Shutting Down Body Shaming Analysis

536 Words2 Pages

In the article entitled “Shutting Down Body Shaming,” the author Allison Abrams addresses how the media is negatively impacting body image. First, Abrams explains the different results of people especially women that suffer from a poor body image. These results included low self-esteem, depression, and eating disorders. Abrams also points out a study that was in the Journal of Adolescent Health stating that “negative body image was determined to be a predictor of suicidal thoughts among college students.” Second, Abrams includes that France has a new law that can help calm this public issue happening in their country. This law makes it mandatory for any images in the media that have been tampered with to make models look thinner to label them as “retouched photos.” The reading also describes how Getty Images is doing something similar to France. Getty Images has officially banned the submission of images that have been modified to meet society’s needs of someone with a good body. In addition, Abrams continues to emphasize the reasons people have bad body images by putting a quote by naturopath and yoga therapist Dr. Lynn Anderson in the article. Dr. Anderson makes a brief statement stating that “we need to address the real issue, and that is mental health, …show more content…

It was pointed out in the article that not just women and girls internalize impossible standards. Men and boys do it too. Health wellness coach Kevin Bailey agreed to this statement by adding “some men feel like their ideal woman should look like that retouched model as well.” This is presenting that the problem of body shaming is not always present in the media and females, but in males as well. Moreover, Abrams suggests that we should control what we watch on tv and control our use of media. In conclusion, Allison Abrams hopes to continue the movement towards body positivity as well as discovering the real image of

Show More
Related

  • The Empire Of Bodies Susan Bordo Analysis

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    Like a blueprint or instruction manual, the objective of a rhetorical analysis is to dissect a written argument, identify its many parts, and explain how all of them come together to achieve a desired effect. Susan Bordo, a professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Kentucky, wrote “The Empire of Images in Our World of Bodies”, published in 2003 in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Her essay examines how the media plays a pervasive role in how women view their bodies to the point where we live in an empire of images and there are no protective borders. In “The Empire of Images in Our World of Bodies”, Bordo not only effectively incorporates numerous facts and statistics from her own research and the research of others; she also appeals to emotional realities of anxiety and inadequacy felt by women all over the world in regards to their body image. Ultimately, her intent is to critique the influence of the media on self-confidence and body image, and to remind her audience of the overt as well as subconscious messages they are receiving on a daily basis.

    Read More

  • Media and Body Image

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    We hear sayings everyday such as “Looks don’t matter; beauty is only skin-deep”, yet we live in a decade that contradicts this very notion. If looks don’t matter, then why are so many women harming themselves because they are not satisfied with how they look? If looks don’t matter, then why is the media using airbrushing to hide any flaws that one has? This is because with the media establishing unattainable standards for body perfection, American Women have taken drastic measures to live up to these impractical societal expectations. “The ‘body image’ construct tends to comprise a mixture of self-perceptions, ideas and feelings about one’s physical attributes. It is linked to self-esteem and to the individual’s emotional stability” (Wykes 2). As portrayed throughout all aspects of our media, whether it is through the television, Internet, or social media, we are exploited to a look that we wish we could have; a toned body, long legs, and nicely delineated six-pack abs. Our society promotes a body image that is “beautiful” and a far cry from the average woman’s size 12, not 2. The effects are overwhelming and we need to make more suitable changes as a way to help women not feel the need to live up to these unrealistic standards that have been self-imposed throughout our society.

    Read More

  • The Sociological Impact of Media Body Induced Image on Women

    1905 Words  | 4 Pages

    Body image is the perception, both thoughts, and feelings concerning an individual’s physical appearance. Research has suggested that exposure to an ideal standard of what it may mean to be beautiful is the norm for the media to expose a woman to. The results of an idea of feminine beauty can be disastrous for women, leading to depression, and an unrealistic body image. According to Posavac & Posavac in the article titled Reducing the Impact of Media Images on Women at Risk for Body Image Disturbance: Three Targeted Interventions...

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Body Image

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Beverly Ballaro, the combination of two trends, the technology-enabled media saturation of the American public, and the promotion by this media of highly unattainable body types, is largely responsible for an epidemic of body image pathologies afflicting American girls and women, as well as an increasing number of boys and men. She also mentions that the media has given certain images for each gender. Generally, for females the body image is extremely thin, and there is an emphasis on large breasts and for males, tall, slender, muscular and toned. For both genders, the most valued and appreciated appearance i...

    Read More

  • Ethics Of Photoshop

    1958 Words  | 4 Pages

    From the moment we wake up in the morning media is at our finger tips. As our day goes on we cannot escape all the visual media. One image after another a person’s self-confidence is either boosted or destroyed. Through the use of Photoshop a picture can be altered to get the perfect figure, skin, and hair, but when is the line drawn, when has it gone too far. Hailey Magee takes a stand when it comes to the ethics behind Photoshop in the world of beauty, “In this “Ethical Inquiry” we explore the ethics of digitally altering photos of individuals so as to make the subjects appear “more beautiful” in alignment with cultural standards of beauty”. Shiela Reaves, Jacqueline Bush Hitchon, Sung–Yeon parks, and Gi Woong Yun agree with Hailey Magee in the discussion of photo manipulation in beauty and fashion. “This study is concerned with the moral dilemma that stems from the digital manipulation of magazine ads to render models thinner. Exposure to the “thin ideal” has been linked to such damaging psychological responses as body dissatisfaction, loss of self-esteem, and to eating disorders”. Women and men are constantly affected by exposure to models that achieve the unrealistic beauty outcome of the media. Using the theories of social comparison and cultivation/ media literacy we are able to explain why photo manipulation makes women take on the thin-ideal. In the media driven world photo manipulation has become an accepted practice since it increases sales and fulfils the “thin ideal”, but the emotional and physical damage it has on women is catastrophic.

    Read More

  • Influence of the Media on Eating Disorders

    2668 Words  | 6 Pages

    The media can impact people’s lives in many ways, whether it’s fashion, movies, literature, or hobbies. One of the impacts is how women view their bodies. Movie stars and models feel pressured to catch attention and to look good in order to have a good career in their respective field. People tend to judge how someone looks based on their body composition. The result of this “judgment” is that Hollywood is getting skinny. Since models and actresses serve as role models for people, people tend to want to look like them. The result of this seemingly harmless model of behavior is in an increase in eating disorders.

    Read More

  • Integrative Shaming Theory

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    The proposed theoretical framework that works best with drinking under the influence is the Reintegrative Shaming Theory. At the core of the Reintegrative Shaming Theory is the need to shame individuals engaged in criminal activities. However, the shaming has to function within the context of a criminal justice system. The theory premises that tolerance of crime is a pre-requisite for the worsening of illegal activities (Hay, 2001). Secondly, the theory connotes that stigmatization inherent to the shaming of crime is disrespectful because it tends to outcast individuals from the general community, which is a pre-requisite for further rebellion. Additionally, the best theory of re-integrative shaming is the “disapproval of an act within a continuum of respect for the offender, disapproval terminated by the ritual of forgiveness [leading to] crime prevention” (Dansie, 2011, pp. 71). The proposed Re-integrative Shaming Theoretical approach identifies that shaming (or social disapproval) creates emotional distress on the offender. The scope and extent of the shame are bound to vary because different people respond differently to shaming. However, standardization of the structured shaming may

    Read More

  • Male Body Image

    632 Words  | 2 Pages

    Body image is what you believe about your physical appearance. Images of beautiful men and women are displayed everywhere from billboards to television advertisements. Fortunately, everyone does not look the same. Looking at models and movie stars often can create a negative self image of oneself in relation to these images. Approximately 46 percent of men of normal weight think about how they look constantly or frequently (Cloud, 46). The emergence of men’s new obsession with body image is connected to pressures from the media, plastic surgeons, and peers.

    Read More

  • Reasons Why Women Develop a Negative Body Image

    1161 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dittmar, Helga. "How Do "body Perfect" Ideals in the Media Have a Negative Impact on Body Image and Behaviors? Factors and Processes Related to Self and Identity." : Sussex Research Online. N.p, 6 Feb. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Effects of Media on Women’s Body Image

    689 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this age, media is more pervasive than ever, with people constantly processing some form of entertainment, advertisement or information. In each of these outlets there exists an idealized standard of beauty, statistically shown to effect the consumer’s reflection of themselves. The common portrayal of women’s bodies in the media has shown to have a negative impact on women and girls. As the audience sees these images, an expectation is made of what is normal. This norm does not correspond to the realistic average of the audience. Failing to achieve this isolates the individual, and is particularly psychologically harmful to women. Though men are also shown to also be effected negatively by low self-esteem from the media, there remains a gap as the value of appearance is seen of greater significance to women, with a booming cosmetic industry, majority of the fashion world, and the marketing of diet products and programs specifically targeting women.

    Read More

  • Negative Effects Of Primary Socialization And Two Agents Of Socialisation

    1718 Words  | 4 Pages

    Vargas, L E. (2013) The Negative Effects of The Media on Body Image. Personal.psu.edu. Retrieved 30 Nov. 17 from:

    Read More

  • Fat Shaming Case Study

    988 Words  | 2 Pages

    The purpose of this study is to effectively explore how fat shaming affects the emotional and psychological growth of children involved in it. This research aims to: identify the history of fat shaming; understand how fat shaming is prevalent in the Philippines; discern how fat shaming happen to kids and pinpoint the effects of fat shaming on the emotional and psychological growth of kids.

    Read More

  • Self Image And Body Image

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    Media is like a mirror; it portrays an image which is interpreted by the consumer. Through the access of a mirror, anyone has the ability to interpret what they see. Similarly, the media acts as this model of foundation to shape what people desire. A mirror allows people to observe the progress developed by the mind and tweaked to fit what the media wants. However, this influence the media holds promote immoral ideas that anyone is never sufficient enough, most notably seen through body image. Body image can be defined as a multidimensional construct encompassing self-perceptions and attitudes regarding one’s physical appearance (Tomas 48). Self-perception towards social acceptance skews the attitude of one’s body. This growing problematic

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Body Shaming

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    A girl scans the sidewalk while walking home after a day of school, hoping no one notices as she hides her face, feeling like an alien in her own skin. Instead of feeling beautiful, she feels hideous because of the words said to her. Body shaming, a term that is becoming an increasingly popular issue because humans are obsessed with appearances. This generation creates these standards and puts pressure on people to live up to and then ridicule those same standards when realizing that the standards are unattainable. Everybody criticizes the way that others look but then began shaming when people began to shame that one's personal appearance. People have separated been into categories based on looks. It’s fat against fit and it is becoming unhealthy. In today's society, body shaming is an ongoing issue. Body Shaming, though active in both genders, is especially harmful to women. Body shaming is pushing women to be insecure, eating disorders, and giving men unrealistic expectations.

    Read More

  • Article Analysis: How the Media Keeps Us Hung Up on Body Image by Shari Graydon

    1259 Words  | 3 Pages

    Graydon, Shari. “How the Media Keeps us Hung Up on Body Image.” Herizons Summer. 2008:

    Read More

More about Shutting Down Body Shaming Analysis

Open Document