There is no doubt at all that society is the number one responsible for women feeling unhappy with their body image. Society are the ones to blame for making women believe that their own thoughts of the ideal body for women is the only way to go to feel valued and accepted. Why try so hard to be perfect if even the models themselves don’t look like themselves. You don’t need to look like anyone else. In the academic journal “Media Effects on Body Image: Examining Media Exposure in the Broader Context of Internal and Other Social Factors” by Kristen E. Van Vonderen and William Kinnally states “Therefore, some women may see their body shape and weight as a sort of “measuring stick” of social value”.
I have chosen this topic because most young adults compare themselves to celebrities on social media, but they shouldn't be doing that as everyone is unique. Body image affects a lot of adolescents in today's society and that has driven me to undergo research for this topic. Body image is how an individual physically and mentally thinks of themself as for example weight and your clothing size. Body image is mostly about your physical activity and how much you do but, things can get in the way of that for example peer pressure, family and social media. Social media is a big influence as a lot of young adults want to look like a certain person for example Vogue Models.
The way women are portrayed in media today is not helping their advancement. Media, specifically advertising, photoshops women and bends the reality of their real appearance, causing girls to form self-esteem issues. When women and young girls are shopping they see models in photos or advertisements that have “perfect bodies,” and aspire to look like them because
Have you ever looked at an image on Social Media, seen a movie, commercial, or show and looked at yourself and felt ashamed or unsatisfied. Many women around the world have struggled with their weight and how others see them. Media images of ridiculously thin women are everywhere – television shows, movies, popular magazines. The Media often glamorizes a very thin body for women. These are also the pictures that are being shown to teenagers at a time of their lives that they are particularly susceptible to peer pressure and looking good(Tabitha Farrar).
Advertising has been an integral part of the mass culture for many years. It is a common fact that it shows not the reality but the image of the reality based on the people's ideas of how the world works. Yet, it is not only based on the real world, it is forming it in return. All the images are shown in the advertisement influence the behavior of people and shape their values and ideals. So, the fact that the image of women in the advertisement affects the people's expectations in real life does not come as a surprise.
It has been noted that the body size of women portrayed in mass media has been steadily getting smaller (Park 2005). There are particular messages associated in the manner body weight is showcased in media; media celebrities are viewed as the epitome of success and social desirability. Their body and beauty have often been associated with their success chart. This phenomena is apparent in thin-ideal media. The word “thin-ideal media” refers to media that contains noticeably thin female characters, which is likely seen in fashion magazines and television programs.
The media, such as television, magazines, the Internet, and movies have traditionally portrayed an unambiguous reflection of how society endorses a certain body image. The media depict girls and women as either thin or curvaceous, so they can display the viewer’s expectations and standards. Moreover, females who do not meet these seemingly stereotypical “body image standards,” often feel less self-assured about themselves and, therefore, try to uphold the perceived societal ideal by any means necessary. According to Tiggemann (2006), “First, women and girls’ own reports clearly indicate that they hold the media at least partly responsible for their negative feelings toward their bodies” (p. 524). By having these negative thoughts, women can harm their bodies by doing whatever they can to fit the expectations that the media seems to portray.
To what extent do modern beauty advertisements set a standard of beauty and what impact does this have on adolescent body image? Introduction It is noticeable how sociocultural standards of beauty have been established through many forms of popular media for many decades. The media portrays the “ideal body” by having models with high beauty standards that are unrealistic and unattainable for many people. Moreover, with the improvement of technology, many figures displayed on television and advertisements are “adjusted” to look more appealing and attractive. In many cases, these figures used in modern beauty advertisements send an implicit message to many people that in order for them to be considered beautiful, they must have attractive features to make them look a certain way.
‘Participant B’ mentioned that some young women have self-esteem issues. It is possible that they may feel uncomfortable with few of the previous or current body-image trends. She further explained that a curvy woman who has always been confident with her body shape may slowly lose confidence during the period where people in social media keep publicizing the “thigh gap”. ‘Participant F’ suggested that young women who follow these trends are only doing it for the purpose of showing off their bodies/appearance which can lead to other women feeling upset or insecure about their own appearance. She also added that when women follow those trends and improve on their looks, they may be objectified and be used as a tool to attract people’ attention in advertising.
Current Effects of Body Image in Women living in the United States Body image reflects the way individuals view themselves in the mirror. It also includes assumptions and generalizations they have about themselves. Factors such as society, environment, friends, family, and experiences have a significant impact on this human nature. Many individuals suffer from the consequences of body image disturbances; however, young girls and women tend to be most at risk for developing detrimental attitudes toward their body. They are also extremely susceptible to social pressure and media images.