Unrealistic Body

1407 Words3 Pages

Media is a major part of our life. Media is directly woven into our current society. Television, music, movies, internet, social media apps, magazines, and even the newspaper are each are an intricate part of the media. The media may be the most influential tool in our society has today. Small children and older adults may be affected in a lesser extent due to the amount of technology they are exposed to. With kids, teenagers, and adults spending more and more time devoted to media each year, media has influenced our society through the material released. The news, magazines, and internet are known to filter its content from the public to gain more viewers from gossip. The media can choose what information is given to the general population. …show more content…

Magazines, movies, television shows, and apps, like Instagram, snapchat, etcetera, use these models in many of their forums. After seeing a repeated stereotypical model of race, gender, and appearance, repeatedly, people will, almost certainly, aspire to be like them. Research conducted by William and Ricciardelli (2014) suggests, “exposure to unrealistic body images, modelling, pressure to conform, gender typed socialization, objectification of the body, internalization of appearance ideal, increased negative affect [of the body]”(William and Ricciardelli, 2014, p. 390). People attempt to model, or look and act like an unrealistic image. The average man and woman vary in body types, beliefs, personality, and outwards appearance. According to psychologists, “the ideal woman reflected by North American media has a very thin body with long legs, light eyes, clear skin, and no wrinkles” (Haboush, Warren, and Benuto, 2011, p. 668.) William and Ricciardelli (2014) also believe, “they (boys) admired and wanted to be like sportsmen. It was this focus on sport that shaped boys’ ideals pertaining to fitness and muscularity” (William and Ricciardelli, 2014, p. 390). Media outlets usually depict attractive individuals as being likeable, intelligent, and wealthy. As seen in movies and television shows, the attractive characters usually have better jobs, relationships, and …show more content…

The portrayal of women and men’s jobs, duties, attitudes, and lifestyles differ in the eyes of media. The media develops roles by showing the norms of each gender. These differences can cause discrimination between sexes and patriarchy. It is well known that today, females make less money than males for the same job. We are taught that men and women are complete opposites. From traditional gender roles, men and women are not supposed to like activities commonly held by the opposite sex. Childhood is a major time for development; roles we are exposed to as children, can influence our future. Gender roles depict women with secretarial or receptionist jobs and men are shown as the boss or leaders. By avoiding stereotypes in media, more women will obtain jobs typically held by men, and men will be able to embrace their feminine

Open Document