Beauty in the Media

Advertising sells us ideas as well as it does products. It tells women that the most important part about them is how they look. It shows a woman what exactly they are supposed to look like and if they don’t meet these “standards” set up by the woman she is set up for failure. Weight is a huge problem that is damaged by the media. One in five women in America has an eating disorder the most of which are anorexia and bulimia. These images that are portrayed are unnatural. Advertising keeps women trapped in roles set by the media. These attitudes and ads must be changed because our ability to freely choose our lives is at stake.
The dove commercials show the affect that media has on young children. Parents might not be forward with their daughter about her looks and when she sees the commercials on television she is inclined to feel the same way. Disciplinary beauty practices are enforced by the media; furthermore, they are made worse because they emphasize unhealthy and unnatural ways of looking. People have become obsessed with the way that they look. They do not care if they harm their bodies; they want to portray the “ideal” man or woman.
There is a Dolce and Cabaña ad that pictures a woman with a low cut top on. She is very thin. The ad is trying to sell perfume which is positioned right next to her. However, the ad is also selling beauty. The woman is very beautiful and thin; she is a model for some girls who wish to look that way.
The media controls our lives, whether we are conscious of it or not. We are influenced daily about what we should look like, how we should act, etc. A major influence media plays are in the field of beauty practices of women. Women are told what they should look like and how they should act. This is very damaging to the women’s self esteem and decision making abilities. Women might make unhealthy decisions because of something they see on TV or in a magazine.

CRJ #6

Disciplinary beauty practices are practices that enforced by the social norm. These practices could include shaving your legs or wearing make up. This also could be represented by the “’drive for thinness’” (237). The media enforces these practices through reality TV shows where people undergo makeovers as well as models who are super skinny. These shows give the idea that some women are not good enough. Viewers at home might start to have similar feelings and deal with it in different ways. For example, if someone around their weight decides to get liposuction, the viewer at home might start to feel self conscious of her weight and acquire an eating disorder. The media is important for consumerism, however. The idea of fashion and beauty are major sell points in corporate capitalism. People spend money trying to get thinner, younger, or even older.
When I think of the ideal man and woman I think about Barbie and Ken, an image that has been portrayed to us since a young age. Lean, muscular, perfect jaw line, they seem to have perfect physiques. Social power is often affected by three characteristics – race, ability, and class. White, middle-class, abled persons seem to be the highest on the social power ladder. If someone is disabled, even so much as being overweight, they are put lower on the totem pole. Women are more affected by body norms. They are often classified by how they look, more so than men. For this reason, they strive to be more “beautiful” in order to get what they want. I know I strive to have a more “ideal” body. I workout, like to sunbathe, shave, and wear makeup. However, I also know when enough is enough.
It was believed that because the media often features white women, women of color would be protected from these ideas of the ideal body. However, there are other problems that can occur. African American culture is greatly affected by style and grooming. Often it was related to religion. Latinos in the study were maintaining their beauty for health reasons. This could be related to their cultural upbringing. Often association with being voluptuous is connected to African Americans, while white Americans are often portrayed as very thin. These women of color however seem to be more confident with their bodies, they are “’true to oneself”” (268).