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Consequences of media images
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The Importance of Image in the Modern World
Image is defined as the physical outward appearance that people view
an individual or an object. Over the years, image has evolved from
mere vanity to being regarded as a great importance in the modern
world. It is not merely the vivid representation of a person or an
object; it is a powerful tool used by us to impress and “wow” people,
for self or even to make money. Image is also an important factor in
society nowadays, as it draws a line between the popular people and
the “fashion scum of society”; it separates the normal everyday
products from the high-end gadgets. Image is indeed everything in the
modern world today.
Image is everything in today’s society as women are increasingly
putting more emphasis on their appearance. Women today are growing
more conscious of how others perceive their outward appearance. Even
in a relatively Oriental society like Singapore, it does not come as a
surprise to see women going to Botox clinics during lunchtime hours to
receive their dosage of Botox, a chemical used to paralyse certain
muscles to prevent wrinkles. Furthermore, beauty advertisements
nowadays feature women models that are barely out of their teens. Even
with older models, they are usually models featuring in slimming
centres or skin improvement advertisements. Thus, the mass media
promotes an ideal image of what a beautiful and desirable woman should
look like, influencing women around the world to model after. An
example is the Glamour magazine survey: 75% of women aged 18-35 were
reported to feel that they were too fat; 45% of underweight women felt
they were too fat; almost 50% o...
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pursuing the best of everything. Desperate times that make image no
longer important do not prevail in the modern day. Image can also be
presented in ways other than how a person looks. For example, many
people who lose their jobs still strive to preserve their dignity by
picking themselves up through tough times, wanting to portray a image
of perseverance and determination. This shows that one’s image can be
portrayed through one’s actions and character, not appearances alone.
Thus, it can be argued that appearances may not be everything.
In a nutshell, the people living in modern society today are judged by
a host of factors. What one wears, drives, or stays in can instantly
change how other people perceive them. Image remains to be an
undeniable fact of a great importance in the modern world today.
Having such an image before our eyes, often we fail to recognize the message it is trying to display from a certain point of view. Through Clark’s statement, it is evident that a photograph holds a graphic message, which mirrors the representation of our way of thinking with the world sights, which therefore engages other
People tend to views an image based on how society say it should be they tend to interpret the image on those assumption, but never their own assumptions. Susan Bordo and John Berger writes’ an argumentative essay in relation to how viewing images have an effect on the way we interpret images. Moreover, these arguments come into union to show what society plants into our minds acts itself out when viewing pictures. Both Susan Bordo and John Berger shows that based on assumptions this is what causes us to perceive an image in a certain way. Learning assumption plays into our everyday lives and both authors bring them into reality.
Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism, written by Temple Grandin is a non-fiction novel based on the author’s life growing up with autism. The author also shares her life now including her job, medical journal, and an autobiography. However, many things such as thoughts, treatment, and medication has changed since the book was written. The copyright of the novel is Second Vintage Books Edition, January 2006, published in the United States. The novel includes pictures of the author’s childhood, current age, and her work located towards the middle of the novel. Thinking in Pictures can be purchased online from Amazon for around ten dollars and the ISBN thirteen digit number is 978-0-307-27565-3.
The essay How You See Yourself by Nicholas Mirzoeff discusses the evolution of art. The author discusses the use of art to represent changing identities over the years including cultural practices and societal expectations. The selfie, according to Nicholas Mirzoeff’s essay, is the equivalent of a self-portrait in the previous centuries preceding the technological development required for the present day selfie. The essay explores the different periods and the significance of art, particularly self-portraits, the selfies of the time, and their development over time. The author focuses on different themes including heroism, gender definition, and the focus of an image. Mirzoeff effectively provides examples illustrating and reinforcing the themes he highlights in his essay.
In 1998 a man named James Byrd was drug from a pickup truck in Texas and dismembered. Ashraf Rushdy wrote an essay to examine the moral authority of photography and the effect it has upon a population’s view of a tragedy. Rushdy’s argument is that in 1955 when Emmett Till was murdered his mother allowed photographs of her son’s mutilated corpse to be shown across the nation. These photographs had a significant effect upon the course of the civil rights movement. Rushdy asks why the photographs of James Byrd were never displayed to the public and provides a compelling answer to this question. He provides the answer through the use of persuasive appeals, diction, and the visual effects provided through the use of photographs throughout the essay.
In conclusion it is possible to see how the media promotes a physical and psychological disease among women through the usage of unrealistic body images as it urges them to change their bodies, buy “enhancing” products, and redefine their opinions. Such statements may appear to be ridiculous, but for young women who are seeking to perfect their body according to how the media portrays “good looks” it is the basis for corruption. Confidence, contentment and healthy living are the keys to a perfect and unique body image and no amount of money can advertise or sell as genuine a treatment as this.
Cameras are everywhere. More people died while taking selfies than were killed by sharks in 2015. On the British television show Black Mirror, one episode called “White Bear” was a satire of how these cameras on our phones, computers, and buildings affected our society. The premise hinges on a woman who passively filmed her boyfriend torturing a young girl they kidnapped. Although it may seem that cameras are causing us to become a passive and voyeuristic society, they actually have done more good than harm. “White Bear” does not show the reality of these situations, documentation of horrible events has led to a better understanding of history and public action.
A young man peers into a screen attached to a box that projects its image through a small lens. It is the 17th century and the artist Johannes Vermeer is preparing to paint another image based on a reflection of reality though a box. Today billions of people around the world peer into boxes with projected light and receive a different reality with images created through photography that has affected the world in many ways. Photography has become more and more accessible to the general population. For much of its technological existence, photographing was only a luxury for the wealthy. Eventually the common man could afford cameras and take pictures although these usually remained confined to a small family or friend group. It was not until the last decade or so that everyone could attain cameras, with most having them on their phones, and shared them among a vast social network creating a profile based on the everyday image. As photography has improved during the last two centuries, it has affected the way we perceive reality.
The battle for superiority and dominance between words and images is long and on-going. Both can be found everywhere, mostly in books, magazines, television, paintings, and movies. However, in more recent years, the dominance of images over words can be seen. In a world where better, faster, and easier communication is necessary, images are a far better option than words. Mitchell Stephens in “By Means of the Visible: A Picture’s Worth,” Ward Churchill in “Crimes Against Humanity,” and the director of Within These Walls, Mike Robe, concur that images such as gestures, symbols, and pictures have a widespread and profound influence. In truth, “painting is much more eloquent than speech, and often penetrates more deeply into one’s heart” (Stephens 473). Thus, images are more powerful than words because they communicate more clearly and concisely, cater for a wider and more diverse audience, and connect with people on a deeper level.
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.
Impression management is a social phenomenon that occurs in our daily life both consciously and unconsciously. “It is the act of presenting a favorable public image of oneself so that others will form positive judgments.” (Newman 184) Our first impressions of a person are always based on physical appearance and we compare them to the norms of our society. We can all admit to the initial meeting of a person and first noticing their age, gender, race, or other ascribed characteristics. Our cultural norms are ideas such that fat is “ugly” which are very different across societies and time. Also, impression management is an idea of how individuals interact in different social situations. “Sociologists refer to dramaturgy as the study of social interactions as theater, in which people (“actors”) project images (“play roles”) in front of others (“the audience”).” (Newman 169) This is our human need for acceptance and way of managing the impressions we give others and perform what we think people want to see. Our social life is governed by this concept but it only works with effective front-stage and back-stage separation. Our front-stage is the visible part of ourselves that we allow others to see unlike our hidden back-stage self.
directly. The rise of what is known now as a 'digital art' or 'internet art' reaches beyond the
“The mass media serves as a mediating structure between individuals and their bodies by sending a powerful message to society: only a determined physical stereotype of beauty is valued” (Sepúlveda & Calado, 2012). Women develop a sense that they are not beautiful unless they look like the women in the photographs that are being advertised, thus causing a large impact on their health putting them at risk to develop physiologic issues possibly leading to eating disorders as discussed in the information presented above. This correlation does not affect women here and there; across the United States women are being impacted by the advertisements perused by the beauty industry because of the popularity of mass media in the current
Mary Wilson was both nervous and excited as she opened her first staff meeting in the marketing department of St. Margaret’s General Hospital (Clow & Baack, 2010, p. 49). Mary is the new Director of Marketing and Communications for St. Margaret’s Hospital and has been tasked with increasing St. Margaret’s Hospitals increased visibility and image in the eyes of the public (Clow & Baack, 2010). Her long term goal is to attract the best possible physicians while increasing use of the hospital’s facilities and attracting more patients (Clow & Baack, 2010, p.49). There are four questions that Mary most look at and address as the new Director of Marketing and Communication for St. Margaret’s. First, what are the image issues for St. Margaret’s Hospital? Second, what are the brand-name issues; and if so should the brand name
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.