Body Image Research Paper

The media group that retouches images skews the “normal” body image of people through many of its outlets, including models in advertising and magazines, and actors in TV and movie productions. “The average model portrayed in the media is approximately 5’11” and 120 pounds. By contrast, the average American woman is 5’4” and 140 pounds” (Holmstrom, 2004). This statistic shows how the media manipulates consumers into believing that because they are not what the average model looks like, they are not living up to a certain standard which implies that they need to look like that to be beautiful. Another research fact that shows a similar concept is that, “In the United States, 94% of female characters in television programs are thinner than the average American woman, with whom the media frequently associate happiness, desirability, and success in life” (Yamamiya et al., 2005). This association of female thinness and happiness, desirability and success makes consumers believe they must achieve this unrealistic thinness to achieve more ultimate goals and fulfillment in life. “The media also explicitly instruct how to attain thin bodies by dieting, exercising, and body-contouring surgery, encouraging female consumers to believe that they can and should be thin” (Yamamiya et al., 2005). This idealization of thinness in the media is seen so much, and is extremely harmful to women’s self confidence and is often associated with body image dissatisfaction, which can be a precursor to social anxiety, depression, eating disturbances, and poor self-esteem (Yamamiya et al.,

In advertisements, every color, shape and position are pivotal in getting the point across. When looking through various magazines, a ring ad from the November 2016 issue of Birds and Bloom caught my eye. Though the ad has a short article to describe the jewelry being sold, it was the image that captured my attention. When analyzed on a persuasive level, the image utilizes multiple techniques to draw attention and entice the audience.

Picture a long, stressful day where an avalanche of work completely exhausted your energy. The only thing worth looking forward to is coming home to relax while tuning into your favorite television show. In between the show, a commercial comes on to propose an energy drink built to help overcome those prolonged and demanding days at work. Advertisers are known for creating the most influential and effective way to launch their products to the general public. In the article “Men’s Men and Women’s Women”, author Steve Craig suggests that advertisements rely on stereotypes in order to manipulate consumers. Likewise James Twitchell, author of “What We are to Advertisers” strengthens Craig's reasoning by discussing the methods of persuasion that capture their respective audience’s attention to create a good commercial and sell a product. Both authors focus on the different techniques used by the advertising industry. Through their supporting demographic and psychographic evidence, they utilize advertising to show a strong correlation between each other. By using subtitles both authors explain the distinctive stereotypic profiles that are formed just from advertisers constantly examining the target audiences in order to create a connection with the product and the consumer. Twitchell reinforces Craig's position by introducing the different types of profiles advertisers target and be recognizing the effects of the method pathos and logos has

Upon reading, I noticed the thesis had 2 arguments even though and I understood that this essay pertained to how social media caused body image issues for teens. One of the topics consisted of how social media causes teens to have "excessive concern[s] on looking perfect," and another subject matter on how phones allowed for photographs to occur anywhere. Therefore, I find it unnecessary to include the phrase - "with their phones it is easier to to take pictures everywhere." Aside from that and a couple grammatical errors, the thesis is well-written with a clear standpoint, which holds social media as the culprit in this

Moreover, as Richins (1991) reports, women always make social comparisons between the advertising models and themselves. As a result, advertising images create negative affect and increases women’s dissatisfaction with their own appearance. Since those images are edited through the consistent usage of digital technology, these idealized images do not portray women in a healthy manner. Indeed, these enhanced images would give these young girls the impression that they need to be ‘perfect’, just like these ‘fake’ images. According to Reist in ABC’s Gruen Session (2010), ‘young women get the message that they need to be thin, hot and sexy just to be acceptable’ in this society. Therefore, by generating the wrong perception of real beauty, the responsibility is pushed to the marketers, as they portray women with this stereotypical body type as acceptable. In addition, as the brand, Dove’s tagline in its advertisement - What happened to the ‘real beauty’? (Reist, 2010), marketers need not market their products in manners portraying women as airheads. Consequently, marketers gave most consumers viewing the advertisement, the wrong impression that

Stereotypes is such a common thing in advertisements these days. Most models portray the “perfect” body type or skin color, when most regular, everyday people don’t look like that. They are giving us expectations that aren’t realistic.

Throughout my findings there arose very interesting, important, problematic, and noteworthy things. Specifically, I found that advertisers and the choices of what models they use in their advertisements have such an ingrained impact on how females view themselves and it is affecting girls at an even younger age now as advertisements are more widespread. From a personal health and financial perspective this is very problematic, noteworthy, and important because they need to make sure girls from a young age are not developing eating disorders and spending tons of money on the right clothes and makeup because it will only turn into more money as seen in the Good Hair documentary where people are paying over $1,000 on a weave that they will only

When I was in high school, I had an overweight friend—she was ‘fat’ but not obese. She was always being bullied because of her physical appearance and weight. Based on Goffman reading, this is called discredited stigma, as it is visible to others and people can clearly see the physical differences that she had. Her situation also falls under the physical category of stigma, as it is related to physical features of her body that is outside of her control.

     "Just Be" is a familiar slogan to the current American culture. It is the slogan of a well-known designer, Calvin Klein, who, in his advertisements, supposedly promotes individuality and uniqueness. Yet, Calvin Klein, along with all known designers, does not have overweight or unattractive people on his billboard ads, on his runways, in his magazine pictures or on his television commercials. Moreover, the movie, music and the mass media corroborate with the fashion industry in setting and advertising a certain standards for a physical ideal of a human body. Such propaganda promotes the public into depriving themselves of needed nutrition and generates eating disorders within people in order to fit the

The study of body image is a broad topic that touches many subjects including gender. However, the study of body image has been focused mainly on females. This is because the physical shape and image of male bodies have not changed over the history. From the ancient Greek until the modern era, the masculinity is the predominant stereotype for men. Masculine traits include courage, independence and assertiveness (Judith, 2001; Murray, 2000). In contrast to the male body, the female figures have been varied over time and across culture. In the modern era, the thin shaped figure is the ultimate desire of most women because it reflects the beauty and attractiveness of women according to our modern culture (Thompson et al, 1999; Thompson and Stice, 2001). Therefore, failing to meet the societal expectations of being muscular male or thin female may lead to a separation between virtual and actual social identity.

Advertising’s role of creating gender stereotypes then follows children into their teenage years as adverts continue to have an effect on how children’s identities are constructed (Frith and Mueller 92). Advertisements continue to use visual images of men and women to persuade people to purchase certain products (Cortese 57). Advertisements take a product, remove the meaning associated to that product then insert a new meaning in order to create a new cultural meaning ( McFall 66). Advertisements create a new meaning of what it means to be attractive as women shown in advertisements stereotype beauty or attractiveness to be associated with young, slim and perfect flawless body shapes (Cortese 59. This is a problem as advertisements present unrealistic beauty norms by using intensive retouching tools to create perfectly proportionate models (Frith and Mueller 92). Although a very small portion of women actually have the body shapes shown in advertisements, women are

In today's society, it common is knowledge that the media is pressuring girls to look a certain way. It is hard to go a couple of weeks without a new line of barbie dolls being boycotted or a news story highlighting the issue makes the evening news. But what about men? How are men's idols portraying body image? What effect is this portrayal having on the health of men? And how can we control these effects.

Advertisements are means for corporations to present and persuade the public into buying their products. However, the notion that they are simply selling a product overlooks the deeper realities of advertising which, sells us ideas, constructs, and understandings of the world around us. Societal values and consensual truths underpin the advertisement industry. I argue that the Axe excite commercial creates a distorted reality, where identities are depicted through familiar but exaggerated representations. I will use the concepts of partipulation, virgin/whore dichotomy, and race to understand the deeper subtexts of mainstream media.

When Victoria’s Secret is allowed to have models prance around on screen but Lane Bryant Ads (lingerie for plus size women) is banned then there’s a problem. The media is portraying these models who are thin to the point where it is unhealthy. And the media is feeding society lies. A perfect example is of Gerran Tyler. Tyler was a 12 year old supermodel. She walks the run way for clients like Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, and Betsey Johnson. She’s tall, thin, the perfect model because she hasn’t hit puberty yet. She walked during New York Fashion Week and posed for these designer brands advertisements. This body type is unachievable for almost all adult women (Roberts). Somebody in their twenties or thirties doesn’t have the ability to look like a twelve year old girl, but this is how these designers are telling us to look. Tyler had an amazing career and high expectations but the fame didn’t last long. As she got older and hit puberty she began to develop boobs, hips, and curves. She began getting less and less bookings. Her supermodel career was virtually over. “Eighty percent of 10-year-old American girls say they have been on a diet” and the, “Number one magic wish for young girls 11-17 is to be thinner” (Missrepresentation). This self-esteem problem with young girls is a result of these unobtainable ideas of beauty. Jennifer Siebel, creator of the documentary Missrepresentation, says

Under society’s norms for decades, young women have been put under the pressure and anticipation to have perfect bodies. That is, thin and curved, beautified by applying pounds of the makeup to their face but not appear ridiculously overdone. Who’s responsible for these standards imposed on young women? When a young girl picks up the model along the cover of Vogue being called flawless, it’s easy for her to then aspire to be a real-life imitation of the photocopy. These companies produce magazine covers shown with girls’ images daily. As if keeping the perfect body wasn’t hard enough our culture also forces girls into the forever expanding world of composition, however, body image is a pressing issue for young women. Advertisements and posters of skinny female models are all over. Young girls not only could be better but need to be more upright and feel driven to throw the perfect figure. Moreover, girls are evaluated and oppressed by their physical appearances. With supplements and apparel designed to enhance a facial expression; social media, magazines, and marketing campaigns and advertisements add to the burden of perfection. The fashion industry is a prime object of body image issues, as they believe clothes look better on tall and svelte women. Established on a survey participated by 13 to 17-year-old in the U.S., 90% “felt pressured by fashion and media industries to be skinny”, with more than 60% routinely compares themselves to models, while 46%