Body image has always been a controversial topic in our society so I think that it is important to elaborate on. Everyday people absorb what they see, one example being images, videos, and words about body image through the media. The media advertises body image in one way, and one way only. They do not take into consideration that each of us were built in our own unique way. Even though we are all different by the way we appear we should be treated equally because we are human.
The way that the media portrays what is acceptable of a woman’s appearance is affecting society in a drastic way through unhealthy habits. The media affects people by illustrations of how someone should or should not be through pictures, commercials, advertisements, etc. This increases the risk of people falling into mental and physical disorders. In reality, everyone in society should be treated equally, no matter his or her appearance. The media affects people mentally and physically through their opinion of how people of society should be accepted. If the media continues to portray this image and continues to affect society negatively, statistics of disorders will continue to increase, causing more body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, and other self-judgments. The media portrays body image in an unrealistic way causing a negative impact on the perception of one’s body image.
As I dug deeper into research for this article, I discovered that the media does not only attack us as teenagers and adults about our physical appearance but they are beginning to target a much younger audience. If you think about it, remember back to when you were a child playing with your toys; now compare those toys to the toys children play with today. For example, Barbie dolls. If you look at a Barbie doll from the nineties compared to now she looks like she had reconstructive plastic surgery on every inch of her body. Poor Barbie. Poor children who are given these toys and taught that that body is “goals.”
What ever happened to just living and enjoying life? Our world went from playing outside with friends to staying in our rooms watching makeup tutorials so we can meet society’s standards as women. Is anyone else tired of pleasing society? I am one of the people who try to make a difference in society and by writing this article I hope that someone who needs to hear this is reading it: just because you are not an exact image of those they show in the media does not mean that you are not beautiful and not loved because I promise you that you are. You are enough. You are perfect.
I fully support the people in the media who are taking a stand against edited images and unrealistic portrayals of men and women. I am ecstatic that people higher up are taking matters into their own hands and support people like myself who fight for equality in everything. Body image is just that. An image of a body that we have no idea what editing process it has been through. I promise you that everyone is flawed; no one is actually perfect by definition. We are all perfectly flawed and we should embrace ourselves for who we are.
