Media and Body Image

The pressure to be thin is greater than ever. Skeletal images of bodies are all over tabloid covers, citing multiple actors that are "wasting away", "only ninety pounds!", and are "slowly killing themselves". However, the next day the same tabloid will feature another actor who has "ballooned to over 300 pounds!", and is "eating herself to death." What is the message the media is trying to send? The media sends an unclear message to the public about how our bodies should be. Is thin really in? Do our friends notice when we gain five pounds like the press notices when actresses do? The media has created a near impossible ideal for women to live up to, and it is harming the emotional and physical well being of women across the nation.

Tabloids are not the only magazines that are making women stress over their waistline. Fashion magazines are another way false ideals of the female body pervade the minds of women around the country. Walking through the magazine section at Barnes and Noble's one cannot help but notice the multitude of beautiful women gracing the covers of Vogue and McCall's. The goal of the marketing executives, who work for Vogue and McCall's, is to get women to stop and purchase their magazine, because of its beautiful images. However, reading fashion magazines makes most women feel inadequate. Goodman's article "A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words" discusses how on average, in a fashion magazine there are 645 pictures of thin women, versus eleven pictures of heavy women. In reality, the pictures in magazines are highly doctored and airbrushed, but when a girl sees a five foot ten, one hundred pound women in this season's Vera Wang evening gown, all she can think is "I would never look like she does in that dress."

The fashion model images have not only given a near impossible ideal to live up to, but cause many to self critique themselves to the point of remedying their imperfect breasts, and their soft tummies with plastic surgery. Plastic surgery is not just for the celebrities anymore, and the chart in Chapter 21, clearly shows the high increase in Botox, lipo-suction and breast augmentation from 1997-2003. Women do not wake up, look in the mirror and decide that their bodies are not "good" enough. It is the constant bombardment of models in gowns and lingerie that cause women to take such drastic measures. Magazines need to start being more realistic. Maybe once in a while, use a non-airbrushed image. They could also use bigger models without calling the issue "The Plus-Sized Edition". The lack of normal bodies in magazines plays a huge role in the messed up body images that women have of themselves. Staring at touched up pictures of Heidi Klum and then evaluating oneself in the mirror would make any women feel inadequate.

Magazines are not the only culprit in creating a false ideal for women's bodies. Television and the movies also contribute. Past television programs such as Melrose Place, Aly McBeal and Beverly Hills 90210, depicted ultra thin women living glamorous lifestyles. While these shows no longer being aired, syndication has allowed the images of the skinny actresses to be engrained in women's minds everywhere. These television shows are for entertainment purposes; however they give a constant message and misperception that thin women, will have great jobs, beautiful clothing, expensive cars, and handsome men (E. Goodman,589). The female image is shrinking, and the self confidence of women who watch these programs is shrinking too. Television needs to emphasis power and beauty in normal sized actresses.

Goodman's essay "A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words" mentioned an incident where the talented and award winning Kathy Bates, was passed up for a movie role for an also talented, but not nearly as notable actress Michelle Pfeiffer (607). That type of decision seems to make more of an impact than just hurt feelings in Hollywood. The message that decision sends is that normal sized women will always be the "best friend" and will never be a leading romantic lady. If television and movies would begin to cast normal sized women into leading roles, just as often as they cast the Michelle Pfeiffer's and Calista Flockhart's into leading roles, women may not be so quick to compare themselves to impossible ideals.

Newspapers are another media outlet that contributes to female body insecurities. They have the ability, within limits, to print what they want. Junky newspapers, such as tabloids feature stories on celebrity weight gain, obviously leading women to wonder about their own weight gain. However, the pictures used to show the alleged weight gain is not always the most significant. In many articles the word choice carries the most weight (W.Goodman, 609). The body type of a woman is very often used to describe her in an article. Women can be described in more pleasant descriptions such as "slender", and "curvaceous". However women also can be described in harsher terms such as, "obese", "overweight", and "bovine". Female descriptions ultimately become hurtful when those are compared to a description of a man. Infrequently is the man's weight described but rather his age, hair color, and attitude are emphasized.

Journalism also sets forth unrealistic social norms that the normal woman supposedly abides by. Goodman mentions that a particular article she read described the men as "helping himself to generous portions of a buffet", meanwhile the woman involved is sitting sipping her water (609). While it may not be the desired social norm for a woman to eat, she does, just like every other human on the planet. It is unrealistic to think that women should not eat; yet alone do not enjoy eating. By introducing ideas that eating is unfashionable or that it makes a woman seem more like a man is only threatening the already substandard image women have of themselves.

Another double standard for women over men is that an attempt at losing weight is not a personal decision, but is actually done for someone else. It is interesting to wonder if maybe so many diets fail because women are attempting to lose weight for their husbands or boyfriends rather than themselves. Goodman discusses an advertisement in TV Guide that is of a slender woman examining her body. The catch phrase for the advertisement is "We'll help you turn on more than your metabolism; you're not only dieting for yourself. That's why it's so important to lose those extra pounds" (609). It seems almost archaic to attempt to lose weight for a man. Women should lose weight because they feel it would be healthier for their bodies, not because their significant other expects their bodies to be a certain way.

Classified advertisements also put pressure on women to be thin. Men are looking for "slender" or "athletic" women, and the average woman reading those advertisements, feels like she is not good enough. The unnecessary emphasis on a women's size is detrimental to their image of themselves.

Those who disagree with the argument that women are bombarded with images of a near impossible ideal, may argue that men are equally as pressured. Men who feel pressured to be muscular and fit could turn to steroids for assistance. Furthermore, the majority of male actors and models are incredibly attractive and in shape and this may put added pressure on them. Additionally, if a man has achieved the status of a model or an actor he has pressure on him to maintain that look. For example, Drew Carey a funny yet "average" looking comedian, will never play the romantic role in a movie. However, an actor such as Brad Pitt who may not be as funny, would play a comedic romantic lead because of his appearance. The harsh world of Hollywood can pressure many men to feel they have to keep their bodies in a particular shape. While men do have pressure on them to look a certain way, the pressure is no way as great or as intense as the media puts it on women.

A good reality check for any model-comparing, celery eating, Vogue reading woman is to get a "fashion-photo" taken of themselves. It is funny that what the correct lighting, a professional make-up artist and a professional photographer can do to ones self esteem. It is also important to think about how a few years ago in a magazine the actress Jamie Lee Curtis posed in her sports bra and underwear devoid of any makeup or airbrushing. She looked like an everyday woman. Actresses and celebrities do not wake up looking like the beautiful people they portray in the magazines and on television. While they certainly are beautiful, their beautiful features have to be highlighted, emphasized and airbrushed to sell the magazines and television shows.

The media is causing women to act drastically. Eating disorders and surgery are only the beginning if the media continues to promote an impossible ideal. In order to change this destructive pattern of poor body image, there needs to be a greater awareness among the multiple media outlets. These outlets need to recognize that they hold a lot of power, and need to use their influence to not only use rail thin actresses and models, to not only describe women by their weight, and to encourage women to accept their bodies the way they are.

Works Cited

Goodman, E. "The Culture of Thin Bites Fiji." Everything's an Argument: With

Readings. Ed. Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz and Walters. 4^th ed. New York: Bedford /St.

Martin's, 2007. 589.

Goodman, W. "One Picture is Worth a Thousand Diets." Everything's an Argument: With

Readings. Ed. Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz and Walters. 4^th ed. New York: Bedford /St.

Martin's, 2007. 607-609.