Influence of the Media on Body Image

Femininity in Mass Media

In contemporary times, the image of the media and the image of our body are closely related to

one another. Particularly, the portrait of a perfect woman, with thin hair and with extremely

clean skin is hijacking our minds. Magazines, portals, tv and social networks are the

leader of our daily lives, from how we dress up to the idea of ​​bodily perfection. Media is already

the primary source of entertainment.

How does the media influence our bodily image?

Americans spend 250 billion hours each year watching TV. Advertising spots account for about

30 percent of what they see on television media. On average, a child watches about 20,000 ads

on TV. In this case, other types of electronic media, such as different portals and other web sites,

should not be excluded. Consequently, the media and body image are closely related, due to the

number of images we see and the excessive amount of exposure that occurs on these images.

A large number of researches suggests that the media is doing a tremendous job to make us feel

bad about ourselves. As we adopt the cultural values ​​and the ideals of appearance, we become

more unhappy with our image. Aside from being one of the strongest predictors of developing

eating disorders, body dissatisfaction leads us to spend large amounts of our personal resources.

This includes our money, time and energy.

Experts’ analysis in the US has resulted in some fascinating facts about the interconnection of the

media with the bodily image:

Approximately, about 80% of women in America dislike their appearance.

34% of boys are dissatisfied with their appearance.

Over 50% of Americans are not happy with their current weight.

70% of women with normal weight want to be weaker.

Corporal image is a major problem in society. This fact can send us into depression, social

anxiety, and eating disorders.

Companies want to reach customers through the perfect image of a beautiful female and so far

have achieved the goal. Most girls have to come from the world of photography, modeling,

tracking, or television, to be able to be part of ads.

More recently, more and more we may be witness to the imbecility of the female image. In this

context, we face two extremes of our society, while on the one hand strives to find and

advance these values ​​so much proclaimed, the other side in different ways dismisses it and

makes it seem insignificant. What’s more it is the fact that this social phenomenon except that it

is traditionally manifested by the opposite sex who are still a major factor in the matter today, but

 this distortion of the female image is largely done by females in the media.

How does this happen? Everyone nowadays has ample connectivity in the media and the

world of information in general. When we think about the image of women and

what they convey in their public appearances, a dilemma is presented to us. As we open

up TV channels, mobile phones, social networks, written newsletters, or joining other means of

information, we face individuals, mostly women, who today have a relatively young age.

I personally think that mass media is creating a superficial world, dominated by the outer

appearance complex. In this way, many young girls, still in the stage of creating and discovering

themselves, create the image of the “ideal” female they should be. All this is related to social

pressure that has a continuous role through its virtual or real-world mechanisms, which

determine the parameters of a woman. Sometimes it should not be excluded even the tedious

struggle to follow global trends regardless of what they represent. But, as long as they

are global, they should be followed. This is also the logic that helps in the mass destruction of

many of the elements that make up society. Understanding this influence is easy

to explain by what we see every day. And what we see every day from the young age groups is

only a reflection of a great mistrust in itself that this social pressure coming from the media

causes.

But what about those women who have managed to occupy a place in the social and political life

of this little country, are they tracking the right values ​​that would make everyone, especially 

young girls, who may even be unconscious every day looking for a model role to advance their

aspirations for the future? According to an article by Geena Davis Institute, Gender in Media

female characters in films and TV have often motivated women to be successful, ambitious and

sometimes even pushed them to break out of abusive relationships. However the numbers in this

article also show that there is a lack of these female models in the mass media and we should

push for more positive influence. I mentioned this article to show that there is actually a good

point to argue with what I find a moral problem in the mass media and I agree that there are

always exceptions in these stereotypes, of course, even in the society I’m illustrating,

but the irony is that the anti volume sludge is gradually reaching out to the spirit of values.

So if we want to have independent women who are opposed to this mentality and not subject to

it. Perhaps all this discussion may resemble feminism, it is, in fact, but you believe that feminism

is never intended for women to gain power over men, but that women gain power over

themselves.

If we have gone through different stages, regarding the formation of a society where we try to

include its nucleus, which in every society is represented with the female, then we have not

achieved it. What we have managed to do over these years is not to develop and enhance the

image of women, but to use it.

We use it whenever we think that with its help we can achieve the goals we want and create an

impact on society. We use it as an electoral card, we use it as an object in video clips, we use it

to cause fuss on portals, we use it in politics to show that we as a society support the

advancement of women in all areas of social and political life, we use it by providing the

constitution with a certain percentage of seats in parliament, and all this should not be done just

to gain some audience. It should be done because this is the place that women must and deserve

to have in society and mass media can either help achieve it or totally destroy it.

References:

• Geena Davis Institute, Gender in Media. If she can see it, she can be it. https://seejane.org/gender-in-media-news-release/female-characters-film-tv-motivate-women-ambitious-successful-even-given-courage-break-abusive-relationships-release/
• Ethical Issues in Mass Media, Media and Culture ER services https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-massmedia/chapter/14-2-ethical-issues-in-mass-media/
• CBC NEWS/ Media not showing enough positive female characters, relationships by Michelle Castillo https://www.cbsnews.com/news/group-media-not-showing-enough-positive-female-characters-relationships/