Mirror Mirror Essay

2073 Words9 Pages
Mirror Mirror It starts in a dark room. The lights on the catwalk turn on and music begins to play. Then the first model walks out, beginning the fashion show. Cameras’ begin to flash, all eyes are on her. She is tall and statuesque wearing designer labels, having perfect hair and make-up. Her body is fit and perfect from days of dieting and exercise. There is no unwanted fat; there are no stretch marks or imperfections. Her stomach is flat and her legs are long and lean. She is the epitome of beauty. This is not an uncommon ideal image. If you were to open any magazine, turn on a television, or surf the internet it would not take long for you to find another “perfect” woman. This image is everywhere. The media promotes this body type as a goal for women to strive for. Women are not the only ones bombarded with what a body should look like, men are also under pressures to look a certain way. This pressure of perfection affects the mental and physical health of people every day. The media has been attacked for its portrayal of the ideal image. However, there has been some speculation that the media is only following what the public believes to be beautiful. In 1995 there was a study done to see if it is the media that fuels public opinion or if public opinion fuels the media’s representation of beauty. The study involved researchers introducing natives of Fiji to television. Before the study the natives never had television. The natives also believed that the more beautiful body image was to have a fuller figure which signified wealth as well as ability to care for one’s family. The Fijians also encouraged healthy eating habits and only one case of anorexia nervosa had ever been reported on the island prior to 1995. After three years of television on the island the researches questioned the natives and discovered that the attitude about body image had changed
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