IMPACTS OF MEDIA ON YOUNG AND THIN IMAGE ON WOMEN

Over The Last Decades, The Media Has Promoted The Image Of Young Thin Women As Being Ideal. Impacts That This Has This Caused In The Society.

The media has obstinately continued in the promotion of young, thin women as the ideal size over the past several decades, this has casted an intense influence on the society, initiating a myriad of broad range of impacts. This is from shaping ones’ body image and self-esteem to nurturing a culture of unrealistic beauty standards, this perceptible process has left a mark which is incapable of being annulled in a way people perceive themselves and others. In this discussion, we delve into the aspects and consequences brought about by this beauty idea driven by media, as well as shedding some light on the complex interaction between media, societal norms, and individual welfare. This discussion clarifies the pressing need for a re-evaluation of beauty standards and media presentations in order to cultivate a more equitable and holistically healthy society.

One of the effects that has been felt in the society is cultural diversity and representation;  The emphatic idea of medias on a specific idealized image can lead to an absence of diversity and its representation. This tends to marginalize people from different cultural backgrounds, body types, or ages. This can also lead to contribution of feelings of exclusion and discrimination.

Children and adolescents are also especially more likely to be exposed to the influence of media. Exposure to utopian beauty standards at a certain young age can lead to a directed change of body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem.

The rise of social media has exponentially increased the pressure to comply to certain beauty standards. Young people are continually hit with filtered and edited images of perfection on certain platforms for example Instagram, this leads to an increased social comparison and peer pressure which results in negative actions to fit.

The media’s act of portraying the ideal body size has contributed to the growth and development of the health and wellness industry, which has both positive and negative repercussions. Whereas it promotes healthy living lifestyles, it can also lead to the marketing of potentially harmful “health” products and supplementary diets.

It is also evident that media’s effect has led to distinct economic impacts which for instance, the beauty and fashion industries have notably profited from the perpetuation of these ideas, and a lot of money is spent annually on cosmetics, diet supplements, and fashion to assist individuals in attaining this idealized image. This impact also continues the cycle by influencing media contents.

This media promotion has also led to an influence in parenting in the society. The influence of medias’ beauty standards on their children may become a hindrance to many parents in raising their children. Therefore they may be required to actively engage in discussions about self-acceptance to counterpoise these media pressures.

The media has also led to crisis of authenticity which can be defined as the constant or consistent retouching and/or editing of images in the media. This crisis may cause people to become skeptical of what is real and what is not, thus leading to lack of confidence in such images presented in the media.

It has also led to image representation issues and some eating disorders, which is one of the most eminent impacts. Young people, especially women, oftentimes feel pressured to fall in with these beauty standards. Thereby leading to unhealthy behaviors, for instance, excessive dieting, exercising, and/or even eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

Some individuals who constantly do a comparison of themselves to the media’s ideal, may develop BDD which is body dysmorphic disorder, this is a mental health condition with a characteristic of an obsessive focus on seen flaws in one’s physical look.

Impact on relationships as seen in the unrealistic beauty standards which is observed in the media can cause partners to feel pressured and submit to these standards, resulting in relationship strains. Furthermore, utopian expectations can be wellhead of discontentment within the relationship.

Another seen effects brought about is low self-esteem which after constant exposure to the media’s idealized images it can erode self-esteem and contribute to some extent poor mental health. Many individuals who are not able to match these media standards may experience feelings of insufficiency, anxiety or even depression. This constant comparison can be psychologically deteriorating.

Some studies have indicated that individuals who accord to such portrayed conventional beauty standards may have some merits in certain professional fields, such as entertainment or modeling. This leads to unequal opportunities for those who do not meet these standards seen in medias.

Prolonging a youth centered culture is another effect on media’s focus on young women’s ideal body image. It has contributed to a culture that values youth above all. This might result to ageism, where older individuals in the society are marginalized from certain opportunities in the social circles.

Impact on relationships as seen in the unrealistic beauty standards which is observed in the media can cause partners to feel pressured and submit to these standards, resulting in relationship strains. Furthermore, utopian expectations can be a wellhead of discontentment within the relationship.

One of the other effects is Stereotypes which is oftentimes perpetuated by the media about femininity. It suggests that women should primarily be esteemed for their physical appearance rather other attributes such as than their skills or intelligence. This can limit women’s opportunities.

The media’s portrayal of beauty ideals many times cuts across race and ethnicity. Women of color in certain regions may face distinct conflicts, including colorism, as the media favors eurocentrism in it’s portrayal of it’s beauty standards.

The media frequently objectifies women, this reduces them to their physical appearance. This can result to a dehumanizing perception of women, whereby their worth is associated to their looks, reinforcing gender inequality and traditional gender roles.

Despite these negative impacts, there has been resistance and positive change to these beauty standards. The body positivity movement, for example, has sought to challenge these ideals and promote what is self acceptance and self love. Some companies and medias are beginning to embrace non-uniformity and showcase a wider perspective of body types.

In a nutshell, the media’s promotion of young, thin women as the ideal body size has had an intellectually deep impact on societal perspectives, resulting in a wide range of negative implications as evident above related to body image perception, self-esteem, healthy living behavior, mental health, and more. Yet still, it is important to admit that there is a growth in the movement towards more inclusive and diverse representations of beauty. Succeeding in a healthier living and more inclusive media platform, it requires joint efforts of individuals in a society, media brands, and diverse policymakers to instigate and change some of these harmful standards of the media.

 

References

Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., and Halliwell, E. (2015).Social Comparison on Social Media: The Impact of Facebook on Young Women’s Body Image Concerns and Mood. Published in Body Image,

Grabe. S. Ward. L. M. & Hyde. J. S. (2008). The Impact of Media Exposure on Self-Esteem and Body Satisfaction. Published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology,

Heidi D. Pascual and Mary Therese Co-Figuracion, (2015). Media’s Influence on Beauty and Body Image. Published in Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences,

Perloff, R. M.,(2014). The Role of Social Media in Body Image Distress. Published in Social Comparison,