Pictures of women in the media
By ronnalee
@ronnalee (43)
December 30, 2012 2:14pm CST
Let's look at this picture: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_md55yfQhNQ1qesi41o1_500.jpg
The above is an ad from the 1950s advertising a product that will allow women to put on weight and achieve 'glamorous curves'. It makes a point of stating that skinny girls are not fashionable nor glamorous, calls them scrawny, compares them to scarecrows and suggests that they won't get dates and a skinny body is something to be ashamed of.
As we all know, today the scrawny 'scarecrow' figure is all the rage.
But how many of you are aware that the idea of beauty is more than subjective, it's completely constructed and taught to us through media and advertising? How many women are out there today that never thought that they should lose some weight? Do you know one or are you one of them?
Furthermore, are you aware of just how much effort goes into creating these 'perfect' people that are meant to represent us on TV screens and in adverts?
I photograph and I'm skilled at Photoshop, including professional retouching techniques. Therefore, I can tell you that the foundation you buy is never going to make your skin look like the women in adverts because it's on top of make up, it's also elaborate lighting and editing that makes their skin look so flawless - even they don't have skin like that.
Shampoo ads use extensions and wigs, mascara ads use fake eyelashes, cream ads use make up, and so on.
Where do you stand on the issue and how does advertising make you feel? Did an advert ever convince you to buy something or at least think about doing so? Are you comfortable with your body and appearance or do you look at women in adverts and wish you were younger, skinnier, your skin was better, your hair was nicer, your teeth were whiter?
I believe that these adverts are very damaging and extremely manipulative and a very small fraction of people can resist and see through their fakery, and so I'm always on a mission to show others how advertising images are created.
I hope this was clear enough, and I'm interested to hear your thoughts!
1 person likes this
2 responses
@Jennlee3 (292)
• United Kingdom
31 Dec 12
I am very much aware that the media is suggestive, manipulative and manipulated. Ultimately, it comes down to capitalism. Major corporations need to sell a product and they will go to any lengths to do so without care or concern for the implications. Shame on the because the implication is a society full of women who don't feel good enough. Media and adverts have seeped into nearly every aspect of society so it's almost impossible to avoid. Magazines, internet, television, film, billboards-- we are constantly bombarded with printed, manipulated reminders passed off as genuine that we should be striving to emulate. And to emulate this would be impossible as it is, manipulated in photoshop. Not to mention, what are the implications of having one beauty ideal- are we actually trying to eliminate individuality?
I am educated enough in the realm of gender studies and feminism to know that the media is manipulated and suggestive and ultimately full of baloney but that doesn't mean I do not fall victim. I too find myself looking at an advert and thinking, 'wouldn't it be nice if my tummy was a little flatter...' and then I get angry at myself because I think, instead of putting my time to good use and learning another language or mastering my craft, I am actually wondering why I wasn't graced with a flatter belly. What a waste of time. Not to mention, sad. I spend so much time feeling disappointed and embarrassed with my body instead of being proud of what I do like about myself.
The body ideal the media suggests to be 'perfect' and 'obtainable' is extremely damaging and dangerous. We need to spend more time teaching young girls to love themselves at any size, shape and colour. We need to instill positive messages that stress the importance of intelligence, creativity, dreams, hopes, goals and passion. All this emphasis on outer beauty is not healthy. Society has become it's own worst enemy. We need to wake up and rethink our values.
@ronnalee (43)
•
31 Dec 12
Great response. You reminded me of another issue - digital skin lightening. It's outrageous that this still happens and that the media suggests that lighter skin is more desirable or in any way "better". Another example I can think of is use of skin colour in the media - for example, the Persians in 300 were very dark skinned and essentially the antagonists of the film, whereas in Prince of Persia, where they were the protagonists, their skin was much, much lighter. What kind of a message that this send to individuals who are black? Celebrities like Rihanna, Beyonce and so on also have their skin notoriously lightened form magazine spreads and covers.
I also agree with your point about individuality - and similarly find it off-putting that the mainstream is always trying to eliminate it. Our differences are fascinating and beautiful and not something to be discouraged. Imagine how much we could learn from one another if we just opened our minds to different cultures, way of life and ideas of beauty.
@Jennlee3 (292)
• United Kingdom
31 Dec 12
Yes the skin lightening issue is certainly an outrageous one. It's subtle but blatant racism. I remember in the United States when OJ Simpson was on trial for murdering his wife- a major US magazine put his photo on the cover and they darkened his skin colour. The same magazine put Obama on the cover and lightened his skin. To equate darker with evil and lighter with good is blatantly racist and offensive. What ever happened to responsible journalism? The media is never held accountable for their actions because low self-esteem is not a tangible action that they can be blamed for. But it is in large part their fault. We are not born feeling ugly, we are taught that we are.
@jodylee (946)
• United States
30 Dec 12
I am completely disgusted by the media creating images for our young women to try and live up to. I have a step sister who is anorexic and it makes me crazy to watch her "eat". I feel sad when I hear perfectly healthy people complain about their curvy bodies.
I am on a health kick in my life now but it is more because I am 31 and have had two kids and I need to make sure I am able to stay alive to see them grow through their lives. I have starting eating right but not dieting. I have started exercising but for health not for weight loss.
It is crazy how the media portrays women and I hope that that will change one day.
@ronnalee (43)
•
31 Dec 12
I agree! I'm no stranger to eating disorders either. And I'm the same way - when I do make the decision to eat differently or exercise, it is for health reasons only. I used to be very active and belonged to a rowing team where we trained 4-5 times a week, sometimes more - and although the regime was tough, I felt great both physically and mentally. It was a great stress reliever. Same with eating better. So although I now settled into a more sedentary lifestyle, I want to get back on track so I can feel that good again!
As for the media changing, as evident from the poster, it changes all the time. I for one remember when about a decade ago, maybe over, you'd never see a girl with a gap between her teeth on the pages of a fashion magazine. Then they became all the rage. Piercings and tattoos used to also be out, but as fashion is moving into an edgier style borrowing from underground scenes, they are becoming more accepted in the modelling world seen as fashion accessories.
The sad thing is I doubt we'll see the day when the media will stop dictating what we should look like, act like, buy or use in order to become seen as of value, but the only thing we can do in the meantime is educate ourselves and make sure we spread the knowledge.
