Toxicity in the Media, a Measure of Body Dissatisfaction

In addition to promoting excessively thin models, the media also uses a disproportionate amount of digital photo retouching, especially in recent years. The use of Photoshop and digital retouching has been taken to an extreme, making models impossibly thin, tall, wrinkle and blemish free (Farid and Kee). Airbrush and digital enhancement is used to create the ideal and false female body (Russell-Mayhew and Saraceni, 91). It is quite easy to alter the appearance of a person. Legs, hips, and arms can all be slimmed. The neck can be elongated, making posture seem improved. Eye size can be increased. Skin tone and texture also fall prey to the digital retouching. The skin is smoothed and sharpened with wrinkles, cellulite, blemishes, freckles, and dark circles under the eyes removed. With just a few simple adjustments, models can appear different in an instant, creating a flawless, fake image that culture perceives to be real. Earp and Young state, “…this flawlessness cannot be achieved. It’s a look that’s been created through airbrushing, cosmetics, and computer retouching.” This digital retouching has led to unrealistic expectations for both men and women with body image. It is highly uncommon in today’s culture to view a beautiful woman that has not been photoshopped (Farid and Kee). It has also led to body issues for both men and women mentioned by Henry Farid and Eric Kee, “the ubiquity of these unrealistic and highly idealized images has been linked to eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction in men, women, and children” (Farid and Kee). The media is highly responsible for the body dissatisfaction in society. There is no reason that women should feel upset about themselves because they do not look like an airbrushed ...

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...isorders have been linked to dissatisfaction and self-injury has been used to cope with the fact of never looking like the models in the media. Whatever happens, the media is responsible. It creates a toxic body image environment in society. With this toxic body image environment, how society supposed to cope with daily life, moreover, accept this way of life? “Whoever controls the media, controls the mind” (“Media Quotes”). A media that promotes excessive thinness and a standard of perfection mediates body dissatisfaction, which transforms itself into eating disorders and self-injury behavior accompanied by social anxiety. From the media, the mind is tarnished. Just like an ocean becomes toxic from an oil spill, the minds of the members of society are poisoned by the media’s perception of perfection. It is a toxic environment that is nearly impossible to survive.