Hypersexualization Of Women

Negative Effects Resulting from the Presentation of Women in the Media

The subject of women’s bodies has been a topic of mass discussion for many years. With the advancement of technology, the distortion and manipulation of images has come to reach an all time high. For many clothing companies, especially retailers of intimates such as Victoria’s Secret, the emphasis of advertising focuses on the beauty and body of the depicted woman. There are various expectations of what a woman should look like and the debate over “the perfect body” has been an issue of controversy for many years. While there are various differences between cultures, the idea is generally the same; women’s bodies and beauty is where the focus is as it is worth more.

With a culture that focuses on aesthetics and beauty, women feel pressured to conform to the expectations set in place. The messages sent through the media only emphasize the norms that already exist and try to gear women to be the person society expects them to be. While the media is notorious for their presentation of both men and women, women are targeted more frequently and in more extreme ways compared to men (Conley & Ramsey, 2011). Advertisements portray women as flawless, submissive, passive, and less active compared to their male counterparts (Conley & Ramsey, 2011). This subconsciously contributes to the way that women see themselves and how society expects them to be. Most of the time, such advertisements highly enforce sex roles, which is a social construction of certain behaviors and characteristics attributed to each sex (Carter, 2012). When an individual, as well as others, are constantly critiquing themselves in terms of how well they measure up the societal expectations, the emphasis placed on looks has become more of a public sport than ever before (Grazian, 2010). The media is mostly to blame for the damage invoked upon women due to the inaccurate and unrealistic images that continue to be presented. By the media presenting women as passive, flawless, inactive, and submissive, the messages sent to viewers is that women are

This message, coupled with the actual presentation and the interpretations causes severely negative effects on women. Physical health, mental health, and how women view themselves and their sexuality are all negatively impacted from the presentation of women in the media. With this continuing for years on end, there is only an increase in the negative outcomes. The increasing number of health related issues and practices employed by women in order to try and achieve unrealistic standards has made this issue a crucial matter in today’s society. In order to try and combat the negative messages and effects resulting, various companies have created campaigns in order to send more positive messages pertaining to the aesthetics of women’s bodies. Although such campaigns have been successful, it is still not enough to combat the other companies that continue the same practices as they always have. In order for there to be real change, companies need to recognize the full extent of the media and the effects it has on women as well as changing their tactics. Only once companies actually put in the effort to make change for the betterment of society and individuals instead of profit will there be a more positive and much needed