Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or is it
Reality TV has become the new genre of television programming toarrest the attention of the American viewer. When 16 people get thrown offa ship, and have to live for just less than 40 days on a deserted island,modern culture is held spellbound. How does a person live when nothing morethan their wits are guaranteed. Yet Americans are glued to theirtelevisions, engrossed in the drama as if they were present themselves.What about the myriad of shows which put a cruel twist on love, dating,romance, and money. How realistic is it to spend months in a Europeancastle while being jetted all over the globe, and expect to find love witha person who is your host. Joe Millionaire is a fraud, the Bachlorette ischoosing between you, or a million dollars, and your blind date islistening to your ex-dates dish dirt through an exclusive feed while youtry to make a good impression on someone you have not met until now. Eventhe Television Emmy awards have created a category for reality TV. The most unique reality show, set for airing its second installmentafter the first of the year is promoted as "The ultimate fantasy meets theultimate reality" Tyra Banks hosts a show which selects from modeling
Bordo observes that current standards ofphysical fitness are being applied to men more frequently, she is mostconcerned with the psychological implications towards women. When a person is hungry, almost anythingwill taste good. The cultural phenomenon is not the fault of the media, or of realitytelevision. It is simply easier toaccept someone else's opinion, and to shape a life by the opinions ofothers than to determine one's own opinions, about the culture, about self,and the importance of personal values, and schools to live by your ownvalues against the tide of the current culture. At the same time, the contradictory message is delivered to men,and expectations are placed on their eating habits. This picture of reality that I'm being force fed doesn'tsatisfy. Whenassaulted with images of thin, beautiful women, the image becomes thestandard. Bordo points out that while women are depicted as thenurturing servers of food, the men are the ones who are allowed to enjoyit, thus perpetuating the image that a woman is a servant of man, but isstill expected to look and act in certain ways for his pleasure. At the heart of this sociological issue is our view of ourselvesoutside of the media's influence. By projecting the probleminto the hand of the media moguls, Bordo misses the point of her own essay. In the same way the reality television shows, and the media image ofwomen have access to our cultural psyche. Women were to dress in hour glass shaped dresses, and iftheir body was not shaped such, corsets were available to push, pull, andotherwise contort the female body into the shape which was culturallyacceptable. Once the lie is accepted,the marketeers are in the driver's seat, ready to sell the next bottle ofsnake oil, which will promise to give up wealth, friendship, popularity,attention, affection, and love. The result was a popular image of beauty much the same as itis today, thin, shapely in the right places, and a picture to be gazed uponand enjoyed by men at the woman's expense.
Common topics in this essay:
Susan Bordo,
Susan Bordo's,
Victorian Era,
Reality TV,
Tyra Banks,
Television Emmy,
Joe Millionaire,
silver screen,
reality tv,
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bordo's essay,
personal values,
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modern culture,
media image,
sell image,
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Acceptance Essays
