Society's Impact on Beauty
The media needs to take a look around and contemplate that damage that they’ve caused.
People in the Western society, ranging from 10 years old to as old as middle ages, or even elderly, starve themselves to achieve the body they believe to be ‘beautiful’. As stupid as this idea sounds, it is the cause of many diseases such as anorexia. It is not only unhealthy, but such a ‘perfect’ figure does not last a long time.
The problem that lies here is whether the media’s idea of ‘beauty’ is right or wrong. The media’s strength is so powerful that it is often known as the fourth pillar of democracy.
While masses of copycat believes indoctrinate media’s idea of beauty (celebrities and commercials) like a religion, there are groups of people out there who are completely against this idea. Those believers infatuate themselves with the media, obsessing over unhealthy ‘solutions’ to make themselves stick skinny. It is in fact the media producing such ‘solutions’ that make people want to look like the beautiful men and women in the commercials with perfect teeth, bodies, skin and hair.
Jean Kilbourne (the producer of Kill Us Softly) states that “The average American is exposed to over 3,000 ads every single day.” Seeing so many advertisements that broadcast the same thing - digitally transformed beauty - can’t be good to anyone’s self esteem.
In 1996, a study was conducted and showed that the amount of time one spent obsessing over social media is associated with their degree of dissatisfaction with their bodies and desire to be thin. Adolescent girls are prime targets for such things, as they are new and inexperienced consumers. Jan D’arcy, the executive director of the Media Awareness Network proved that 99% of adolescents, starting from as young as nine, to seventeen are influenced by the media in mostly negative ways. The media realizes their role in society, but does not hesitate to use this fact to their advantage-- frequently in the guise of offering
People in the Western society, ranging from 10 years old to as old as middle ages, or even elderly, starve themselves to achieve the body they believe to be ‘beautiful’. As stupid as this idea sounds, it is the cause of many diseases such as anorexia. It is not only unhealthy, but such a ‘perfect’ figure does not last a long time.
The problem that lies here is whether the media’s idea of ‘beauty’ is right or wrong. The media’s strength is so powerful that it is often known as the fourth pillar of democracy.
While masses of copycat believes indoctrinate media’s idea of beauty (celebrities and commercials) like a religion, there are groups of people out there who are completely against this idea. Those believers infatuate themselves with the media, obsessing over unhealthy ‘solutions’ to make themselves stick skinny. It is in fact the media producing such ‘solutions’ that make people want to look like the beautiful men and women in the commercials with perfect teeth, bodies, skin and hair.
Jean Kilbourne (the producer of Kill Us Softly) states that “The average American is exposed to over 3,000 ads every single day.” Seeing so many advertisements that broadcast the same thing - digitally transformed beauty - can’t be good to anyone’s self esteem.
In 1996, a study was conducted and showed that the amount of time one spent obsessing over social media is associated with their degree of dissatisfaction with their bodies and desire to be thin. Adolescent girls are prime targets for such things, as they are new and inexperienced consumers. Jan D’arcy, the executive director of the Media Awareness Network proved that 99% of adolescents, starting from as young as nine, to seventeen are influenced by the media in mostly negative ways. The media realizes their role in society, but does not hesitate to use this fact to their advantage-- frequently in the guise of offering