The Media's Obsession with Perfection

Media Meditation # 4

I feel the media has the ability to warp and influence the minds of women through music, television and advertisements. These various media have the ability to distort a woman’s concept of beauty and "reality construction" through images of “perfection” in the many media outlets.

If you actually take a moment and think how many times a day you are exposed to the media, consciously and subconsciously, it is a lot more then you realize. Consciously we watch movies and flip through pages of a magazine. Subconsciously, our limbic brain analyzes images of "Beautiful people" and implants into our minds guidelines of what we should look like. Celebrities, unlike average "plain folks" cannot afford to show any imperfections because interestingly enough the media will criticize them for it.

Since celebrities are influenced and pressured by the media to be thin, average women, who base their image on the stars, will follow. However, the "big lie" is that these women in magazines do not have perfect bodies. Thanks to programs like Adobe Photoshop an editor can go in and remove excess fat from a leg, enlarge the model’s eyes or make their lips fuller. Their photographs have been digitally enhanced and altered to create the illusion of perfection rather than an actual person. Even though these pictures are fake and far from a true representation of the human body, women will try anything to achieve this unattainable appearance in any way possible. Some women might be completely comfortable with their bodies, but the advertisements they view have the ability to make them self-conscious. When one is constantly surrounded by these negative messages and images it damages a woman’s self-worth and esteem. According to Media and Society, written by David Croteau and William Hoyness "The most visible ad is the cover of the magazine. The standard image of the ideal woman on the cover suggests that purchase of the magazine will provide clues to how and what to buy in order to become the ideal woman"(188). The authors also point out that, "even the 'editorial advice' provided by women's magazines is a form of covert advertisement, selling the consumer ideology. Beauty advice, for example routinely suggests the consumption of various forms of makeup as a way to achieve beauty" (188). Women feel the need to jump on the "bandwagon" and buy beauty products as a "simple solution" to their "image problems."

If you are continuously told you are not good enough indirectly, every time you turn on the television or open a magazine, it has a dampening effect on your self- esteem. If you listen closely to the lyrics in a rap song or watch a rap video women are frequently objectified. These videos and songs are played so often in the media that people become desensitized to them. Even though we have become desensitized to these messages and seem more tolerant, it doesn’t make them acceptable. The offensive lyrics in this song make it seem like it is ok for women to be treated like a piece of meat, when it is not acceptable at all. Men and women view and listen to these videos and can’t help but compare their actions to those in the video and think this is how they should be relating to each other. Men see these sexy women strutting around in booty shorts and stilettos and think that is what sexy is. If men consider these video women sexy then pressure is put on average women to look like them in order to be desirable to men. Media and Society states, "Middle-class women, however, were much more likely to focus on the positive nature of these images, either defending such televised characters or indicating a sense of identification with them. The result is that middle-class women's interpretations of televised images of women are part of their own definitions of womanhood" (279).

The media is becoming increasingly influential and available every day. Therefore this feminist epidemic should be addressed immediately. Instead of using a woman’s body as a marketing tool, instead of stating all the imperfections, instead of treating the body as an object, treat it as a human being, because in case you forgot that is what it is. A woman’s body should be treated with the utmost respect and praise that is deserves.

This is part of Dove's Real Beauty Campaign!