How can people who live in a world surrounded by weight loss commercials, TV shows with beautiful men and women, super models with picture perfect bodies, and magazines covered with shirtless men and women in bikinis not feel fat or insecure about their body? Dontatelle (2015) discusses how the influence of media makes society feel as though their body looks different and that makes them different from everyone else in the world. Or when a person is surrounded by friends and family who have the latest technology or the newest iPhone why wouldn’t they feel pressured to buy it? Lee (2015) talks about how the people and media who make up society, make people feel pressured into buying the latest technology, by making people feel like if they don’t have …show more content…
the newest phone then they’re the only person who doesn’t have something in particular. People in the past years and many more to come, will always try to live up to the expectations of others because of the fact that they don’t want to feel like an outsider, so they act and look the way media and the people around them make them feel like is the only way to fit in. There are many outside influences that people allow to control how they act and how they look. Lee (2015) deliberates how being surrounded by friends and society will make a person feel like they need to have the newest I phone, and they need to have to brand new tablet that can get wet and not break regardless how expensive, or how little it is actually needed to be purchased. Both of these articles relate to how a person will act, make themselves look, and the technology they have, based on the people and media surrounding them. Society needs to understand that every person is different and what media, friends, and society expect them to do isn’t always what will make every person happy, or may not make someone feel like they fit in even after they change something about their self. How a person sees themselves is not always how everyone else sees them.
Dontatelle (2015) talks about most people in this generation have a negative body image. This is how a person perceives themselves; a woman who has a perfect body and looks great, can look into a mirror and still think that she is fat and needs to lose weight, but when another person looks at her, they might even envy her and wish they looked like her. When people feel like they don’t fit in they will often times go to the extreme just to feel like they fit in. Some will do things like; starve themselves (anorexia), over exercise, or become bulimic (make themselves throw up after eating meal), all of which are extremely harmful to their body and over all wellbeing. When someone feels as though they don’t fit in due to the way the look or the way they act, it can often times influence them to engage in a virtual world more than someone who is content with how they look and act (Lee, 2015). When someone who is insecure lives in a virtual world, they can be whoever they want to be. If they want to be funny and outgoing online they can and that gives them the satisfaction they don’t get by trying to live up to other’s expectations in the real
world. While someone is being influenced by the things around them it’s not likely that they are thinking about how their future will be affected by their actions. As horrible as it is the size of a person can determine whether they can receive a certain job. For example; if Jen wanted to be a flight attendant but she was overweight she would have a difficult time trying to maneuver up and down the aisle. As Donatelle (2015) states “Today, more than 66 percent of Americans are overweight or obese…” How a person treats their body, without thinking has an impact on their future, good and bad! By eating unhealthy food and not exercising or taking care of their body they are more likely to develop health risks, in comparison to someone who eats balanced meals goes to the gym and takes care of their body. Being overweight can cause some people to be bitter or spiteful towards people who may be skinner or to them prettier. That can also lead to a person being a “catfish” (a person who pretends to be someone they are not by the pictures they post and the way they act). As Lee (2015) talks about how most often people will make their online avatar (virtual representation of their self) better looking then they actually are and will be more outgoing online then they are offline. This is because they feel more comfortable with another person thinking they look a certain way so the catfish will feel as though they no fit it with the rest of society. But what a person posts online can have just as much of an impact on their future as their health and body weight can. When a person gets hired at a new job in this generation one of the first things they do is check all of the new employee’s social media. They try to find out what they do on their free time, they kind of things they post and sometimes that can determine if that person gets that certain job or not. For example; Jen is applying for a position as a teacher at Appo High, before they give her the job that she clearly qualifies for, the employer will check her Facebook and her Instagram before they make a decision. When they go on to Jen’s Facebook they see that she goes out to bars every weekend and is always posting pictures of her and her friends holding beers and talking about how drunk they are. Even though Jen is qualified for this position, the things that she post and the way others will perceive her, will be the reason she did not get this position at Appo High. By making sure society is being careful about what everyone is posting online, and taking care of their bodies, their future will be entirely up to them. Not many people realize how “Virtual Communities” and “Enhancing Your Body Image” would share as many similarities as they do, and the impact both of these essays have on each other. The things that surround society; media, cell phones, computers, magazines, etc. easily influence people to look, act, or do something they usually wouldn’t do. If they don’t act, look or do something society is influencing them to do, they will feel like an outsider. People will always try live up to the expectations of society, media and friends that surround them.
In every magazine and on every page there is another source of depression, another reason to skip a meal or two or a reason to be self-conscious. In present society people are overly focused and determined on the perfect body that both the fashion and advertising industry portray and promote. Through diction, pictures and celebrities presented they are trying to convey a message to their viewers that is “suppose” to be used as a source of motivation and determination. The message they are truly conveying is self-conscious thoughts, depression, and the promotion of eating disorders. It is estimated that millions of people struggle with depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem; concentrated on dissatisfaction with their body image (Ballaro). The advertisement and fashion industry are conveying a message that creates an internal battle for their viewers, though they should be creating a fire in their viewers that provides motivation to be healthier, take better care of themselves and a source of inspiration for style.
In this generation, filled with technology, we are surrounded by the media and are constantly seeing commercials for weight loss and billboards covered with extremely fit people that have the bodies we wish we could obtain. We see images in the media all the time and do not even realize the affect that they are having on us. When watching television,about 30% of what you are watching is advertisements that are slowly stimulating your mind. “The media and body image are closely related due to the number of images we see in the media and the excessive amount of exposure we have to those images” (The media and body image, 2015). When people view advertisements they do not think of the effect that it is having on them, it may be small but it can grow as more and more are viewed. Advertisements lead us to believe that we need to be like that, so when a magazine has photo shoot of a woman with a perfect body getting a tan on the beach we strive to be like that. We do know that that body is not achievable but want it so badly we will do whatever the magazine tells us. Photoshopping is also a dangerous thing when it come to body
Society is obsessed with fitness and weight loss. Ever since I was in sixth grade I have had issues with my weight and self-image. The article “Fat Is a Feminist Issue”, by Susie OrBach focuses on how our society puts this unrealistic image of what women should look like into everyone’s heads. The media and magazines urge women to conform, at any cost, into a constantly changing expectation of what is beautiful. Women are taught to look at themselves from an outside view, to be a sex image for men and fuel the diet and fashion industries. Society thinks if women do not fit within the unrealistic image something is wrong with them. The highly glorified concept of beauty marketed by the media contributes to the concern over body image that causes many women, including myself, to eating disorders and poor self-image.
Some may say that the media does not have much of a substantial influence on young adults, but some at risk teens have cited that their reasoning behind their development of eating disorders are in response to the many adverts and images that are represented in social media culture. The media in today’s society continuously advocates images of falsely induced perfection women all around the world. The industry that controls what people see on television and in advertisements knows that only a small percentage of average individuals possess these attributes or fit their set high standard of beauty. The idea that one can never be “too rich”, or “too thin” is prevalent in the media as well as in most media oriented images. Social media’s use of unrealistic models send an implicit message, that in order for a woman to be considered up to an acceptable standard, they must be in some sense of the word unhealthy, most people who are being portrayed in advertisements are well below the range of being considered healthy. To understand the reasoning behind why women and even men take this idea of body image to extremes, the term body image needs to be examined. Body image is how an individual feels when they look in the mirror or when they picture themselves in their own mind. It encompasses it what some one believes about their own appearance (including memories, assumptions, and generalizations). Never showing goals or putting emphasize on education or academic achievements. Objectifying the body and making it seem as though appearance is the only achievement to be set in one’s life place little room is placed on young men and women to have more focus on more educational goals.
Laurie was a size fourteen at age eleven and weighed one-hundred fifty-five pounds. She went through elementary school being the kid that everyone called fat and never felt love from any of her peers. Even a counselor at her after-school YMCA program made an example of her to the other children. The teacher told all the children that she used to be as big as Laurie. Putting aside all the criticism from her fellow peers and teachers she found the courage and strength to lose weight. She began doing sit-ups and eating “healthier”. In all reality, she was eating less and less every day. She went from a size fourteen to a nine and then from a nine to a five. This all happened to her between summer and Christmas. By the following summer Laurie was a size double zero. During the following school year, she was called to the nurse’s office to be weighed and the scale read ninety-seven pounds. Laurie had become anorexic from the mentally abusing childhood she experienced from her peers.
“Many kids — particularly adolescents — are concerned about how they look and can feel self-conscious about their bodies.” Eating disorders have the power to affect everyday life. Not only in just teens but all ages. They are able to cause extreme weight changes. As well as, it could affect your health for the rest of your life. (Source 1) By having an eating disorder everything becomes based off of that, if it isn’t helped or stopped it could become serious and damage your health permanently.
The society we live in today is addicted to the false sense of realism set by popular culture. From movies to magazines emerging adults are fed an unhealthy expectation of what they should look like physically and are contrastingly given a plethora of unhealthy choices. In most cases these signals are subtle and often times go unnoticed. From the constant flow of photo-shopped celebrities to the consistent stream of weight loss commercials on TV, the youth of today are being told they must look a certain way. These messages have pressured many young individuals, especially girls, to slim down to unreasonable levels. Nearly all images published by popular magazines are photoshopped and are receiving more and more criticism from feminist groups around the world (_________). Yet society influences physical development on the other side of the spectrum as well. As fast food imbeds itself into the foundation of every day life an increasing number of emerging adults find themselves battling weight gain and obesity. The issue has become so prevalent that, “obesity has more than tripled in adolescents… ...
The way a person see’s oneself and imagines what they look like is one’s body image. One can either have a positive or negative connotation regarding their own body appearance. A positive body image means that most of the time one is comfortable and satisfied about the way they appear. In a sense, that means they feel good about the way they see themselves in mirrors or pictures. Having a negative body image is a common struggle for individuals. This means they are unhappy with their physical appearance and constantly want to change something about him or herself. Negative body image leads to serious mental problems such as anorexia or bulimia. Not only do we have a personal view on our body image, but society also has an input. Society
Confidence people have on their body image is important, even without a perfect body. Plus, it is possible to learn to be comfortable with their bodies, which will also increase happiness. Patrick Kelleher from the article “No Body Is Perfect: Is It Possible To Be Happy With Our Bodies When We Are Constantly Being Bombarded with Images Of Perfection?” stated, “Once you start being okay and comfortable and nurturing with your own vulnerability then you can boost your own confidence.” (Kelleher) Boosting self esteem and confidence levels it's hard, but when body image is becoming comfortable it gets easier. Being happy boosts self esteem and is important to feel good. Still, social media is an obstacle with body image. Also, when people are happy with their bodies, they can block out social media and become more aware of it. Self esteem increases when social media gets blocked out. The article by Patrick Kelleher says, “Research says that we can learn to be happy with our bodies, but that we need to be more aware of social media.” (Kelleher) Being more aware of social media and the effects it has on body image and self esteem is important because when social media is blocked out people can learn to be happy with their bodies to increase confidence. Social media impacts greatly on body image, it can lower confidence or it can motivate health in a healthy way. media is an obstacle with body image.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In our society today, people would rather see what celebrities are up to than what is going on with our health plan. Watching the news makes us aware of the latest trend, new gadget, who’s in rehab, or who has an eating disorder. In the eyes of society, women like Eva Longoria, Kim Kardashian, and Megan Fox are the epitome of perfection. What girl wouldn’t want to look like them? Unfortunately, this includes most of the girls in the US. Through TV shows, commercials, magazines or any form of advertising, the media enforces a certain body type which women emulate. The media has created a puissant social system where everyone must obtain a thin waist and large breasts. As a society, we are so image obsessed with the approval of being thin and disapproval of being overweight, that it is affecting the health of most women. Women much rather try to fit the social acceptance of being thin by focusing on unrealistic body images which causes them to have lower self esteem and are more likely to fall prey to eating disorders, The media has a dangerous influence on the women’s health in the United States.
Mass media has evolved over the years and is heard to have many effects on body image. Does mass media have an effect on body image? To answer this question, I have explored academic articles for different social science disciplines. This particular discipline is Psychology. The discipline of psychology will show how body images affect people and what causes them to be affected. The articles being reviewed are Barlett, Christopher P., Christopher L. Vowels and Donald A. Saucier. “Meta-Analyses of the Effects of Media Images on Men’s Body Image Concerns.” Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology. 27.3 (2008) : 279-310., Hayes, Sharon and Stacey Tantleff-Dunn. “Am I too fat to be a princess? Examining the effects of popular children’s media on
In modern society there is more and more digital editing without the knowledge of consumers. Currently there are various reasons for why women develop negative body image, low-self-esteem and eating disorders. According to Naomi Wolf in her novel “Beauty Myth”, one of the many reasons women obtain concerns with their bodies is due to the universal images of young female bodies presented through advertisements in fashion magazines. Advertisements in magazines are altering and shaping the desires of men and women. Magazines sell viewers images of beautiful, skinny, flawless confident young women. When people are constantly antagonized with the magazine industry’s ideal of “perfect beauty” the viewer’s then, subconsciously believe these images to be true and begin to form biases about what they themselves should look like and what other people must also look like. People who view magazines get mislead by advertisers because they are unaware that all the images displayed are digitally altered through Photoshop and airbrushing. Today’s magazines are formed completely on false ideals of flawless beauty and unattainable body images, to prevent women and men from falling victim to the magazine’s deceitful images we as a society need to become aware and educate ourselves.
Negative body image is something I’ve been battling constantly for many years of my life. We all have our quirks and imperfections, our freckles and our scars. Instead of being taught to cover up and change ourselves, we should be taught to embrace these so-called flaws. I love people because of their uniqueness.
Susan Bordo states in her article “Never Just Pictures”, that children grow up knowing that they can never be thin enough. They are thought that being fat is the worst thing ever. The ones responsible for this are the media, celebrities, models, and fashion designers. All of these factors play a big role on the development of the standard and how people view themselves. Everyone at one dreams about being the best they can in any aspect. But to achieve that most believe that one of the big factors is outer beauty. So people look at celebrities and fashion designers, and believe that to be accepted they have to look like them. That’s when they take drastic measures to change their appearance because they’ve been influenced by the Medias idea of “beautiful.” This feeling mostly happens in women but in recent years the gender gap has become smaller. Now men also feel the need to look good because of the media. On the TV, instead of having infomercials ...
Body image is the mental image of one 's own body. Body image is very important because the majority of people think about their appearance and how they look all day long. Many people today have a very poor body image. The causes of poor body image include: body size, bullying, media, low self-esteem, depression, and even gender. Body image also has some very unhealthy effects on men and women. Body image in our world today is at an all-time low, but there are many ways to help improve it. The most important ways are to focus on the good and positive talents he or she has and to not compare his or her body to another individual’s body.