The Media's Negative Portrayal of Women

Our beloved media is a sign of and pretty much encourages our culture's mainstream standards for body shape or size, and importance of beauty. Daily TV and magazines reflect images of thinness and connects them to other symbols of happiness, love and success for women. Constant exposure to the thin ideal can lead to the deepest desire to meet it. It also renders these images achievable and real.

In recent times, the amount of magazines in stock has been increasing enormously. Women have a wide selection to choose from; however, in those magazines the content that she will find inside is not so broad. In all of the issues of Seventeen, the most widely distributed adolescent magazine, the largest percentage of pages are devoted to articles about appearance (Schlenker, et al. 1998). This shows that even at the age of seventeen (and younger) girls are submissions of this growing epidemic. Magazine articles may seem to be one of the biggest sources for beauty tips, standards, and perception that the youth population can come across. However, this is not the only case.

Before a girl even has the chance to learn how to read, by the age of 3 she will be intrigued by the self-image awareness program that our media has created. While watching Saturday morning cartoons, a bowl of Cocoa Puffs or Froot Loops balanced unstably in her lap, the child is mesmerized. Suddenly the animated trance is interrupted. A commercial appears on the screen that intrigues this innocent girl, for the new Barbie commercial is on, worshiping the virtues of the latest line of plastic idols. How does the child react to these seemingly innocent commercials? Images and ideas are imprinted in her growing mind that will shape the way she sees the issues of beauty and perfection. It is unfortunate that the media has caused such psychological problems for women, whether it is fixation on the "perfect" doll, or even worse.

It is extraordinary that 90-95% of all anorexics and bulimics are women. (Wolf, 1992) The two main roots are that of depression and low self-esteem, triggered by our culture. The majority of models and beauty contestants would meet a body weight that is pounds upon pounds below the considered "norm". Even these media-loved and audience-envied women are internally fighting these illnesses everyday.Without a doubt, the fear of fat is widely spread in this society, so that many women resort to self-destructive or painful behavior.Cosmetic surgery is performed in order to change features the patient finds unflattering.

There are very few cases that may be because of medical reasons. Women can equally be at risk for mental problems in having an addiction to these procedures just as easily as anorexia or bulimia. Unlike eating disorders, however, 44% of plastic surgery patients consist of 35-50 year-olds (ASPS Press, 2001). Perhaps if teens could afford it and were of age, the percentage might change quite a bit. Sure, if a millionaire movie star in her 50's is starting to sag a little, why not restore her famous features of the past. It will build her self-esteem, and allow her to feel younger. The problem with this surgery is not who gets it done, but what age gets it done.

Teenagers who want to have plastic surgery usually have different motivations and goals than adults. They often have plastic surgery to improve flawed physical characteristics, that if left uncorrected, may affect them well into adulthood. Unsurprisingly, teens tend to have plastic surgery to fit in with peers, to look similar. It is such a shame that young women find themselves wanting to look like every other generic figure. Teens frequently gain self esteem and confidence when their physical problems are corrected. In fact, according to American Society of Plastic Surgeons statistics, more than 331,000 cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed on people age 18 or younger in 2003, and the number is expected to grow. To this day, it seems difficult to escape this escalation in the longing for "perfection".

The interpretation of the ideal women through the media is a false one. It is hard to see the actual person hiding behind the made-up face and airbrushed body, but modern technology can be used for more than just giving Britney Spears a smooth complexion in her videos. In fact, it can do just the opposite. The media's number one source, the television, has been upgraded beyond all consumers' beliefs. It is called High-Definition Television (HDTV). With this amazing advance in technology, images on the screen will essentially appear twice as sharp. In other words, that perfect woman as seen on TV will not seem so perfect after all. Hopefully, this innovation will inspire Hollywood actresses to become more excepting of their true physical identities, perhaps reaching out to their audience.

As mentioned earlier, many famous and desired women of the media face the same problems as the young women with eating disorders and surgery addiction in our society. If more of these "role models" would follow the path of Tracy Gold, an actress from the 80's, I believe that they would have a great influence on changing negative self image. She is a recovered anorexic who has even made a movie about the disease, and has since been traveling to inspire women all over the nation. Even Kirstey Alley, also an actress, has tried to make a difference in her own way. She named her show, "Fat Actress", emphasizing her knowledge of being overweight. Although she has made efforts to lose the weight, she was aware and unashamed. The idealized women of the media should collaborate to prove that looks are not the importance of existence in life.

These types of contributions are paths in the right direction but how can we, the "little people", put an end to this horrible mentality? The feeling of hopelessness caused by the media among females is a problem that is yet to be completely solved. Whether our culture realizes it or not, this is a significant problem worth looking into.