Barbie girl, Barbie world.
Uploaded by angie_banana on Dec 02, 2002
In a world surrounded by billboards, commercials and magazine advertisements, the grasp that the media holds and how it influences society has become an accustomed and accepted part of our daily lives. Whether these influences are present it is the evening news, reading a magazine with your coffee in the morning, or simply seeing yet another catchy advertisement for another catchy product, the target in all situations is the same- Appeal to society in whatever way suits a company best. This has resulted in the so called new and improved North America, with its sexy provocative models and young bubbling girls just waiting to help the corporate world sell just a little more. But where do we draw the line between selling and brainwashing? Advertising not only sells products, it sells ideals, morals and standards for society and communicates what it believes is acceptable and favored behavior. A generation ago, the average model weighed 8% less than the average women, while today that same model weights 23% less (Crow magazine). The grasping power of media has an impact on young women all over the continent. As adolescent women are redefining themselves and their relationships, dealing with the changing bodies and look towards the future ahead, the media can be one of the key influences in their decision making and growth process. The exposure young women have to any type of media whether good or bad can greatly affect their outcome as an adult. The image of women that the media portrays and its idolization of thinness and perfection create an immense pressure to be slim and pretty that can damage young girls self-esteem, distort their sense of body image, and contribute to disordered eating.
The image that the media portrays of thin and flawless women has a direct and damaging effect on the self-esteem of young females. Firstly, when young girls see these numerous portrayals of beautiful and sexy women, it begins to diminish their sense of self-esteem and pride in their individual uniqueness as a person. In the survey of fifty young girls ages fourteen through nineteen, there is a direct correlation between the amount of media they are exposed to and the self-esteem issues they acquire. More young women who are subject to more media show that they feel inferior to the Hollywood depiction of what a woman should look like. The more media they see, the more...