Psychological Impacts Of Media Analysis

What are the Psychological and Physical Impacts of the Media on the Youth of Present Day USA?

The media has arguably the biggest influence on today’s generation than on any previous. We are bombarded with advertisements, songs, and movies and the internet compounds the problem by making everything easier to access. Because the media has such a strong influence, particularly on young people who engage more with technology and media, it inevitably has psychological and physical effects. The rate of anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders has risen in the last few decades in correlation with the impact and availability of the media. The influence of reality TV shows like “Toddlers and Tiaras” has increased the nation’s obsession with our

Released in 2014, it has a huge influence over listeners because of Beyoncé’s popularity in the United States but also because of her commitment to social justice movements (Reinhardt, 2014). “Pretty Hurts” and the associated music video revolve around the problematic nature of beauty pageants and their link to promoting beauty as one of the only worthwhile attributes for a woman to have (Reinhardt, 2014). Beyoncé is associated with a number of songs that support the ability of women to contest typical beauty standards, including “Bootylicious”, but this track and video focus very strongly on the negative messages given to young people through the media. It is a strong criticism of the beauty industry, revolving around the problems that come from expecting women to be physically perfect – “what you wear is all that matters” (Beyoncé, 2014). Beyoncé openly criticizes the way that the media focuses on our imperfections by stating “pretty hurts, we shine the light on whatever’s worst, perfection is a disease of a nation” (Beyoncé, 2014). It also makes the interesting point that different types of media often promote different ideals – “TV says, bigger is better…Vogue says, thinner is better” (Beyoncé, 2014) – making the point that it is impossible to please everyone because the standards are so

Although not every young person competes in an official pageant, there is often a sense of competition between young people about who can be the prettiest or the thinnest (Howell, 2013). These competitions can lead to depression and other psychological issues when they are not the “winner”, and TV shows such as “Toddlers and Tiaras” contribute to the idea that life is a catwalk. In fact, “Toddlers and Tiaras” (and the topic of beauty pageants for the very young) has been accused of indoctrinating these beauty standards from a very young age (Howell, 2013). The rates of eating disorders in the very young (pre-pubescent) has increased dramatically in the last decade, and studies suggest that this may indeed be linked to the increasing number of pre-pubescent children participating in beauty contests that place unnecessary emphasis on their looks (Howell, 2013). The role of the media here is simple – shows like “Toddlers and Tiaras” have made the toddler beauty pageant much more visible to the outside world and therefore given people the idea that their child may like to compete (Howell,