I was impressed by our yesterday's presentation which touched one of the most important problems the world faces today-people's appearance. The points which were retouched in this particular presentation explained the main proof why our society suffers of this "invisible desease". I was glad to receive more information about this issue which is the main reason why people are changing their viewpoints about their bodies.
The first major argument which was presented to us in support of the whole idea about the appearance was the power of the mass media among the population. For example, all the newspapers. I think that we are forced to read them every day for one way or another and we are given a sinful view about our bodies. With all these super models presented on the magazines' covers and on TV shows, the mass media is trying to change our thoughts about how we should look like and what we have to refer as "perfect appearance". I think that a big percentage of the people do not think about one of the most significant question as a result of media's work:"Are these models real?", "Are the diets which they are put on healthy for them?", and etc. If we ask for an advice some of the medical specialists, they all will recommend us to forget about any diets, because the consequences which we will experience after that will damage our health and especially our inner organs. I think that if people stop thinking of the manipulations of the mass media or even forget about them, the cases of anorexia and the death-rates caused by it will decrease. In order to live healthy lives, we have to feel comfortable with our bodies instead of torturing them with unwholesome diets.
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6 comments:
I agree with your posts. The media has a heavy influence on today's perception of 'normal' or 'beautiful'. When high fashion designers display skinny, tiny woman in their advertisements, women and men viewing these ads perceive this as the norm. I think it is important to address the changes in media to this issue. I think people are beginning to realize the dangers behind anorexia. The Dove campaign has begin to take another approach at beauty and display all types of women. I am happy to see that media is changing its way towards a more positive and realistic approach.
I like that you brought up the idea about mass media and the unhealthy messages it sends to young women. Recently, I overheard a discussion about how one girl went to France and was astonished to find out how comfortable the women were there with their bodies. She mentioned how coming back to the U.S. was a sort of reverse culture shock. We are absolutely bombarded here with messages about how our bodies should be. There seems to be one ideal for beauty here: tall, long-limbed, thin, fit and toned. We get this from the internet, billboards, TV, magazines...pretty much any sort of media. This image is also highly sexualized. How is a young girl or boy supposed to grow up without being affected by this? How can anyone feel comfortable in their bodies?
The only issue I had with your blog post was about the manipulations of the media. No one can really stop thinking about this unless they close themselves off completely from the media. This manipulation can occur on a very subtle level and it's hard to avoid these days.
Just to add to what you said:
I can't remember where I found this article, but I read a really interesting commentary on body images somewhere online. Basically, the article was talking about how society is becoming more and more geared towards the "boyish" look. Think about it. Models are so stick-skinny that they don't have any curves. Their bodies resemble those of prepubescent boys. Furthermore, women are expected to have no hair on their bodies except on their head. I think that society's obsession with youth has crept into body image as well. So now, women have another to deal with the impossible ideals of eternal youth and no fat packaged together.
In response to Claire's comment, its sad that women strive to achieve a boyish figure. I think that one of the most beautiful things about being a women is having curves. Its sad that girls who are glued to the media coverage like E news and always have their heads stuck in pop culture magazines, don't realize that these women do not have what is considered a "normal body." Think, these women have their own nutritionists who plan everything that they eat, fitness trainers for every muscle in their body, and a squad of people making sure they have the perfect outfit, makeup, hair, etc. This lifestyle is ideal yet incredibly unrealistic. I don't know what it will take for girls to be accepting of their bodies since everyone is incredibly critical, especially when it comes to themselves. Hopefully, the media will continue to make changes in how they address young women and promote living a healthy lifestyle.
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