Body Image Standards
Perhaps no time in history have body image standards had such an enormousimpact on society. With today's mass media people can be subjected to thousands ofimages and messages daily, portraying the "ideal" body image. The people most oftenportrayed and effected by these messages are young women. Females can feel constantpressure to live up to these ideals which are most often unattainable. This pressure cancause detrimental physical and mental states. To fully understand this problem we must first ask ourselves, "Why?" Why hasthe female body been pushed to the forefront of society and media? It is undeniable thatit is merely a marketing ploy. The beauty sector is a multibillion dollar a year industry. Companies such as Revlon, Cover Girl, Maybelline, L'Oreal insist that girls must look acertain way if they want to be anything. These corporations are only concerned with thebottom line. They take no responsibility for the negative image that they portray, in fact,that is what they thrive on. The worse self-image a woman has, the more beauty products
It is also improbable that Hollywood will break perhaps itsonly rule, because that too would disrupt the bottom line. It is a constant barrage of beautifulpeople that viewers are being exposed to. Eating disorders and low self esteem are at an all-time high. The image they portray is unrealistic, unhealthy, andirresponsible. Never do you findan article entitled "Big is Beautiful". When you tune into to watch Friends on Thursdaynight you will not see one leading lady (or any ladies for that matter) with a waist oversize six. The impact that today's body image standard is having on women is immeasurable. soyour man will love you!" sprawled across the cover of the latest issue. More often you will find "How to lose 20 lb. And there is no better way to make her thinkshe is ugly than to subject her to thousands of unrealistic, airbrushed pictures of modelsto compare herself to. Occasionallymagazines will run a heart touching article about an ex-models fight with bulimia. The younger they are, the more susceptive to the image they are. The cardinal rulein movies and television: sex sells.
Common topics in this essay:
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beauty industry,
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bottom line,
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