Female Body Image: the Victim of Women’s Magazines
Tracy Gibson
November 4, 2012
Female Body Image: The Victim of Women’s Magazines
There are over twenty thousand magazines published every year in the United States, and the vast majority targets a female audience. Women who read magazines on a regular basis do so because they believe the information they find within will bolster them up and help them be better women. What they don’t realize is that they are inadvertently supporting an industry that purposely sets out to foster negative body images inside of them. These magazines are overloaded with images of ultra-thin models and strategically placed ads that claim to have an empowering purpose but actually deflate females’ self-esteem. America’s capitalistic nature gives these publications and their contributors a sense of entitlement to profit by any means necessary. “Despite powerful evidence that the media’s unrealistic depiction of females has negative effects on the way women view themselves, companies in television and advertising seem to be unyielding in their marketing approaches. This may come from the mindset that ‘thinness sells,’ while using heavier women would not be as profitable,” (Dittmar, & Howard as quoted by Serdar, 20). Thanks to these misplaced goals what these women are really subscribing to is being unremitting victims. This victimization of women through periodicals needs to stop, and even if the industry itself will not listen to reason, it is up to the people to insist that certain measures be taken to educate girls and women about the underhanded practices of these publications, thus negating the effect of their detrimental images, as well as hold the industry responsible for the misleading tactics they use to make a quick buck. When magazines first appeared in the United States back in 1741 they earned their profits solely through subscriptions, so they made an effort to ensure that their content appealed to their readership. During the Great
November 4, 2012
Female Body Image: The Victim of Women’s Magazines
There are over twenty thousand magazines published every year in the United States, and the vast majority targets a female audience. Women who read magazines on a regular basis do so because they believe the information they find within will bolster them up and help them be better women. What they don’t realize is that they are inadvertently supporting an industry that purposely sets out to foster negative body images inside of them. These magazines are overloaded with images of ultra-thin models and strategically placed ads that claim to have an empowering purpose but actually deflate females’ self-esteem. America’s capitalistic nature gives these publications and their contributors a sense of entitlement to profit by any means necessary. “Despite powerful evidence that the media’s unrealistic depiction of females has negative effects on the way women view themselves, companies in television and advertising seem to be unyielding in their marketing approaches. This may come from the mindset that ‘thinness sells,’ while using heavier women would not be as profitable,” (Dittmar, & Howard as quoted by Serdar, 20). Thanks to these misplaced goals what these women are really subscribing to is being unremitting victims. This victimization of women through periodicals needs to stop, and even if the industry itself will not listen to reason, it is up to the people to insist that certain measures be taken to educate girls and women about the underhanded practices of these publications, thus negating the effect of their detrimental images, as well as hold the industry responsible for the misleading tactics they use to make a quick buck. When magazines first appeared in the United States back in 1741 they earned their profits solely through subscriptions, so they made an effort to ensure that their content appealed to their readership. During the Great
Cited: 5. Serdar, Kasey L. "Female Body Image and the Mass Media: Perspectives on How Women Internalize the Ideal Beauty Standard." The Myriad: Undergraduate Academic Journal Spring (2005): 14-24 Web. 16 Oct. 2012. <http://EzineArticles.com/720646>.