The Media: Does It Shape Societies View on Femininity? :: essays research papers

The MediaDoes It Shape Societys View of Femininity?The question answers itself. Yes, the media definitely influences todays cabaret via messages through the television, radio, magazines, and billboards. It seems that in todays day and age to even be observe as a woman atomic number 53 must be tall, skinny, blonde, and innumerable other things that the average woman could only hope for. Today, if one is non comfortable with who or what they are, they whitethorn encounter many dilemmas. I implant three convincing reasons to support my claim the rise of consume dis fix ups passim history, percentages and statistics, and my own personal experience.The Rise of Eating Disorders Throughout HistoryAs far back as the 18th century, women began dieting. They submitted themselves to food deprivation, enemas, and purging. In order to achieve that hourglass figure, some women went as far as having their lower ribs surgically removed.(Collins 199) In the 1940s and 50s, full figure females were popularized by movie stars same(p) Ava Gardner, Jane Russell, and Marlyn Monroe, but they were, however, short lived. With the introduction of Playboy, Vogue, and Cosmopolitan, eating disorders have quickly taken over our society. The great majority of American women are culturally conditioned to strive for a slender figure. Advertising, television, films, and the vogue industry relentlessly drive home the message, and women who dont naturally fit the puke often respond by dieting or even surgery.Percentages and Statistics fit in to the National Eating Disorders Association, Media kitchen ranges that help to create a cultural commentary of beauty and attractiveness are often acknowledged as beingness among those factors contributing to the rise of eating disorders(165). Media messages screaming thin is in may not cause eating disorders but help to create a context in which people learn to put a protect on their body.The medias power over our development of self-esteem and body image can be incredibly strong. According to a recent suss out of adolescent girls, the media is their main source on womens room health issues ( Common wealthiness Fund 348) , and researchers estimate that 60% of middle school girls read at least one fashion magazine regularly (Levine 1997). Another psychoanalyse of mass media magazines discovered that Womens magazines had 10.5 times more advertisements and articles promoting weight loss than mens magazines did (ctd. in Guillen & Barr 465). There was a study of 4,294 network television commercials which revealed that one out of every 3.8 commercials send some sort of attractiveness message, say