Stereotypes We See In Magazines

Have you ever starred at a model on a cover of a magazine, thinking "I wish to look like that"? Is it logical to base your feelings of self worth on models in advertisements and magazines? The answer is: absolutely not. The models we see in magazines, should not be people we look up to in terms of body image.

"Looks don't matter, beauty is skin deep." We often hear sayings like this, and yet we live in a society that contradicts this very idea. If looks don't matter, why does the media use airbrushing to hide the flaws of cover models? If looks don't matter, why are so many people harming themselves because they are unhappy with the way they look? If looks don't matter, why does our society still believe in the idea that to be beautiful, you have to be skinny?

In truth, the damage that these magazines could be inflicting on both male and female readers could be far more pervasive than we expected. About 69% of young people aged 9-18 perceive models’ figures they see in magazines as ideal bodies. According to a survey done on 1000 female readers by Cosmopolitan, over 60% of them revealed that they were not confident with their bodies. The media should not be airbrushing the models as it gives young girls the idea that their body image is attainable and by trying to look like them, these girls become just as unhealthy.
Take the Barbie doll for example, many young girls grow up playing with Barbies, but have you ever stopped to think about the body image that Barbie promotes? Apparently, if Barbie was real, her body fat percentage would be so low that she would not be able to menstruate and only about one in 100,000 women even come close to matching Barbie’s body image. These unrealistic body images are introduced at such a young age that it is no surprise young girls struggle with their