How has our society molded us to be so reliant on the norms that the media has placed on us? So much of our society conforms to what the media tells us is acceptable. We have neglected to accept alternative lifestyles and images because many of us continue to look to others to see how we should look and feel. Fashion has had very dramatic effects on women's weight. In our society it is assumed that skin and bones are what the body should look like, no extra pounds, no extra fat, NOTHING. Through television, magazines. newspapers, and public events the idea of looking like this is constantly represented though the entertainment and fashion industry.
Victoria's Secret is advertised for women and gives a very negative portrayal of how women should look in clothes. Women all over the United States relate Victoria's secret clothes, bras, and fashion sense with skinny, tall, beautiful, and exotic women. How is an average person supposed to look at these women in the clothes they will potentially be buying and feel good about themselves when they put them on? It can be humiliating and causes an extreme lack of confidence. Seeing women like the Victoria's Secret models, who are on average 5'11" 117 pounds, can make the average 5'4" 140 pound woman feel extremely overweight and bad about their physical appearance! It's amazing that our society, especially women, still feel this way when these numbers have been verified, and stats show that this size body is not healthy. Women continue to battle with this issue because the media is relentless about associating beautiful and desirable fashion with stick skinny women.
"Find the reflection you see to be so damn unpretty
I wish I could tie you up in my shoes
Make you feel unpretty too
I was told I was beautiful
But what does that mean to you
Look into the mirror whos inside there
The one with the long hair
Same old me again today
You can buy your hair if it wont grow
You can fix your nose if he says so
You can buy all the make-up that mac can make
But if you cant look inside you
Find out who am i, too
Be in a position to make me feel so damn unpretty"
TLC's song Unpretty that was put to this video is extremely powerful. It shows that no matter how thin and beautiful you are you always think you could be better. It's unhealthy that all the stories and images the media shows our society affects people on such a personal level.
We should not feel bad about our bodies because women in the media are typically extraordinarily small; we should not feel bad about putting on clothes because we feel like the model who wore it looked so much better; we should not look at ourselves in these clothes and base how we feel about our bodies on comparisons we make to celebrities and models.
Victoria's Secret is advertised for women and gives a very negative portrayal of how women should look in clothes. Women all over the United States relate Victoria's secret clothes, bras, and fashion sense with skinny, tall, beautiful, and exotic women. How is an average person supposed to look at these women in the clothes they will potentially be buying and feel good about themselves when they put them on? It can be humiliating and causes an extreme lack of confidence. Seeing women like the Victoria's Secret models, who are on average 5'11" 117 pounds, can make the average 5'4" 140 pound woman feel extremely overweight and bad about their physical appearance! It's amazing that our society, especially women, still feel this way when these numbers have been verified, and stats show that this size body is not healthy. Women continue to battle with this issue because the media is relentless about associating beautiful and desirable fashion with stick skinny women.
"Find the reflection you see to be so damn unpretty
I wish I could tie you up in my shoes
Make you feel unpretty too
I was told I was beautiful
But what does that mean to you
Look into the mirror whos inside there
The one with the long hair
Same old me again today
You can buy your hair if it wont grow
You can fix your nose if he says so
You can buy all the make-up that mac can make
But if you cant look inside you
Find out who am i, too
Be in a position to make me feel so damn unpretty"
TLC's song Unpretty that was put to this video is extremely powerful. It shows that no matter how thin and beautiful you are you always think you could be better. It's unhealthy that all the stories and images the media shows our society affects people on such a personal level.
We should not feel bad about our bodies because women in the media are typically extraordinarily small; we should not feel bad about putting on clothes because we feel like the model who wore it looked so much better; we should not look at ourselves in these clothes and base how we feel about our bodies on comparisons we make to celebrities and models.
Day-to-Day, through the television and magazines, images of skinny celebrities dressed in the latest fashion are everywhere. You can't help but like what they are wearing and how they look in their designer clothes. Women, on average, who try to emulate these outfits and the way these celebrities look often have a difficult time doing it. They never feel as beautiful in these clothes because they compare themselves to certain celebrities who have NO meat on their bodies. How can we change this? How can we change America's perception of what a good healthy attractive body size should be? How can we make each other, and ourselves, comfortable and happy with our bodies the way they are, and were intended to be? How can we stop from thinking that we will never look as beautiful as the skinniest model the media can find? These questions need to be answered and we need to find ways to gear our society away from these negative thoughts about body image and start to feel happy and satisfied with what we have!
Our society needs to take the time to transform the fashion and beauty industries from having a negative impact on women's lives to a more positive and beneficial one. Efforts are beginning to be made to make changes in this industry, but our society needs to find a way to reach more people. We need to educate our audience and acknowledge that the fashion industry effects so many people's lives. Women are vulnerable to this industry and in order to make it positive for women the idea of thinness being perfection needs to be the first thing to change- the norm is NOT what is shown through the fashion industry- the majority of women do NOT look like these models, and this NEEDS to be reinforced to the public. This industry has to be aware of how they are impacting American women, and other women around the world, and help them educate themselves about the reality of this situation. Eating disorders and poor body image are far too prevalent around the world and this industry needs to recognize that many of that comes from these stick-thin models and the consumers that they are influencing. Women need to be made aware of these issues and aware that many other people in this world feel the same way about their bodies, and that a healthy body is a beautiful body not one with 0% body fat. The fashion industry NEEDS to work on these main issues and with their help, and the help of our society, women can feel comfortable in their bodies again!
Help yourself get motivated and reach out to others who are in need of help too!
Help yourself get motivated and reach out to others who are in need of help too!
Works Cited
Bollywoodballetdance . (2008). Victoria's Secret-Thinsporation. Video Posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDg8SCkpz0o&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fnegativeeffectsofmedia.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fhas-fashion-affected-your-weight.html&feature=player_embedded
Travsgroupie24. (2007). Media's Influence on Women's Image. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMxtBL8lHbU&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fnegativeeffectsofmedia.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fhas-fashion-affected-your-weight.html&feature=player_embedded
Pinkemoboi. (2009). Skinny Celebs. Video Posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5P_T4tx6MQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fnegativeeffectsofmedia.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fhas-fashion-affected-your-weight.html&feature=player_embedded
Amadei, Magali, Mysko, Claire. (2009). 5 Resolutions to Transform the Fashion and Beauty Industries. Blog posted to http://www.5resolutions.blogspot.com/.
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