will, in most cases, only damage the confidence of both young teens, and adults, and warp the reality of what true “beauty” really is. It makes teens never feel truly content with themselves because they will be aiming for an ideal that is physically impossible to attain and one that doesn’t exist in the real
The media uses means such as social media, magazines, and television to influence people, specifically teenagers. Adolescence can be a confusing time for everyone, but teenage girls are more vulnerable to their influence due to their emotional maturity. Although girls currently believe that this impossible body image is expected of them, they develop eating disorders because of it. For example, the Victoria's secret fashion show and underwear commercials help set up the impossible beauty standard all girls and women are trying to achieve. Those models live by a strict diet and exercise routine plus their photos are manipulated in order to look the way they do. If models don't look thin enough, they will “frequently have collarbones, ribs, and even hips erased to make them look thinner (Body Image-Photo Manipulation).” Magazines are also a huge part of media's influence. It is common to find teenage girls reading fashion magazines. One issue of the popular magazine, Vogue, “was found to contain 144 manipulated images, including the cover (Body Image-Photo Manipulation).” It is normal to be conce...
Ever since the development of the media such as television, the internet, various fashion magazines and commercial advertisements, society focused more and more on personal appearances. Not only were runway models becoming slimmer but the viewers that watched and read about them were becoming more concerned with their weight. In the past fifty years the number of adolescent girls developing eating disorders increased just as television, advertisements, and magazines were becoming a social norm that was easily and often available. Today, more than ever, adolescents are worrying about weight, shape, size and body image and. It does not help that these children are growing up in a world filled with media material emphasizing dangerously skinny bodies as beautiful and perfect. Anne Morris and Debra Katzman, authors of “The Impact of the Media on Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents” argue that the media is corrupting individuals to develop eating disorders and body dissatisfaction. “Exploring the Role Society and the Media Play in the Development of an Eating Disorder and the Media Influence on Eating Disorders” claims that there are other factors leading to eating disorders other than media, such as genetics, or public and cultural pressure. "Body Image Within the Vandy Bubble" defends the argument by saying that although media is causing harm in society by portraying extremely thin women and that beauty and thinness go hand in hand, but there are media corporations that are positively informing individuals about healthy body image.
Airbrushed models and teen superstars are only two of the types of influences on teens. The signal that is given is "Thin is in." Regrettably, these superstars project an image of perfection that is, consequently, unattainable and unrealistic. What teens see on the T.V. may shape their view of reality. T.V. produces images like Paris Hilton. She is skinny, sexy, attractive, and she fits into the smallest size of all the number one fashions. She may act as if she loves the delicious taste of home cooked meals like juicy sweet barbeque ribs on her television show "Simple life", but behind the scenes she was probably throwing it all up. The media knows that young girls dream of becoming just like her, but still they will try to make her look even skinner. What young a girl like Sherie does not see is what it takes to makes a great picture. The making of an impressive picture is usually done on a computer, they smooth the face out for a great complexion, add a smaller waist, and erase any "imperfections" they feel may exist
Our media continues to flood the marketplace with advertisements portraying our young teens much older than their age. Woman’s body images have been the focus of advertising for generations. However, now the focus is more directed to the younger teenage girls instead of woman. Young girls are often displayed provocatively while eating messy triple decker hamburgers, or sipping a diet sodas on an oversized motorcycles. As a result, young teens are dressing older than their age, trying to compete with this ideal media image. By allowing younger girls and teens to be portrayed as grown woman in advertisements, our teens are losing their young innocence. With society’s increasing tolerance, this epidemic will continue to exploit our young daughters, sisters and friends. Young teens feel an enormous amount of pressure to obtain the ‘ideal’ perfect body. Trying to emulate the advertisements seen in the media and magazines. As a result, more girls and woman are developing eating disorders. Media can no longer dictate how our young teenage girls should look.
Fashion models don’t need to be thin, they need to be diverse and healthy at whatever weight that is. Not everyone is supposed to be thin, some women are big boned and curvy, others are naturally slim and small boned, some are tall, others are short, some are light skinned and others are darker. So many diverse looks exist in the world today and the fashion industry need to change their perception of perfect. Body image in our society is out of control. We have young men and women comparing themselves to unrealistic models and images in the media and feeling bad about the way their own bodies look because they somehow don’t measure up. (Dunham, 2011) The struggle for models to be thin has led to models becoming anorexic or bulimic, untimely deaths, and inferiority complexes. Even worse is the fact that they influence a whole generation of young women who look up to these models and think “thin” is how they are supposed to be. They influence what we buy, how we eat and what we wear. Why has this specific group captured our attention so much? Why do we seem to be so fascinated in their lives, to the point where we try to look and act just like them? The media is largely to be blamed for this, many people believe the media has forced the notion that everything supermodels do is ideal. Others believe that the society is to be blamed because we have created a fascination with their lives. There are many opinions, and I agree with both of these specific opinions. We allow ourselves to be captivated by these people's lives, and the media portrayal of their lives seem to also enthrall us. (Customessaymeister, 2013) Despite the severe risks of forcing models to become too thin, designers, fashion editors, fashion brands and agencies still ...
Bennett, Jessica. "The Fashion Industry Promotes Eating Disorders." Eating Disorders. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Why Skinny Models Are Making Us Fat." Newsweek (8 Feb. 2007). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 May 2014.
Step out into the everyday world as an average American and you will witness an entanglement of varied body size, and shape. Now, enter the world of the media, a world in which you are formally introduced to high fashion, where flashing lights, money, glamour and riches crash around you, satiating every crevice of your being. Here, you will find two unified body types, divided into two categories of shape in women; thin, and thick. Naturally, any woman who wishes to someday strut down the catwalk in Zac Posen, or pose in Marie Claire wearing Dolce and Cabana must have a body that fits one of these required molds, right? It is a well-known reality that many women who cannot reach by healthy means, or do not already have, the desired body type for fashion industries, will develop an eating disorder to starve their way into the position. However, most fail to address the issue of obesity that curdles on the other end of the physical spectrum; the plus size modeling industry. This statement not only boils the blood of millions of American Women, but begs the question: If extremely thin models promote eating disorders, should we prohibit advertisers, especially those in fashion, from using plus size models, as they may promote obesity? To put it simply, no. Plus size models do not promote obesity because they only provide thicker, much larger women, confidence and appreciation for their body without pressuring them to take unhealthy means to shed pounds; they do not encourage overeating and lack of exercise.
Teenagers and children as adolescent as six years old are affected by this trend commenced by fashion industries, destroying their self-esteem and warping their view of authenticity and over 90 percent of anorexics in France are teenagers. The
In pop culture today plus size models are jumping into the mix and making a splash. Not only are these curvy beauty’s brining the positive out in people, but also regretfully some of the negative. Social media and their expectations on how one should look have caused a wave of antagonism to surface on this matter. The media has played a big part in this from banning plus size adds on social media claiming they violate policy’s which has caused outrage and backlash from people to how the media is affecting views on problems like anorexia and making it more difficult for bigger models to find jobs. Not all of the bad comes with negative responses though, for example in Europe there are tons of new positive body regulations popping up, along with charters being created specifically for plus size models in the fashion industry.
The fashion industry has skewed the mental image of what the “average person” looks like. In 1991, the average model only weighed approximately eight percent less than the average woman of the same time period. In 2012, this number drastically changes. An average model weighs approximately twenty - three percent less than the average woman (Lovett). The average model has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 17.1 (Lasseck), meeting the requirements for anorexia. A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9 (“Ideal Weight”) Beverly Johnson, a model at the height of her career in 1991, was between a size four and a size six. Ms. Johnson is considered a plus - size model by today’s standards (Lovett). The average plus size model is a size six. The average size of a woman today is a fourteen. This disparity between what is expected and what is average is not a new occurrence. Even Coco Chanel, one of the world’s most influential designers, felt uncomfortable in her day’s fashion trends. Her aunt openly said Chanel could not pull off the “extravagance” of the late 1800s and early 1900s (Roehm).
As once can see for decades fashion has been used as a “social weapon.” Yes the fashion industry is in part accountable for eating disorders and bullying. Ultimately, we shouldn't allow fashion to play a major role in our society. Not when it impacts in a negative way what others think of each other, and encourages an unrealistic body of what a man or woman should look like. Or simply excludes
A tall, glamorous runway model is every girl’s dream. Long beautiful legs, lean body, and beautiful shiny hair is what an average young woman views as an ideal image for a female. If you don’t resemble the images of those stunning Victoria Secret models and Fashion Week models, you suddenly become ashamed of your own body. It is a great life to have with the high pay, fame, drinking champagne on a yacht with famous celebrities and even being on the Vogue cover page. Fashion Modeling Industry has been the most influential source in our young women’s lives. Young girls and young women are seen eating as little as they can, even starving themselves at times to resemble those models. What they don’t realize is that they are contributing to the 2.7 percentage of 13- 18 year olds suffering from anorexia and bulimia. Susan Albers, a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic said exposure to thin models is a great trigger in maintaining an eating disorder. When watching America’s Next Top Model or flipping through a Fashion magazine, these young women don’t apprehend that those models are either naturally slim or they are suffering from an eating disorder themselves, in other words, hostages in the dark hell hid behind those runway curtains. The growing number of young anorexia and bulimia patients, and the number of websites such as thinspiration, where girls put up pictures of their thin bodies clearly suggest that the fashion modeling industry do not at all bear any responsibility in providing healthy, realistic physical role models for young women.
Nowadays, the fashion industry is such a negative push on teenagers’ standard of beauty that it is now becoming an unsolved dilemma for our society. Firstly, Sarah Murdoch, the representative of Bonds underwear, is of the opinion that the fashion industry encourages “unhealthy body images” (Dunkerley, 2008) that are thought to be unrealistic and unhealthy for most women and girls. Besides, the fact that most designers prefer to choose thin models than bigger size ones (Bolger, 2007) shows us an astonishing phenomenon that there are series of clothes from size 0 to size 4 seen not only in the fashion shows but also even in the sale markets because they think that there will be “stigma attached” when doing something for “plus-size people” (Stevens, 2010). Naomi Crafti, representing Eating Disorders Victoria, thinks that teenagers are becoming obsessed with “the very skinny models on the catwalk” in the fashion shows (Stevens, 2010) which gradually leads to “eating disorders, mental health” and “negative body image in young people” (Stevens, 2010).
Have you ever felt you needed to lose weight because of pressure put on you by the ideals created by the fashion industry? People often feel inferior to models because of the contrast between their bodies and the models and pressures on society make them feel they must look like models. Currently the standard set by the fashion industry is to be thin; for some people thinness to this extent isn’t easily attainable causing people to adapt unhealthy dietary habits. Pressures from the fashion industry promote eating disorders. This is because the fashion industry largely influence what is beautiful in society.