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.
Sociological imagination is the ability to see the one’s own problem or relations in a different perspective and to think outside the box. In the book “The Sociological Imagination” written by C. W. Mills, Mills says that sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society (Elwell,2013). While many sociologists have different understanding to this concept, so they concluded to use Mills definition of sociological imagination as “the vivid awareness of the relationship between personal experience and the wider society” (Crossman,2016). So what we think that are our personal problems might actually be public issues that we aren’t aware of as proven in history and the society then. Like every adult in the world,
Introduction 1.1 Background. Body image is an intellectual or idealized image of what one's body is or what one’s body should be like. A lot of women suffer from body image difficulties that are related to their self-image and self-esteem because of the pressures they are subjected to by the society, by their peers, by the media, by how they engage with each other in the community, and by the expectations of what a perfect body is and what it means to be beautiful. This essay is aimed at elaborating the initial origins behind the body image issue which many women may be subject to or might have, the effects that body image issues have on women and the extreme lengths to which women would venture out to in order to obtain the socially accepted
1.1 Introduction In this essay I will be discussing the sociological imagination and the problems of families. The sociological imagination allows us to see the difference between personal problems and public issues and be able to link them. It basically allows a person to think outside of their personal perspectives and see beyond the outer appearance. 1.2 The Sociological Imagination Sociological imagination is a "quality of mind" that allows one to grasp "history and biography and the relations between the two within society.” (Elwell). Sociological imagination is understanding your situation while taking into consideration the broader society.
Whether it’s magazine covers, instagram, twitter, on television or just on the world wide web in general, everywhere we look we see stunning models. Models that are incredibly thin and can look good in anything. Our society is obsessed with how perfect they look, yet at the end of the day women everywhere looks in the mirror and doesn’t see the body of the girl she sees on social media. Even though women come in all shapes and sizes in nature, the expectation to have a skinny, perfect body just seems to be the expectation for our society nowadays. Society puts too much pressure on females to have the perfect body.
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”.
The term "Sociological Imagination" was introduced by C. Wright Mills in 1959. The definition of Sociological imagination from our textbook is “the ability to understand how your own past relates to that of other people, as well as to history in general and societal structures in particular”. In other words, Sociological Imagination is the ability to recognize that an individual's personal troubles are a product of public issues which aren’t always controlled by the individual. This concept can help to provide a better understanding about the current social problems our nation is facing. Sociological imagination helps an individual understand the society in which they live in by placing an individual away from reality and looking beyond the
In Cindy Pierce’s article, “How Objectifying Social Media Affects Girl’s Body Image More Than You Think,” she argues that society controls how girls and women see themselves, and this will not be solved until they stop caring what other people think. Things celebrities and people we know post online make girls feel inadequate to the standards of others and in effect makes them unhappy with what they look like. Pressure is starting to build on girls at an early age and into adult hood to reach this standard of beauty set by social media. The only way to escape this feeling of being unworthy or less than the ladies in magazines is to become numb to the idea that women are not good enough. Women in magazines are photoshopped to sell products to help women reach the standard the internet has set.
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.
Being thin and so skinny, having a pretty face and using a lot makeup is what the society wants from females. Unfortunately, the society does not understand that each female has her own beauty, so they force females to do things that make them beautiful in every society’s eyes. According to “How