Females In Advertising
Advertisements are the most influential media
in our world. They shape our ideas
and affect our look and behavior. People
look at pictures and tend to mimic what
they see. Nowadays, advertisements
depict women in a passive/submissive, almost
childlike manner. This implies
that women are subdued, that they need to be
controlled and dominated. Or
that they are not beautiful unless they resemble
the models. In other words,
fat, short, stubby, too tall, too skinny, different
ethnicity is not
attractive. Entering into adolescence can be one of the most
stressful times
in one’s lifetime. This is a time when they begin to discover
who they are.
They are becoming more independent and are establishing
friendships.
Venturing into the teenage years can be a very emotional,
stressful,
confusing time. By no means is it easier for males than females,
though
females tend to be bombarded with "perfection imagery" more so than
males.
Some make the change from childhood into adolescence with only a few
minor
problems, others however, may have a more difficult time handling
the
pressures and some look to our culture as an example. Many fear the
weight that
is gained during this time is permanent, will panic, and
desperately try to take
the weight off. Our culture portrays this excess
weight as unattractive and in
some cases, disgusting, leading to low
self-esteem. They are not aware that once
the physical changes during this
time cease, their weight will usually stable
off and will maintain their
body’s natural set point. Once they start losing
weight, they feel better, as
if they are conforming to society’s set pattern.
Complements and
acceptance once not received can fuel the drive to look like the
face in the
magazine. Teenagers are under a lot of pressure to succeed and fit
in. Many
spend a lot of time worrying about what others think and they
desperately try
to conform to society's unattainable "ideal" body
image. They are lead to
believe that if they are thin, they will be accepted.
Since many
teenagers are constantly buying teen or fashion magazines, the images
of
emaciated models appearing in those magazines only reinforces their
belief
that in order to be happy, successful and accepted, they must be
thin.
Television shows like Beverly Hills 90210 also leads them to
believe that they
must be thin. They watch these shows all the time and many
will do anything to
try and look like the actresses on these shows. Many
teenagers need a role model
and someone to look up to. Unfortunately, too
many of them choose fashion models
or actresses as their role models, they
paste pictures of them all over their
rooms, and some will resort to
dangerous methods of weight control to try and
look like their idols. Can we
honestly keep telling ourselves that these young
women are not products of
their environments? Our modern culture minimally
addresses this issue using
the defense that "beauty sells." Once again we
are faced with the paradox
that beauty is portrayed and perverted by modern
media. We need to teach our
teenagers that the images they face everyday,
whether it is in television,
film, or print are not the norm. If they are happy
with themselves and love
who they are, they will be less likely to try and
attain society's
unattainable "ideal" body image, because they will
accept their bodies just
the way they are.