The Entertainment Industry's Standards of Beauty and Impact on Youth

951 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Social media has a negative impact on young people’s body image

The Entertainment Industry's Standards of Beauty and Impact on Youth

“Man, I am hungry. But if I eat, I will never be able to look like that celebrity.” These words could come out of a typical teenager’s mouth. If a teenager sees someone on TV, in a movie, or in a magazine that he or she wishes to look like, he or she may try anything necessary to accomplish it. The standards of beauty set by the entertainment industry today are having a negative effect on today’s youth.

Have you ever heard of Calista Flockhart, Lara Flynn Boyle, Jennifer Aniston, or Antonio Sabato Jr.? They are all celebrities that the typical teenager idolizes, but these idolizations are not necessarily a good thing. Unfortunately, they are all setting standards of beauty that are not only unrealistic but could prove to be dangerous when trying to be attained. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of eating disorders, steroid use, and plastic surgery among teenagers. The main reason for this trend is that “the beauty ideal has shifted towards an increasing emphasis on thinness” (Brown).

In the article “Body Obsessed”, Rebecca Barry says that the world is sending out many mixed messages about being a girl (Barry 112). Today, women in the entertainment industry are put into many different roles, but all of the roles have one thing in common. They all tend to be very beautiful and very thin. In fact, while the average body weight of women has increased, the majority of women on TV and in magazines have remained thin (Brown). This makes many people believe that actresses will try anything to lose weight. The most common ways are by either exercising or by trying one of many different kind...

... middle of paper ...

... in any way, shape, or form define who they are as a person. Our main message to our youth should be: “Self-esteem and confidence must start from within not from our outward appearance” (Brown).

Works Cited

Barry, Rebecca. “Body Obsessed.” Seventeen. July 1995: 112. Infotrac. Online. 24 Oct. 1999

Brown, Crystal C. “Modern Beauty Standards Unrealistic.” The Capitol Times. Vol. 2 No. 21. Online. 03 Nov. 1999. Available: http://www.capitoltimes.com.

McClelland, Susan. “The Lure of the Body Image: In Their Quest for the Beefcake Look, Some Men Try Extreme Measures.” Maclean’s. 22 Feb. 1999: 38. Infotrac. Online. 18 Oct. 1999.

Stevens, Liz. “Today’s Teen Magazines May be Sending Mixed Messages to Girls.” Knight- Ridder/Tribune News Service. 14 July 1999. Infotrac. Online. 2 Nov. 1999.

Show More
Related

  • Perfection In Hawthorne's The Birth Mark

    798 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

    540 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a love story that has been read for hundreds of years and is still studied today. The story is about a young boy and a young girl who are in love with each other but both of their lives end in tragedy. Many of the play’s character’s actions affect the outcome of the play, but no character can be put to blame of the outcome. The one thing that these events can be credited to is fate. Fate did many things in the play, such as caused Romeo and Juliet to meet and it caused Romeo to believe Juliet was dead.

    Read More

  • Impulsiveness in Shakespeare’s Tragedy "Romeo and Juliet"

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ultimately, Romeo and Juliet become embodiments of impulsiveness. Through their rash words and actions in the tragedy “Romeo and Juliet”, Shakespeare sets forth that both are too hasty in their decisions, leading them into unfortunate events. As the plot unfolds, Romeo and Juliet’s futile love is torn apart by their family’s hate and animosity towards each other. Despite their constant struggle to let their love survive, it is doomed from the beginning of the tragedy. It is plain that lack of foresight and wisdom leads to disaster all around.

    Read More

  • Romeo and Juliet: A Tragedy or Simply Tragic?

    1139 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...Romeo and Juliet’s “intention” was to live a happy life of love, but things take a dramatic turn when Romeo kills a prominent member of his lover’s family and is banished. The lovers ultimately both die. This change of tides in the play make the drama an Aristotelian tragedy.

    Read More

  • Eating Disorders and The Media

    1688 Words  | 4 Pages

    Our society today is heavily influenced by the media and the imagery it shows. Though it may be indirect, the media provides unhealthy messages about ideal body sizes, gender attractiveness, and weight control that make women view themselves in a negative way. Magazines, television, and movies influence teenage girls on what they believe their body image should be. The images they show set the standard of what is considered physically attractive in our society. With the use of photoshop, media depicts falsified images of models and actresses to create a perfected look that is unattainable by the average woman. This creates a desire among teenage girls to look like these stars that are often shown. When teenage girls look at these images, they compare themselves to those images, and then judge themselves based on these comparisons. These judgements can potentially lead to eating disorders. In order to prevent the risk of eating disorders among teenage girls, the media should depict a typical image of people, rather than idolizing a specific standard of beauty.

    Read More

  • William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    693 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health, still-waking sleep, that is not what this is” (Shakespeare 1.1. 179-180). A string of contradictions explain the love story of Romeo and Juliet, a contradiction. Some critics consider this story a tragedy because Shakespeare once wrote; “the fault is not in our stars but in ourselves”. While others say it does not follow the standard Aristotelian form of tragedy (Krims 1). Romeo and Juliet can not be a tragedy because no flaw causes them to fall, the lovers, could not have controlled fate, and family and friends assisted them to their deaths.

    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

  • The Obsession with Anorexia

    831 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Media Influence Over Body Image

    1260 Words  | 3 Pages

    The media has had an increasingly destructive effect on young people who are becoming worryingly obsessed with their body image. The media is saturated in sexual imagery in which young people have to face every day. The sheer volume of sexual imagery in the media today has resulted in the vast majority of young people to become hooked on looking as near to perfection everyday by using the latest products and buying the latest fashions. This used to be enough but lately the next step to achieving perfection is cosmetic surgery. Everyone wants to look attractive, especially teenagers who are not only put under massive strain to succeed but to look beautiful and climb the ranks of the social ladder, and it seems that the only way to achieve the much desired beauty is to turn to drastic measures.

    Read More

  • Romeo and Juliet: A True Aristotelian Tragedy

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    All in all, Romeo and Juliet is a true Aristotelian tragedy because of the characters, plot, and the fact that it triggers the emotions of pity and fear. All these concepts are outlined by Aristotle and need to be present in a tragedy. Because, all of the aspects of an Aristotelian tragedy are present the play is truly a tragedy. The tragedy has the perfect characters that experience an anagnorisis, peripeteia, and catastrophes. In short, Romeo and Juliet is a true Aristotelian tragedy.

    Read More

  • Romeo and Juliet

    2119 Words  | 5 Pages

    Aristotle proposed what is believed to be the first definition of a true tragedy. Specifically, he states that a tragedy triggers great pity and fear caused by the main characters’ actions alone. Likewise, a true tragedy lacks coincidence and fate plays little in the overall play. William Shakespeare writes the play of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet in which the audience knows the destiny of these two tragic heroes from the very beginning. Although this play is tragic knowing that the lives of two lovers are lost, it is not a tragedy as Romeo and Juliet are not solely responsible for their own deaths. Destiny is determined through the hands of greater forces than that of Romeo and Juliet, making this play merely tragic and not a true tragedy. Therefore, the play of Romeo and Juliet is not a tragedy as coincidental events, the role of fate, and Romeo and Juliet’s numerous tragic flaws are what ultimately cause the outcome of this play.

    Read More

  • Eating Disorder Essay

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    If teens are constantly being exposed to television displaying images of beautiful and skinny people, they might think that they must sculpt themselves into fitting that image. According to author K Harrison exposure to fat character television produced dissatisfaction in the bodies of young teens (Harrison, 119-143). When teens become unsatisfied with their looks they may try to resort to unhealthy eating habits to meet their needs. The more exposure a child gets through television media the more vulnerable they are to eating disorders as a result of the weight related topics displayed. The National Institution on Media and Family states that “the commercials aimed at female viewers that ran during the television shows most often watched by icon girls also frequently used beautify as a product appeal (56 percent)”(National Institute on Media and Family,” Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders”). Examples of these are Revlon makeup and spray tan commercials. Both of these are examples of unnatural beauty promotions which lead to teens striving to look like someone of the ideal image.

    Read More

  • Romeo's Impetuousness

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Romeo meets Juliet, he claimed to be immediately in love. Although he has been sulking over Rosaline, when he met Juliet, he states, “Did my heart love till now? forswear it sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night” (Act 1.5 Lines 51-52). The entire time as he envisions love with Rosaline, it was all incoherent. Romeo’s impulsive attitude causes him to fall head over heels with Juliet, which begins the drama in this play.

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet: A Romantic Tragedy

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespeare’s most popular play he ever created was easily Romeo and Juliet. None of his other plays were as popular (and Tragic) as “Romeo and Juliet”. “Romeo and Juliet” is a romantic Tragedy set in the city of Verona, Italy. “Romeo and Juliet” is classified as Shakespeare’s greatest Tragedy influenced play he ever wrote. A Shakespearean Tragedy is a type of drama or play written by Shakespeare where the heightened climax always ends with a Catastrophic Ending. All Shakespeare and they always share the same common features. These features include: The fatal Flaw of the main character, usually leading to the ultimate downfall of him or her, and the external pressures that surround him, which include Fate,

    Read More

  • What Is Beauty?

    756 Words  | 2 Pages

    In American culture today, society's view of beauty is controlled by Hollywood, where celebrities are constantly in the lime-light. The media watches Hollywood's every move, and is quick to ridicule “A-listers” whenever they dare to gain a few pounds or to let an uncontrollable pimple show. The media has created a grossly distorted mental image of what should be considered beautiful, and with almost every junior high and high school-age girl reading and viewing this message, the idea has been instilled in them as well. This view of beauty is causing many teenage girls to become obsessed with a highly problematic and unattainable goal of perfection.

    Read More

More about The Entertainment Industry's Standards of Beauty and Impact on Youth

Open Document