Everyone in the world has a distinct and personal perception of what is in their world and how they relate to it. Many people in society see themselves as being very separate to everything else and ones perception of things, acts, events and circumstances gives them a unique view and opinion of such things. Society tends to band together due to having like minded opinions and views as to how one should act and how one should interact in a given society, those who break the norms are considered different. Society has formed stereotypes to describe how a group of people chooses to live their lives in many different specific ways. People judge other people due to their dress, their skin color, the way they talk, their hair style or the music they listen to and gather these individuals into a view called a stereotype.
A Rhetorical Analysis on Media’s Influence on the Ideal Body Image Everywhere we look media seems to be portraying body images that lack what used to be known as “sexy curves” and possess more bone than anything else. Whether it be an advertisement in magazines or reality shows such as America’s Next Top Model on television, word has traveled that the thinner you are the better. The roles that obese characters play in movies or on television are negative more often than not. They are viewed as unsuccessful, lacking friends, family, and love. The slender, “beautiful” women are regarded as influential, successful, and erotic.
In the article, Miner describes how a considerable amount of time is spent daily in ritualistic activities, preparing the body’s appearance and maintaining its health. These customs and rituals are in contrast to the fundamental belief that the body is ugly and diseased. Upon my observations of the Nacirema people, what struck me the most is that there are “ritual fasts to make fat people thin and ceremonial feasts to make thin people fat.” Most Americans are obsessed with their weight and appearance. People are judged upon their appearance before they utter a word. Americans view people who are physically fit, athletic and thin as more attractive and believe that they take better care of themselves and typically those people have a higher status amongst their peers.
They need to do more things that involve everyday people trying to get in good shape. Despite what most critics think these commercials are hurting more than helping. Greatness is not only for the naturally gifted chosen athletes; greatness can be achieved by any hardworking person not wanting to take the easy way out. Nike is a major sporting retailer and has the ability to influence the obese community by changing their commercial strategies and target audience. Obesity has become a big issue in America and instead of motivating others to get fit; it would be more beneficial to help people by giving them the steps to “find their
Even though, these images that are being presented are, in fact, unrealistic and unattainable to the majority of the people watching it. So, in an effort to turn out to be identical to these individuals seen in the media, teenagers face an enormous assortment of self-esteem issues, disturbance in eating behavior, and sometimes depression. This is because; during their regular disclosure to the media, they think as if society has set the standard for good looks, and if they cannot live up to these principles, then they are not beautiful. They critic themselves by the media’s standards and compare themselves to others as they endeavor for fresh looks. In magazines, the messages portrayed by the media are blatantly signifying that one’s body should be without faults.
The Media Influence On Dieting As technology advances and media choices increase, people are becoming more and more influenced by social ideals through these broadcast agencies. In today’s media, much attention has been given to the use of stereotyping for its influence on the importance of thinness and attractiveness, especially for young women. The fact that the media are constantly portraying thin women as desirable and successful (e.g. supermodels and actresses) has manipulated an immense number of people, especially women, into the “I must be thin” obsession. Ultimately, the media send out a cultural message that losing weight and being thin is a feminine thing to do these days.
", "Do I look fat? ", and "Do I look horrible?" This is normally because they do not feel good about how they look that day, which is because of pressure from the media to look perfect. The pictures and images we are supposed to look like which are shown in the eyes of the media are thin, big chested women and attractive built men. Most of these images are digitally altered.
When many people look at the successful super models, actresses or women in the advertisement marketing, they all fit the “thin ideal” (1101). “The portrayal of super-slim women as more fashionable, desirable, and successful can contribute to eating disorders that can kill, and the mass media has been identified as one of the most influential social cultural factors contributing to anorexia” (1101). How are young girls suppose to feel pretty and beautiful when by America’s standard they are overweight? For instance, “society tends to view distinctly overweight people as unattractive and lacking inner discipline” (Turfs University). Society’s perception throughout history has put extremely unhealthy looking women in the media spotlight as the ideal image of beauty.
However, despite the studies in advertising that have shown a positive effect on brand liking and purchase intentions when featuring thin, idealized females’ body images, a contrasting literature found in psychology shows that these same images can lead to females’ self-objectification, decrease their body image dissatisfaction, which can lead to increases in eating disorders (Tiggemann, 2002). Psychologists find women’s exposure to idealized thin model images, especially those used as sex object in the ads, greatly increases women’s body image and eating disorders (Lavine, Sweeney, & Wagner, 1999). Body Image and Self Body image is conceptualized as subjective and varies between different individuals. The evolution of the psychological understanding in body image is around the concept of self. Researchers stress the relationship between self and body image, which is studied through cognitive-behavioral approach.
One example of social networking influencing imperfect bodies is the publication of magazines. Inside Vogue, Nylon, People Magazine, and Seventeen Magazine, there lies editors’ believed beauty ideals. The issue with magazines is that they are thoroughly based on opinions and filled with peoples perspectives. Most readers do not see this flaw and are bombarded with the “perfect” body that media idolizes. Throughout American history, people have admired a skinny body and a slim figure.