Essay on The Medias Pressure on Women to Maintain a...

Today’s media places an extreme amount of pressure on women to maintain a slender figure. Through childhood to adulthood, women are bombarded with images of stick skinny women, and this is the way almost every woman wants to look. Although there are other factors, the media is the primary source of the obsession with being thin. Why has this become such a popular trend? This is what society says is acceptable. It has been proven that these images of perfect women do affect the normal women who wish to look like that. Shaw and Stein found that, â€Å"Women exposed to pictures of thin models experienced more depression, stress, guilt, shame, insecurity, and body dissatisfaction than women exposed to photos of average sized women or†¦show more content†¦This damages the self-concept of less than perfect women. â€Å"The increasing pressure to be thin and the unrealistic images portrayed in the mass media may have a devastating effect on women’s self-percepti ons, self esteem, and identity development† (Heights 603-614). There have been many studies on the weight decline of Playboy centerfolds and Miss America Pageant contestants over the years. In 1960, the average Playboy model’s weight was 91% of the population mean. By 1978, it dropped to 84% and continues to plummet. From 1979 to 1988, 69% of Playboy models and 60% of Miss America contestants weighed 15% or more below their expected weight, which is criterion for anorexia (603-614). Who is too blame for this massive self destructive phenomenon? Most of the fault lies with the media. Children as young as two years old start to see images of perfect women, who one day they are supposed to look like. Even the dolls and Barbies they play with have flawless figures. In the forty’s and fifty’s children we seeing more shapely models and actresses, so there was not the strain on those children of doing anything possible to achieve a so called perfect figure. When you turn on the television, do you see many heavy women or men for that matter? No, the majority of today’s actors and actresses are thin. The fat people are usually the funny unusual people on sitcoms andShow MoreRelatedThe Media Responsible For Females Essay1679 Words   |  7 Pagesself-esteem and lack of confidence? Is the media responsible for the development of eating behaviours and disorders? In a culture with saturated media, the powerful influence upon women and younger girls is a continuous debate. Females of all ages come under immense pressure from the media, friends, partners and even parents to maintain a great body shape. The body images portrayed in the media can then push a female to go on a diet to begin a journey to gaining a similar body shape like that of the modelRead MoreThe Impact Of Television On The Moral Development Of Young Adults2383 Words   |  10 PagesVH1 and MTV illustrate dominant messages that imply that alcohol and drug use have no or few consequences, that sex is not meant to be a meaningful experience rather just something to do for fun, and that there is a certain body image that you must maintain in order to be considered beautiful in today’s society. Adolescents may or may not realize they are imitating the actions and behaviors of characters they witness on their favorite television shows and that these such actions of characters or celebritiesRead MoreHow Women Are Portrayed in Media6769 Words   |  28 PagesCommon female stereotypes found in the media have a powerful influence over how society views women and how women view themselves. What is the media portrayal of women today and how does this impact how young girls perceive themselves? With programs such as The Bachelor and Flavor of Love showing a dozen women competing for the attention of one man, often using their sexuality, magazine ads displaying a half-naked female body to sell a fragrance or cosmetic product, and television commercials highlighting