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In a world surrounded by billboards, Barbie dolls, commercials and magazine advertisements, the grasp that the media holds and how it influences our society has become an accustomed and accepted part of our daily lives. But has it gone too far? Media as well as many other idolized public figures have turned people’s lives into a constant questioning of themselves, sometimes causing drastic effects on their physical and emotional well being. Many are comparing themselves to unrealistic figures and setting unhealthy goals for themselves because of what they see on a magazine rack or on television. But more times than not, what they are seeing is nothing but an airbrushed, selling point. The beauty myth is the idea that a thin female physique is the “perfect” woman. It is imposed upon young American girls by the media through the outlets of television, magazines, movies and advertisements. These young girls are more impressionable and searching for an image to identify with. Through the media’s influence we have come to believe that the perfect woman is tall and thin with perfect makeup and hair, and has no wrinkles or flaws anywhere on her body. Our perception of women has become so drastically altered just in the past 50 years, if you look at movies from the 1950s and 60s you will see fuller women as the objects of every man’s affection; the women who were idolized during those years actually look like real women. A reviewer of the book The Beauty Myth states that, “Judged by today’s standards, we look at these movies and think that the women in them look a little fat”(Bryannan). Women in movies today hardly have a round, feminine figure, let alone an ounce of fat. The image of a skinny woman has been so engraved in our minds it has now become the standard for beauty. “We’ve all be trained to believe that this boyish silhouette is the way healthy women should look”(Bryannan), when in fact the average American woman weighs about 142 pounds and stands at about 5’4”tall. The average model in fashion advertisements weighs about 130 pounds and stands at about 5’10” tall (courses.psu.edu). She lacks the required body fat to complete a full menstrual cycle; hardly healthy for any woman. She looks good in our eyes because that is what we’ve been brainwashed to believe is fabulous over the years. One sees these gorgeous models on the runway with the most eye-catching, expensive clothing on and wishes she was that woman.
Approximate Word count = 1661
Approximate Pages = 6.6
(250 words per page double spaced)
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