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Objectification of women in pop culture
Effects of media on perceptions of body image
How women objectification affects society
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The representation of women in the media is in many ways also exploitative. The way the media portray women throughout the years reduced a woman’s body image to being nothing more than an object to be won, prizes to be shown off and playthings to be abused (Swami et.al, 2011:366). Although the influences of the media might include a variety of personal purveyor of the objectification theory is undoubtedly the mass media (Fredrickson & Roberts,1997:175). The next section will explore the negative results of female objectification in the media. 2.6.1 The Objectification Theory Sexualised body images of women permeate the Western society. The most conspicuous method of distributing these sexualised female body images is through the mass …show more content…
The result thereof is the development of several mental health risks, eating disorders, depression and many times sexual dysfunction (Fredrickson & Roberts, …show more content…
It is evident from above mentioned literature that women compare their bodies undeniably with those of other women (media imagery, fashion models, friends and family members). The result thereof is that they often found their appearance wanting, leading to lowered body satisfaction. Wolf also argues that women’s dissatisfaction regarding their body images is also actively encouraged by the fashion and beauty industry. She states that women need to support each other’s beauty choices and body types to help build body satisfaction. Women must also encourage one another to develop a “women-orientated” body image ideal and to accept the variations in bodies of women of different ages, rather than trying to conform to the unrealistic “above average” slender body image ideal promoted by the media, fashion and diet industries (Wolf,
Topics which relate to the subjects in the article can be found in chapter 5 of textbook Social Psychology, Second Canadian Edition (Kassin, Fein, Markus & Burke, 2013). This chapter contains information on ambivalent sexism and effects on media on gender. These topics help to gain an advanced understanding on the effects of hypersexualizing or of objectifying the female body
Media is a wide term that covers many information sources including, television, movies, advertisement, books, magazines, and the internet. It is from this wide variety of information that women receive cues about how they should look. The accepted body shape and has been an issue affecting the population probably since the invention of mirrors but the invention of mass media spread it even further. Advertisements have been a particularly potent media influence on women’s body image, which is the subjective idea of one's own physical appearance established by observation and by noting the reactions of others. In the case of media, it acts as a super peer that reflects the ideals of a whole society. Think of all the corsets, girdles, cosmetics, hair straighteners, hair curlers, weight gain pills, and diet pills that have been marketed over the years. The attack on the female form is a marketing technique for certain industries. According to Sharlene Nag...
Dickerson, Rachel. “America Objectified: An Analysis of the Self-Objectification of Women in America and Some Detrimental Effects of Media Images.” Stanislaus State University. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
I chose these four journal writings because I believe they are the strongest pieces I have written from the second half of the semester. The main focus of these journals was based on readings under the women as objects topic. The oppression of women has led to females being objectified and used as gratification for men. A woman’s body and appearance have become a commodity, especially in the media. Films, television shows, music and advertisements use women’s bodies to attract their audience and sell products. The movie watched in class “Killing Us Softly 4,” highlights this fact while presenting how women are represented throughout the media. The media has set and perpetuated a particular standard of beauty that is restrictive, but for some many women completely unattainable. The women represented in the media are young, thin and have western or European characteristics. Where does that leave the majority of women that do not fall under this category? This leads to women developing eating disorders to achieve an ideal body image that is manufactured through Photoshop and other picture editing systems. Women of color, women with disabilities or any woman that does not follow this standard is not represented within the media. When a few women do break this mold and become famous, they are set at a different standard. These women’s differences become the highlighted feature of their fame. However, the one constant in the media when it comes to women is the objectification and sexualization of women. This sexualization can lead to aggression or violence against women and the perpetuation of rape culture. The images viewed in the media directly impact how women view themselves and how others view women. By examining the issues women f...
The 1997 Psychology Today Body Image Survey revealed that Americans have more discontentment with their bodies than ever before. Fifty-six percent of women surveyed said they are dissatisfied with their appearance in general. The main problem areas about which women complained were their abdomens (71 percent), body weight (66 percent), hips (60 percent) and muscle tone (58 percent). Many men were also dissatisfied with their overall appearance, almost 43 percent. However body dissatisfaction for men and women usually means two different things. More men as opposed to women wanted to gain weight in order to feel satisfied with their bodies (Ga...
The overwhelming idea of thinness is probably the most predominant and pressuring standard. Tiggeman, Marika writes, “This is not surprising when current societal standards for beauty inordinately emphasize the desirability of thinness, an ideal accepted by most women but impossible for many to achieve.” (1) In another study it is noted that unhealthy attitudes are the norm in term of female body image, “Widespread body dissatisfaction among women and girls, particularly with body shape and weight has been well documented in many studies, so much so that weight has been aptly described as ‘a normative discontent’”. (79) Particularly in adolescent and prepubescent girls are the effects of poor self-image jarring, as the increased level of dis...
Women are bombarded by images of a thin-ideal body form that is extremely hard, if not impossible, to emulate. Comparing themselves to these women can lead to feelings of inadequacy, depression, and an overall low self-esteem. (Expand on, need a good opening paragraph to grab the reader’s attention)
Many different sociological perspectives believe that the media portrays 'well-worn ' stereotypes that then leads to archetypes being formed within our society, which are unrealistic and unachievable. Many believe that the media acts a form of secondary socialisation which transmits concepts about gender roles within our society.
(The average american adult consumes this much media daily/ the media influences our lives heavily). In the past fifty years as our ideals have changed and gender roles have began to shift, the media still encourages old fashioned values. Information spreads so quickly and can be accessed right at our fingertips. Many things influence how we view each other, but the media is the most powerful of these. Mass media influences how we see ourselves and others, the misrepresentation of our lives causes us to see each other in unfair ways.
... Naturally, these distorted images projected by the media would affect the audience into thinking that women are not qualified to be leaders of a group. Another negative aspect of mass media that reinforces the gender stereotypes is the sexual objectification of women. The term ‘sexual objectification’, refers to the act of treating a person merely as an instrument of sexual pleasure, making them a ‘sex object’. Here, ‘objectification’ broadly means treating a person as a commodity or an object, without regard to their personality or dignity.
Sexual objectification occurs when women are treated as bodies valued on their use to others rather than as a person. Objectification theory states this has serious effects on the mental health of women, particularly when it comes to depression, eating disorders and sexual dysfunction, and can result in self-objectification (internalization of an observer’s perspective on one’s body) (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997). Objectification of Women in the Media The sexual objectification of women in the media – pornography, television, film, magazines, etc. - has been extensively studied.
Culture in twenty-first century America is largely influence by many different types of media. Messages conveyed through these multiple forms of media influence the way people think, feel, and act. Gender discrimination has long been prevalent, and the underrepresentation of women, along with countless other groups, in the media furthers inequalities throughout the country and world. In order to combat this lack of representation, magazines created specifically for women, such as MS and Vogue, have been distributed to the masses. While the messages conveyed to women in these two publications are often different, they both hold the same objective— empowering women.
Women and girls seem to be more affected by the mass media than do men and boys. Females frequently compare themselves to others, finding the negative rather than looking at the positive aspects of their own body. The media’s portrayal of the ideal body type impacts the female population far more than males, however, it is not only the mass media that affects women, but also influence of male population has on the female silhouette too.
However, it is evident that the media usually presents and sexualizes women who are “young, fit and beautiful” hence probably creating self esteem issues more than confidence especially in younger women who are religious towards the media’s expectations. This stereotype of being a desired body shape only forces women to meet unattainable perfect physical standards (Gill 2015). The media bombards the youth with gender representations and the types of bodies that are deemed to be attractive. Many teenagers all around the world are desperate to lose weight to be “beautiful”.
Graydon, Shari. “How the Media Keeps us Hung Up on Body Image.” Herizons Summer. 2008: