Shifting Perceptions: Media's Impact on Beauty Standards

Sociocultural standards of beauty and the female body image are presented in almost all forms of popular media today. Television, magazines and fashion advertisements are filled with images that portray what is considered to be the “ideal body”. Just because you are tall, thin and athletic and considered beautiful today, doesn’t mean you would be considered beautiful in the past. The perception of beauty has changed drastically from one decade to the next. In this paper, I will present a historical perspective of how beauty ideals have developed over time, noting how different media played a role. I will look at the ways in which the media has shaped societies perspective about what it means to be beautiful, and how that is attributed to the
The media continuously sets unrealistic standards for what women’s body size is “normal” and what appearance is considered “beautiful”. If turn on the television or flip through any women’s beauty magazine, you will see collarbones, hipbones and ribcages as the trend in Hollywood right now. The majority of celebrities and models are seen sporting thin, athletic bodies and dressed in designer clothing with gorgeous men around them. Many young girls admire these celebrities as they are seen throughout the media, and therefore are taught that the model of success consists of physical attractiveness and being extremely thin. Before television, film and magazines existed, women did not have these media influences telling them their value based on outward appearance. Between the 1930’s or “The Golden Age”, there were certain ideal body types, but women weren’t idolizing over celebrities or famous actresses because popular media didn’t really exist. As soon as film and television became a national phenomenon however, messages about the “ideal body image” have continued to be a prominent part of the media. Over the years, there are common messages and ideologies about unhealthy bodies that have been perpetrated through the media. For example, back in the 1950’s Marilyn Monroe had a famous quote “Cultivate your curves- they may be dangerous but they won’t be avoided” (Los Angles Times, 2015). This was during a time where sex symbols such as Marilyn Monroe and Betty Page were known for their long legs and busy hour glass figures. In the 1990’s models got drastically thinner, and Kate Moss was featured in a Calvin Klein add where she famously said, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”. The messages these women are send convey arbitrary beauty archetypes that are not attainable for all women. In a 2013, infographic produced by