...establish the order of the objectification theory variables that include appearance surveillance, body shame, body anxiety and eating disorders (Slater & Tiggemann 2010). Similarly, according to Holland & Tiggemann, (2016) correlational findings about the relationship between social media usage, body satisfaction, and disordered eating are almost difficult to draw. Also, high social media exposure could influence thin-internalization,...
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...sexualizing women and she does it through tone and the words she chooses. In the introduction of the essay she discusses the typical body figures people see in advertisements; they are “impossibly slim (and digitally airbrushed).” The words impossible and digitally suggest this sense of fabrication and falseness, a perception that cannot be reciprocated by a typical woman. She continues by suggesting that the depictions of women in the media is poisonous and highlights just how bad the impact of the media is, that it is comparable to poison and is harming not only women but young girls who view these advertisements as well. Heldman also demonstrates the direct effects the “poison” has, she mentions that self-objectification leads to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. These disorders stand out from the essay because they discuss a serious disease that could affect young girls and women. Heldman then focuses on the young girl aspect of the problem when she mentions the American Psychologists Association investigative report. The report found that girls as young as seven years old were learning to objectify themselves after watching advertisements and across other medium. Heldman states, “Teaching them to think of themselves as sex objects before their own sexual maturity.” The statement brings in another issue of some form of pedophilia; a form that can objectify little girls and make them out to be sexual objects...
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...The Harmful Effects of Media on Teenage Girls’ Self Image Media is one of the most effective tools in the world. People learn more from the media than any other single source of information. No matter where people look, they are constantly assaulted with images and ads, whether it is online, watching television, or even walking down the street. Because of the media’s ease of accessibility, it is vital that America understands the subliminal messaging behind the entertainment and advertising, not necessarily for the adults’ sake, but for the sake of their children’s impressionable minds. With the average teenager spending 10 and a half hours a day absorbing the media’s messages, it is imperative that parents become aware of the negative effects it is having on their child, especially young teenage girls. The media has targeted this demographic and the results are tragic. The average teenage girl spends 31 hours a week watching TV, 10 hours a week online, and 17 hours a week listening to music. (Kaiser Family par. 13) With that much time spent doing these things it’s a safe assumption that the media has a huge influence on teens and takes up a majority of their free time. Drew Altman, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation said, “When children are spending this much time doing anything, we need to understand how it’s affecting them – for good and bad” (par. 7). With the media imposing so much influence over young America, it is crucial that action be taken...
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...computer retouching. What is really shocking about this is that in general, women all the time feel directly affected by beauty product advertising as it has different kind of techniques such as: women objectification, beauty stereotype and a false idea of happiness. After all this adverts, 91% of all cosmetic procedures are performed on women which means that in special women are the ones that are being affected. It is intended to explore the effects beauty advertising has in women including: Plastic surgeries increase, eating disorders, the concept of Madonna, sexualisation of minors and Racial preferences. Also, the main purpose of this essay is the one of stating and presenting how fashion adverts had state an stereotype of how a woman should look like in order to fit in...
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...Tuohy 2012) and academics, are the dangers of sexualising children due to the prevalent, raised concern around the adverse health effects. The American Psychological Association (APA, APA 2007:1) has recognised that journalists, child advocacy organizations, parents and psychologists promote the sexualisation of children as a broad and increasing problem which is harmful to children, and especially girls. Additionally, according to a report by the Australian Psychological Society (Louis et al. 2013:32), the increased exposure of children and young people to sexualised images and themes has negative effects in many areas, including self-objectification, links with eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression or depressed mood as well as diminished sexual health. Specifically, the APA (APA 2007:3) has recognised that sexualisation and objectification undermine a child's confidence in and comfort with their body which leads to cognitive, emotional consequences and...
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...Cheyenne Jourdan English 102 Pyramid Final Draft A Distorted Image When the criticism drops away, what you will see then is just you, without judgment, and that is the first step toward transforming your experience of the world. --Oprah Winfrey American people are bombarded with our society’s ideals of beauty day in and out. The National Eating Disorders Association states that more than 80 percent of Americans watch television for more than three hours a day. Our media plays a pivotal role in the way that we structure our thinking as well as our idea of normality and beauty. As Jean Kilbourne explained in her documentary “Killing Us Softly”, advertising is a “powerful educational source” and the media sells not only products, but also the ideal of what one “should” consider standard to be, do, and look like. These societal standards of feminine beauty are nearly impossible to reach though, and as the media glorification of women with unhealthy body types, unnaturally flawless faces, and perfect hair remains, so do the consequences of the desire for these things. Corporate Profit Corporations profit massively from American media consumerism. Advertising in media is one of the most instrumental constructs of our society. We see advertising in our faces everywhere from bus stops, cars, billboards, magazines, websites, and television. According to Kilbourne the average US citizen sees over 3500 ads per day and advertisement is a $250 billion per year industry, just...
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...they should look like. This in turn, ruins their self-worth and self-esteem. Some experts say that media mirrors culture, while others say the media shapes culture (Luttrell). I strongly believe that advertising dehumanizes woman, destroys self-esteem and distorts the view of woman in society. First of all, the way ads portray women is very dangerous. It’s not only dangerous to women, but it’s also dangerous to all of society. Women in ads are seen as flawless and perfectly beautiful. The only problem is, this beauty cannot be achieved....
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...musical videos that had half-naked females featured in them got better ratings as compared to appropriate videos. Because of the way females have been portrayed, most of these females need validation from people in order to feel beautiful and confident thereby posting this type of pictures. The media also encourages sexual objectification of women through advertising, magazines, and especially the television. Some of these television stations have created shows, specifically beauty pageants for toddlers and young girls that encourage sexualization of women. In these pageants, you can see how it is emphasized that the young girls have to walk, dress, talk, and be skinny in order to be considered...
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...Anorexia Nervosa Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder that is characterized by the refusal to sustain a healthy weight (Kumar, Tung, & Iqbai, 2010). Many believe that anorexia is more common amongst Caucasian women, but anorexia occurs throughout all cultures and races. AN has the highest mortality rate of an psychiatric disorder (Kumar, Tung, & Iqbai, 2010). Every major organ system is affected because of the malnutrition that anorexia causes. People with anorexia look in the mirror and see a distorted image rather than what is reality. Victims of anorexia see someone that is huge when in actuality they may be average size and weight. Once a person is diagnosed with anorexia it is hard for them to recover. Not only is it hard for a person with AN to recover, it is also extremely easy to relapse. It takes intense therapy and treatment to cure someone with anorexia. AN exists in every culture and race; it varies amongst African Americans differently as opposed to other cultures. Symptoms of anorexia include an intense fear of gaining weight, refusal to keep body weight up, and amenorrhea for 3 consecutive months (Kumar, Tung, & Iqbai, 2010). Amenorrhea is the abnormal absence of menstruation. Some other symptoms of AN are lanugo, joint swelling, dental cavities, tooth loss, and abdominal distension (Kumar, Tung, & Iqbai, 2010). Lanugo is the growth of fine white hair that grows when anorexics have no body fat left to keep themselves warm (Morrisey, 2010). There also...
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...here at Syracuse University, was packed with girls ready to watch rail-thin models strut down the runway, as they eat away the pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Facebook and Twitter had millions of people updating their status about this worldwide-recognized show. Such as, “Not eating for the rest of the week,” “She is not real, how is she so perfect?” or sarcastic comments such as “I’m glad I look exactly like all those Victoria Secret models” (Profitable Objectification). This show is a perfect example of how the media negatively affects our society. Not only does the Victoria Secret Fashion show cause women to question their beauty, but it also instills unrealistic expectations of what women should look like to all the men. The media has a great influence on our view of beauty and has created a false perception of what females should look like. This has made it difficult for anyone that does not fit this ‘ideal’ body to accept themselves the way they are. Celebrities and models have become a representation of the ‘perfect’ body image that our society emulates. The negative affects of media today on our image of beauty are often underestimated; this false perception causes females to feel self conscious and more dissatisfied with their weight and appearance. The media has distorted the definition of beauty and the ‘perfect’ body image; which causes women serious health problems concerning their weight. The definition of...
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...what is most important is how we look. We must spend time, energy and money on our outward appearance or else we are failures. Advertisements say that we can look a certain way if we try hard enough. However, the fact of the matter is that we all fail because there is no such thing as perfection. It is this kind of powerful message that influences self-esteem and also men’s perceptions on acceptable ways of treating women. Kilbourne argues that advertisements treat women as though they are objects. Advertisements have turned women’s bodies into objects such as beer cans and scissors. This method of turning a woman into a thing can be violence. She also states that advertisements portray women as not being fully human. For example, in many advertisements, only one part of the body is focused on, such as the rear, legs or breasts. Men do not live in a world where their bodies are scrutinized; only women do. Kilbourne asserts that five percent of women have the ‘ideal’ body type that advertisements portray. However, this is the only body type that we ever see. She also shares the statistic that one in five women has an eating disorder. Advertisements are significant contributors to the intense pressure women feel to fit a...
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...Child Beauty Pageants: What’s The Harm? Although there are many adults who suffer various consequences of child pageant participations, they still look back at their childhood and have some good memories of fun. Some even enter their own children into these pageants. Unfortunately, however, the damage is still the same and the cycle continues. Child beauty pageants are detrimental to the psyche of young children because these pageants promote sexualization far beyond their years and lack regulations to govern the actions within these contests. Because these children are being pushed into time-consuming, grueling preparation for these pageants, and because their performances are considered to be far beyond their years leading to self-objectification or sexualization, and the lack of regulations within these pageants there should be some boundaries set to minimize the psychological effects of participation within these contests. As we approach the Christmas holiday this year there are many who remember the horrific murder mystery of JonBenet Ramsey, a former child pageant star, and wonder if her participation in the beauty pageant world is what ended her short life. It’s been 17 years since her body was found in the basement of her parents’ home and her face was plastered all over the news. When the name JonBenet Ramsey is heard doll-like images flash through our heads from her pageant photos. Would she still be alive today had she not been displayed so adult-like? That is...
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...reports women currently earning 78 cents to a man’s dollar. So one can infer that about half of the workforce is earning twenty-two cents less the other half just because of their biological makeup. This leads to thousands of dollars in lost wages, or lost income that would help drive the economy (Garlough). There are negative effects to women’s role in work because of how society is socially constructed. For example, being a stay at home mom is a twenty-four hour job and has the stigma of being lazy or not hardworking. On the other hand, women who hold positions are often seen as neglectful to their children. However, there are still positive aspects of women participating in work including a need to pay for their expenses and personal self-fulfillment. For example, more women than men say that being successful in a...
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...Eating Disorders When people think of disorders the usually tend to think of mental or physical disorders, but eating disorders go right along with these disorders also. Eating disorders are characterized by a compulsive fixation with food, body weight, or self-image. This disorder is becoming more and more prevalent in the United States partially due to the media’s portrayal of what might be considered attractive. But the images of unrealistic “skinny” women that is shown on television, in magazines and across the Internet is only a small part of the contributing factors to eating disorders. Other contributing factors include “…low self-esteem, depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation” (Sue, Sue & Sue, 2009, p.445). Eating disorders not only affect adolescents but adults also. Both men a and women suffer from eating disorders, however women and girls are more likely to have a negative self image and engage in disordered eating patterns. Even though the population of the United States is becoming heavier, women are increasingly putting an emphasis on being thinner. Men also affected by distorted eating patterns, however with male adolescents and college-aged boys weight dissatisfaction revolves around being heavier and more muscular. When a person has a distorted eating pattern it could lead to other serious disorders like bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, or binge eating. Anorexia nervosa is an “eating disorder characterized by low body weight, an intense fear...
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...hold these unrealistic and unattainable images of ideal models’ bodies. There are numerous studies regarding the negative effects of women’s body portrayal in the media. Two of these studies, cultivation theory and self-schema theory, explain why and how women internalize unrealistic and unattainable ideal body images in three ways: women’s body objectification, repetitive exposure to unrealistic images, and women’s internalization of the idealized body. These cause women to have eating disorders and low self-esteem. Women should be aware of theses subtle but strong influences and these negative effects should be eliminated. Many fashion magazines objectify the woman’s body in order to sell products by portraying women in very sexual ways and by emphasizing women’s body images rather than women’s health and ability. For instance, a recent American Apparel ad in a magazine, with the copy “now open,” sends the message that a woman in the ad spreading her leg widely is open for sex. This sexual availability of the woman in this ad implies that she can be had by anyone. Usually the copy in advertisements is short, but has influential messages so that marketers can sell more products and can make more money. Although the damage caused by widespread female objectification is very problematic for girls and women, most women don’t recognize this as problems due to their internalization of the ideal body. They even consider it as a normal. This dysfunctional belief...
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