Magazines, commercials, Internet ads, these are all outlets in which women are constantly portrayed as these smooth skinned, toned muscle, flat stomach and tanned body beings. More and more I am noticing the women in ads looking like barbies and supermodels, but the truth of the matter is that not even these women look that way. Photoshop seems to be the new trend in which celebrities are created into these models. What is even more ludicrous is that these celebrities look just as beautiful without the extra touch up. These advertisements and magazines along with all the other types of media are shoving these unrealistic images down peoples throat of what a woman should look like.
And this is the Unicorn-Beauty Phenomenon, women striving to look like false, computer altered models, an image that virtually doesn't exist (much like a unicorn). Although many people are aware of these false images of women, many still strive to achieve these looks through lotions, potions, magical juices from the rain-forest etc. Many young girls have now resorted to using body wrap, intense diets and weight loss pills. In this article by Nina Bahadur, published on the Huffington Posts website, she talks about the fact that these ideas of being slim to be pretty have been around for decades. She also talks about the insane measures women would go too, to get this Unicorn type beauty.
Knowing that you as a reader have probably encountered these ads or messages conveyed through them, I would like to know how you feel about this? If you're a female have you ever felt the need/pressure to fit this image? If you're a male have you come to be more expectant of women to resemble these images? Leave a comment and share your thoughts :).
Knowing that you as a reader have probably encountered these ads or messages conveyed through them, I would like to know how you feel about this? If you're a female have you ever felt the need/pressure to fit this image? If you're a male have you come to be more expectant of women to resemble these images? Leave a comment and share your thoughts :).
I agree with this ad very strongly. Media is constantly portraying an ideal image of women. Just like it was mentioned in the blog, women are expected to have tanned flat stomachs. Furthermore, they are expected to have small hips, with a peared shape body, small feet, smooth skin and shiny hair. Most of these expectations are impossible for women to meet at once.
ReplyDeleteI have been pressured by the media at times as well, because I try to meet the criteria of what an ideal body is. As the weather gets warmer, I think more about losing weight and getting the perfect summer body. This would not be happening, if media did not use models that were photoshopped to tell the world what ideal beauty is.
I can understand where you are coming from because I feel as though it is now the norm for people to view themselves through such a harsh lens. I have also fallen victim to these unrealistic expectations, and that is way I decided to write about it. I'm glad you were able to relate to my article and hopefully we can get rid of these faulty ideas of beauty.
DeleteI agree with your point as well Arsema, I believe that the portrayal of women in media is very unrealistic compared to how women may actually be in real life. This stereotypical image does cause women to be very cautious about how they look. When ever i watch television there is always at least one ad during the commercial targeting women about either getting fair skin or losing weight for a summer body. This enforces the dominant discourse in society that all women should be skinny, and look like a supermodels. It seems to be a scheme to target young girls to buy their ridiculous products.
ReplyDeleteLooking at it this topic through a feminist lens, it can be very degrading that all women are being portrayed in this manner, Not all women want to look like the picture that is portrayed above. The photoshopped image of women is making its way into society about how women should look like. It makes it seem as though all women should care about how they look, and if they do not match the image of an "ideal' girl above, then something is wrong.
The media is portraying false images of women, as a new method of advertising in my opinion.
Through media literacy courses, my supportive friends and the occasional school-wide presentations, I've come to understand that my own beauty is what I myself, make of it. However, as human as I am I cannot help but compare myself to the 'unicorn' women in ads. Especially since these are the women selected to be on tv, on the runway, in magazines. This is because of the standard set by the media, forcing us to find value in irrelevant things like 'thigh gaps'. Many young girls today are trying to achieve the thigh gap trend. They diet crazily, all to achieve something that may be unattainable, depending on pelvic bone structure. This unicorn woman trend is translating to real life in regards to a woman, Valeria Lukyanova, dubbed by the media as a 'real life Barbie'. She has had many surgeries to get Barbie's slim waist, wide hips, etc. My question directed at males is, are you attracted to women who have thigh gaps, or resemble Barbie?
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ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with you, these ads are advertised everywhere you go whether this being the mall at Yorkdale or the streets of downtown, you will see a picture of a model who fits this description. Girls look up to these ads, wish that they could look like that, they might search up certain things and those certain websites might advice women to do unhealthy decisions [vomiting to get skinny, skipping breakfast or lunch or dinner or all three, keeping a very low calorie intake approximately under 500 calories etc] and these can have horrible consequences to it. Media doesn't really think about the negative consequences, they are too focused on making an earning. I condemn advertises like these because they are advertising something that is nearly impossible to achieve. Their BMI would be really low to the point where it can damage your insides. Instead of having these "unicorn" ads, do you think it would be best to advertise fit girls instead of 90lb models who survive of 1 bean for dinner. Since young girls look up to these ads, wouldn't it be best to advertise a healthy lifestyle [ exercise, eat, get all your nutrients, do yoga etc] The dominant discourse here is that women should be skinny but we can see that dominant discourse changes because men now prefer a healthy female than a skinny female who doesn't eat anything but salads.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone here wonder if women care a bit too much about how they look sometimes? also, remember that really cliche phrase "it's all about the person on the inside that matters!" don't you guys think that should actually be applied more often. and lastly, because I want to keep my comments short, do you guys ever think males are just as concerned about how they look and dress as much as females do? - if so, the follow up to consider is, really, why can't we 'delete' these kinds of expectations as easily as they are produced
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post. Women today do care a bit too much about their looks. That's because society has set up a dominant discourse surrounding women, that they have to look presentable when they go outside in public. Also, I believe the cliche phrase should be remembered more often, but gets left behind. The movie Shallow Hal really enforces that phrase and makes you realize what real beauty is. The sad reality is that both men and women care about how they look, but mostly women. If you look at school, you rarely see men caring about how they look in comparison to women. The reason its hard to move away from these expectations is because if one person were to go against the norm, they would be judged, which no one wants happening to them.
DeleteI strongly agree with this post. Although people always say "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", more and more women are falling victim to eating disorders, depression, and even becoming suicidal because they fail to meet all the requirements of what media portrays as beauty. I notcied the falsehood of these models in my early teens, but even though i knew that the models didn't look like that in real life, I felt compelled to at least try to look like them in one way or another. I always thought that everyone loves super skinny women, but with the slight change in society's veiws, it is more apparent that having a healthy body iss the new norm.
ReplyDeleteThis post somewhat reminds me of the Lena Dunham Vogue shoot she did in which her photo was retouched. I think society focuses too much on how to make a photo as "clean & polished" as possible. These Photoshop images paint the image of something unattainable and hide the truth.
ReplyDeleteMedia is a construction and sadly sometimes the people who are advertising for a certain product are in a sense also constructed. I have always felt pressured by the media to look and act a specific way. Like most girls I am a little insecure when I see these seemingly perfect girls with their flat stomach's , perfect hair, glossy skin and so on however, what I am coming to realize is that girls like that aren't real. It's just a computerized version of someone who most likely also like any other person has their own insecurities. I think what we need to remember is that the media's isn't real it's just an altered or perfected version of reality.I feel as though society has a responsibility to educate children and young people about the dangers of falling prey to the media industry and all it's false advertising , this would help with so much issues to body insecurity and confidence. I'd advise anyone walking in to a store seeing all these ads , to take it with a grain of salt because no one looks like that!
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