Summary Of From Believing Is Seeing

Society destroys a man’s identity. He falls under the wheels of judgment and expectations of what it means to be a man that destroy his true self. He sees images of a perfect male and desires the same stunning looks and exaggerated strength. He falls victim to society. In the articles “From Believing is Seeing” by Judith Lorber and “Getting Huge, Getting Ripped: A Qualitative exploration of Recreational Steroid Use” by Matthew Petrocelli, the authors identify the negative ways society influences the way a man lives. Exaggerated expectations of society lead a man to harm his body with risky side effects and create inhumane goals regarding body appearance. Society’s portrayal of how a real man looks causes him to enter a gym with false hopes.
Lorber states, “These beliefs emerge from the imagery that pervades the way we think, the way we see and hear and speak, the way we fantasize and the way we feel” (Lorber 733). She explains how media utilizes convincing tactics to destroy the ways people think. Media creates false images and false hopes that defy natural human characteristics and abilities. Steroid use represents one such example. Petrocelli lists an abundance of harmful side effects of steroids. “In terms of the medical literature, scientists are universal in their agreement that anabolic steroids can lead to a host of ill-effects including acute acne, hypertension… and a myriad of psychiatric and behavioral problems” (Petrocelli 754). Anxiety plagues a man. He worries about being the absolute best he can be, and then more. He wants to be better than humanly possible just to gain the approval of society. This man would not otherwise desire this satisfaction of societal approval. It all originates with media, and media corrupts the image of a man. Media defines a man as a guy who appears strong externally rather than internally. Petrocelli also states, “Of course steroid users learned from direct experience that steroids were effective at enhancing strength and muscle mass and thus began the entrenched belief that neither the government nor scientific community could be trusted to reliably report the
Media uses imagery that harms men. Media uses imagery that men believe. Men believe opinionated media more than credible scientists as described by Petrocelli in the previous quote. Media misleads men to believe that a host of the ill-effects of steroids identified by scientists are not to be feared. Media influences this fantasy by pervading the thoughts of men and turning them into beasts who use steroids. This beast suffers a myriad of side effects including blood clots, tendon damage, and psychiatric problems, and behavioral issues (Petrocelli 754). He does not recognize the devastating effects because he is transforming into what he wants and needs to be according to society and media. He is now buff. He is now strong. He is now powerful. He is so influenced by media perversion that he refuses to see the negatives in an outwardly