Karelys Paredes
General Psychology 101- LC63
Tomo Imamichi
March 15, 2015 Tittle: The Females Body Image According to the Media There is a growing concern on how media influences how society portrays body image, in the majority of which are young women In the United states of America today. Think about it. In this present generation itself, we are all linked through mayor forms social media. With sources like blogs television, radio, internet, commercials, billboards, mail, magazines, newspapers, photography, journals, etc., we can all find a way to communicate and share creativity, ideas, and thoughts or believes no matter were in the map are located. This has caused a massive movement, especially in the United States of America, where people to try and copy what they think is an “ideal body image”. Women are expected to be smart, care takers, nurturers, we are expected to be beautiful and sensitive but at the same time strong and feminine. However, even with all we can contribute to society as women we still feel the need to be like the idols we see on the media. We think that in order to be like them we must adapt to what’s considered normal. But as individuals it’s hard to obtain the “Ideal body image” we see on these models and pop starts no a days because it’s simply an unrealistic goal. Like a journal about women’s body image in which the author, Michael W. Wiederman, describes his own intimacy problem with a partner who was being too self-conscious. Most of the images we see in the media have been through Photoshop and plastic surgery making them look realistic then their just fixed to look how public wants these starts to look. The Idols who are fortunate enough to have what is considered healthy are just what they are born that way and most submit to unhealthy diets to gain, maintain, or lose weight because sometimes even they are self-conscious about the way they are supposed to look. There is never any description on to whose real and whose just faking it in order to make it in the as a star. We idolize these figures because this is what the media sells, something unobtainable to us in order to maintain the public’s interest. Moreover, when we try to submit ourselves trough the procedures that these starts go through it can cause a sort of mental pressure when we know we can’t achieve the goals. This pressure can lead to eating disorders like Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. It can even affect your stress levels and cause a whole bunch of other complications that come along with it. The book Exploring Psychology by David G Myers (ninth edition), elaborates that “Dysfunctional behaviors are maladaptive- they interfere with normal day- to- day life (pg. 506)”. Women are causing themselves unnecessary stress trying to cope with society’s generalizations of the female body. We think we have fit in order to feel good in our skin and not be judged by the public. Weather we are a certain gender, stronger, thinner, or heavier we shouldn’t be subjected to judgment that is based on this ideal image of the female body because there is no such thing as the “ideal body image”. Furthermore, I believe that there is no such thing as perfect and if perfect doesn’t exist then the ideal body image doesn’t exist. We end up wearing masks in an imperial and moral society to hide our true selves and it must stop. All it’s causing is unhealthy hobbits and decreasing self-confidence. Women should be able to feel comfortable in their own skin without society having to tell the how they should look, think, and act and eat like. The media should start a mass movement on spreading the picture of health across the state instead of the Ideal body image. Everyone is different. What’s healthy for you may not necessarily be healthy for others. What looks good on you might not look good on me. Everyone needs to stop idolizing what they these false images portray and just live a healthier normal life. In the long run size and beauty don’t matter unless you are internally physically and mentally healthy.