Hello there :)
I would like to ask you guys to do something for me before you continue reading the rest of this post. I want you to picture the most attractive person from the opposite gender as you. Now I want you to picture the most attractive person from the same gender as you - besides yourselves that is and no there is nothing wrong with appreciating beautiful people from your own gender. The last thing that I am going to ask you is to keep the features of the individuals that you just pictured in the back of your head while you continue to read this post.
One would think that everyone has a different definition of what it means to be attractive or what it means to be beautiful. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and each beholder is a different individual - I mean it’s not like we're some kind of brainwashed robots or anything. Then, why is it that our society has an accepted definition of the ideal image? According to most people the ideal woman has a small waist, large breasts, and a slim and elongated body (Eaton & Junyk 2). The ideal male on the other hand has a narrow waist, broad shoulders, and a muscular body (Eaton & Junyk 2). As strange as it may sound the descriptions in the previous sentences pretty much describe Barbie and G.I. Joe - sorry Ken. This demonstrates that we are exposed to the ideal image even in childhood. At one point in our lives some of us may have looked up to these two fictional characters and may have wanted to be exactly like them, but the truth is it’s almost impossible to look like them without risking our health. Things get worse as we grow older because the media continues bombarding us with images of beautiful individuals and the fashion industry does not make clothing that fit those who are not the standard size (Crook 45). Therefore, we strive to look like the people in the media, to fit into standard sizes, and to achieve the ideal image, despite the negative effects that it has on our health. This demonstrates that our population has allowed the media and the fashion industry to define beauty for us. Despite the fact that we know Barbie and G. I. Joe are quite unrealistic, we still want ourselves and our partners to have their features.
Remember how in the beginning of this post I asked you to picture the most attractive individual from each gender and keep their features in the back of your mind? Now I would like you to compare the features of these individuals to the ideal image. Do these attractive individuals look anything like Barbie and G.I. Joe? ;)
WISE WORDS FROM MARYAM: Please don’t try looking like Barbie and G.I. Joe at home. Your health is more important than looking like fictional characters. :)
Questions:
1) Do you think that it is possible to achieve the ideal image without damaging your health?
2) Do you think the media and the fashion industry has an influence on your definition of beauty?
3) Why does the media and the fashion industry have so much of an influence on so many people?
Works Cited
Crook, Marion. Teenagers And Eating Disorders: Looking Good. Canada: NC Press Limited, 1992. Print.
Eaton S & Junyk M. The Media Distorts Our Perception of the Human Body. 2009. Web. 14 May. 2013.
Yes it is possible to achieve that ideal image. But it takes time and dedication. Many people want to find the easy way to get the looks they want. This ends up with poor diets which harm your body. The media has change my definition of "beauty" slightly. I think the media has a influence on many people because they want to brainwash them into thinking this is the perfect body.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the fact that it is possible to achieve the ideal image. However, only a few are capable of achieving it because sometimes our genetic formation prevents us from achieving the body that we want. For example, some females have now developed an obsession with thigh gaps, but some of them cannot achieve it because of genetics. In general though I do agree that a good amount of exercise (not an excessive amount) can help one achieve the ideal. In the end it's about healthiness not the ideal image.
DeleteI don't believe it is possible to look like barbie without risking your life because they are fictional characters. It is a fact that girls try to look like that because thats what men like. Girls always want attention from boys when they are young because the media taught them that more attention they get the higher their status is in society when in fact that is not the case.
ReplyDeleteYes, media has influenced my definition of beauty. I regret to say it but its true. If media didn't portray a muscular man as beautiful than who knows what i will find beautiful. Even though i am well aware that they are not real, i still expect people to look like that.
I think that is because people have started watching it from avery young age and by the time they are able to analyze it, they are already brainwashed. Therefore, it is hard to for us to instill a new image in our mind.
It is true that women care about their image because of men; however, the amount of men suffering from a negative body image is also on the rise. Do you think this might have something to do with the media or is it because men too are beginning to think that women want them to be muscular? Don't worry the media has also influenced my definition of beauty as well; nonetheless, there are a few individuals that might not meet the ideal, but I still consider them attractive because there's just something about them :)
DeleteI think you can achieve the ideal image to some extents because if you follow a healthy way of doing so and work out rather then take short cuts, you can achieve your goal. I think fashion and media play a role and that influences us to buy stuff because we feel we will look good in it. I think it plays a role because they show what is in and everybody wants to go out and look good so they fall into it.
ReplyDeleteMost definitely :) A decent amount of exercise does do the trick in most cases. But it is a little more difficult to obtain a small or narrow waist or a large chest - this is when some individuals turn to other methods. The problem is though many would rather take the shortcuts and those that go along with exercise sometimes overdo things as a result of body dysmorphic disorders (e.g. bigorexia).
DeleteYes I think it is possible to achieve the ideal image without damaging your health. You can start by eating healthy(eating salads), cut down on junk food, start working out and exercise. These are all positive changes that anyone can do to look better and be healthier
ReplyDeleteYes I believe that the media and the fashion industry has an influence on my definition of beauty because I was exposed to so many things.
The media and the fashion industry have so much of an influence on so many people because growing up, we all watched television and we saw people with 'perfect ideal bodies'. Maybe your teachers and parents talked to you about how you should perceive actors and celebrities, this would have been helpful.
Those are great tips :] and some people do achieve the ideal image through such methods, but such methods do not work for everyone. Sometimes you need more than just exercise in order to obtain the ideal image. As I have mentioned before some features described in the ideal image cannot be achieved through losing weight or gaining muscular mass (e.g. large chest). Most of the time people face problems when striving towards obtaining the ideal image. I agree with you on your last point :) I think that more people need to be educated on this topic. I am hoping that once people are educated about this topic the number of individuals who are suffering from a negative body-image would start to decrease.
DeleteI think that it depends on the way a person goes about the way they achieve the ideal image. There are positive ways that a person can achieve their ideal image which is things like working out and eating food that will help your body. But there are also negative things people do to their bodies that end up harming them like starving themselves, over working their bodies and etc. and it all depends on how they go about it. Yes, I think that the media and fashion industry does influence my definition of beauty, but not as much as it used to. Growing up and even today the media also advertised Tall, skinny and Caucasian women in the media and I would believe that that is the definition of beauty but now, the idea of how media defines beauty does not Influence me that much but the fashion industry kind does and I like to read and see what’s in tread even though I don’t really wear the clothes because of different reasons. I think that the media and fashion has so much of an influence on so many people is because we are surrounded everywhere we go by media and it’s hard to escape from it. Especially our generation, we’ve grown up with the media and TV shows telling us what is beautiful which could be a reason as to why the media has such a big impact on our society today.
ReplyDeleteI like how you consider both the positive and negative methods of obtaining the ideal image. I think in order to understand how problematic a negative body-image can be one needs to understand that individuals may take both positive and negative approaches to obtain the ideal image. I am glad to hear that the media does not have a great influence on you anymore :)
DeleteI don't agree with the whole trying to have a body like G.I. Joe or Barbie. In fact, having a body like G.I. Joe wouldn't be unhealthy at all. The physical features of them are very muscular. In fact, having a body like G.I. Joe would not be looked down upon because it takes hard work and dedication, as well as a very healthy diet in order to achieve such a body. Yes, the pressure on men is high from society, but again if they were motivated to achieve that ideal body, then kudos to them. For the Barbie issue concerning women, it's a poor choice to compare to because Barbie's body shape has been proved to be an impossible body shape to achieve. In fact, if Barbie were a real person, her waist would only be 18" inches, which is half the size of an average nineteen year old's waist. An adult sized rib age is bigger than that. I wish that you had chosen pictures that really depicted your post better because the pictures you've chosen show healthy people that work hard on their bodies. I understand the argument you are trying to prove, and I do agree with somewhat of what you've said, but your comparisons to unrealistic fictional characters and healthy bodies have confused me on what your message is truly about.
ReplyDeleteI think you have misunderstood the purpose of the Barbie & G.I. Joe comparison. I decided to go with the whole Barbie & G.I. Joe idea because they fit the description of the ideal image - it has nothing to do with the exact measurements of their features. Does Barbie have a small waist and a big chest? Does she have a slim and elongated body? The answer to these questions are yes, yes, yes, and yes. The same applies to G.I. Joe. What I was trying to demonstrate was that it is unrealistic for society to accept the current definition of the ideal image and to consider it normal when 92% of the population does not fit the description of the ideal image. Action figures and dolls such as Barbie and G.I. Joe on the other hand fit the description of the ideal image. This just shows how unrealistic the expectations of society are since they indirectly consider the features of action figures and dolls to be normal.
DeleteI am not saying that the G.I. Joe action figures look unhealthy. What I am saying is that it would be difficult for most people to achieve their image. Over the last three decades G.I. Joe action figures have grown three times in muscular size. What kind of message is the industry sending to the little boys who play with them? This may be one of the many reasons that the number males who are struggling with a negative body image is increasing. You mentioned that it takes hard work and dedication to obtain a body similar to that of G.I. Joe, but an excessive amount of hard work and dedication is not good considering the fact that some males become obsessed with working out. Excessive workouts and strict diets have proven to be detrimental towards most individuals. The other thing you must consider is the fact that just because someone is able to achieve the muscular image does not mean that they have achieved it through exercise or in your words hard work and dedication because males can also use protein drinks, anabolic steroids, etc. in order to achieve the muscular ideal.
Once again I am not talking about Barbie's exact measurements, I am talking about her features alone. Nonetheless, there is a real life Barbie. She looks like an exact replica of Barbie thanks to something called plastic surgeries. Speaking of plastic surgeries some women have gotten their ribs removed in order to have a smaller waists. I mention in my post that it is "almost impossible" to look like dolls or action figures because some people have managed to turn themselves into their childhood role models thanks to plastic surgeries.
The pictures that I have chosen is supposed to represent the ideal image. I am not saying that the ideal image is unhealthy or unrealistic. In fact, it bothers me when people accuse someone of having an unrealistic or unhealthy image because you never know how they obtained that image. Since people are exposed to the images that I have posted above, they develop a negative body image, lower self-esteem, depression, etc. Those who work towards changing their image sometimes turn to unhealthy methods of so-called fixing their image and this is where problems arise. Some cannot even turn to natural methods of obtaining the ideal image because how is a slim or petite female with a small chest suppose to all of a sudden develop a large chest?
The thing that bothers me is that we have allowed the industries to determine what normal or attractive looks like. Some people waste so much time just to change how they look, so that it meets the expectations of society. Why do we let others tell us what to consider beautiful when we have a brain of our own? I know I mention that a good amount of exercise is a good method of achieving the ideal image, but you shouldn't need to achieve the ideal. People should exercise because they want to be healthy not because they want to please the rest of society. Conformity is not always a good thing and this is one of those cases.
DeleteI hope that cleared things up for you :) and if you still don’t agree with me that’s fine. We are all entitled to our own opinions.
Yes I do think it is possible to achieve the ideal image in terms of fitness. A lot dancers and actresses that we see are extremely fit and don’t look anorexic either. You just have to lose your excessive body fat I guess to become ideal. The picture of the girl that you posted above looks ideal to me and she seems healthy as well, her bones aren't sticking out of her body but neither does she have excessive fat. I think the media has influenced me positively because I want to be fit and achieve a good toned body like the many celeb figures are. I think due to the fact that we all want to fit in and be top of the social pyramid in our society, we strive to be the best looking one as well. Mainstream media has taught us from the very beginning that looks are everything and unless you don’t look a certain way you won’t be as successful. And I think they are just reflecting the truth we have in our society. Most employers will prefer to employ a good looking fit woman than an older over weight mom of four.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe you can achieve an ideal image without damaging your health. You can do this by exercising, taking part in activities like cardio and also eating healthy foods. Starving yourself will only lead to problems like anorexia. Everyone has a different approach to getting the ideal image, but the best way is to get it without harming your body in any way. I think that the media and fashion industry don't have a major influence on my definition of beauty. Even though the women depicted in magazines and billboards are very beautiful, a lot of work has been done to them for us to percieve their beauty. They've been air brushed, touched up and been slapped with tons and tons of makeup. When I see the "ideal image" being portrayed in the media, it motivates me to work on my body and stay fit as well, by using a healthy approach though. Not starving myself. The media and the fashion industry has so much of an influence on people because we are abundantly surrounded by it in our everyday lives. Whether it be TV, internet, or magazines, we have full access to these, that's why we're so influenced by media.
ReplyDelete