Social Pressure-Amber Marsden-Youll

Everyone leads different lives and is influenced by different sources but no matter what, we will get influenced by the media and be influenced by a visual image. A visual image is a mental image that we think is similar to a visual perception. It can change our moods and how we think about ourselves creating low self esteem or high self esteem.

During a teenager’s life, we think we are judged by every little action we do or any decision we make. Some are affected more than this than others and this is due to society and the way they think things should be.
We can be influenced and pressured by many visual sources such as magazines, T.V., and the main one, the Internet.
During the rapid progression of technology, we can do and manipulate things quicker and easier than ever to make them look perfect when in real life it isn’t like that. There is a vast range of new visual images available in this century.

What I will focus on today is the way the social visual images in the media influences girls to dress they way they dress, choose the decisions they make and how social pressures affects them.

We all know of the media sights like Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and so on and how we can manipulate photos so it looks like our eyes are as big as a dolls and perfect, or how we can make our skin flawless and glowing. With the help and assistance of make-up and plastic surgery, we can change our whole look. From being pale with small eyes and big nose and small boobs to looking like we live on the beach and have naturally looking doll eyes and a perfect body that seems like it was just given to us.

Take this photo for instance. Many people believed in was just the use of Photoshop and it wasn't real, but she is. Before her nose job and breast implants, she was still a gorgeous girl but now she has gotten the status of a ‘Real Life Barbie Girl’. The way the images are next to each other is so you can see the comparison and the changes she has done to her. The photo on the right shows her in her normal daily routine. She has her head tilted to the right to try and influence the person to thinking she is cute.
But in the left picture, her head is straight and her eyes focused. Her dark clothing contrasts with her piercing blue eyes, bright pink lips and whitish blonde hair making her face stand out. This can influence us to try and follow the fashion of becoming dolls which isn’t a bad decision, it just may affect a girl the wrong way.

Models are made to stand out. But through the constant media that is focused on them, they constantly have to be “perfect”, and this portrays teenage girls to think that their look is natural and something is wrong with them if they don't always look good and presentable. Many of the Models such as the Victoria Secret Girls and other females included in mainstream magazines are pressured to look like this. It is not natural and it requires a lot of effort and concentration. But even through the amount of hard work they do, they are still layered in make up and photo shopped to look like that perfect dream girl we want to be.

This photo showing the models face that is half covered in thick “skin coloured” foundation lets us in on how much a person is changed through this technique. The shot is a close-up showing just her face, as that is the main focus of the photo. Her blue eyes are focused on to show the innocence of this model.

Mothers know best don't they? They teach us the right from wrong and guide us in to learning what is acceptable in society. This photo shows a mother helping her daughter put on lipstick. Even from a early age we are encouraged to look our best and this can be done by using make up and altering our appearance.
The camera shot is a full body shot showing how the mother bends down to help her daughter get ready to go out. The camera angle is tilted down to show the innocence of these females and positions us to think the mother didn't know what she was doing was wrong and would influence the daughter later on in life. The colour effect is black and white to show simplicity of the photo.

Through every photo there is something influencing us. Even though we think its innocent, it always has a deeper meaning. The social media uses visual aids to get at the population and to influence our decisions.