Alex Guillard
Magazines, television commercials, internet advertisements, and many other sources of mass media are all projecting the same image of beauty, and are bringing our entire society to believe the stereotype of attractive thinness they are advocating. The problem with this image is that it is one that is virtually unattainable for the majority of females across the country. Those who do attain it pay a high price, since the achievement of what is deemed beautiful results in unhealthy ultra-thinness, ensuing from or leading to eating disorders and other health complications. Those individuals who do not see themselves as beautiful may feel they can never measure up to the media’s image of “true beauty,” leading to an increase in depression and other psychological problems. Instead of benefiting society and increasing the self-esteem and good health of subscribers, mass media is causing a decrease in individuals’ perception of self-worth.
The topic of distorted beauty perception in America today is examined by Susan Bordo in her essay “Never Just Pictures.” She discusses the reasons behind eating disorders, especially focusing on the effect media has on our opinion of an attractive body. Referring to the role of fashion designers and models in our assessment of beauty and eating disorders, she says, “If this is a disorder, it is one that has become a norm of cultural perception. Our ideas about what constitutes a body in need of a diet have become more and more pathologically trained on the slightest hint of excess. This ideal of the body as beautiful has largely come from fashion designers and models” (367). Somehow, our cultural perception of beauty has changed, and is now judged by skinniness, while healthy weight is not seen as normative. When girls flip through a magazine they are looking for what is in style, and what will bring them success and popularity. If all they see are models who are practically skin and bone, they will aspire to conform to that appearance. Bordo speaks of how, “the fashion industry has taught us to regard a perfectly healthy, nonobese body…as…unsightly” (368). This view of extreme thinness as attractive is extremely prevalent in our society and hardly even questioned.
Studies have been done to prove this image of beauty that magazines today are advocating. Lora Beth Brown and others contribute to Bordo’s ideas on the influence of today’s media on individuals’ perception of beauty today. Their article, “The relationship between reading beauty and fashion magazines and the use of pahtogenic [sic] dieting methods among adolescent females,” was published in Adolescence magazine. They remark,
Several recent studies have analyzed a number of magazines targeted at adolescent females and have suggested that their content supports the perception that female happiness and success are tied to physical appearance, with ultra-thinness being the preferred state of health and beauty as well as the most important form of self-improvement.
This statement demonstrates that despite what designers and photographers say, “It’s just fashion…nothing to get all…steamed up about” (Bordo, 371), there is more behind the images. Ultra-thinness is being projected as most important, beautiful, and healthy, when in reality many of these models are starving themselves just shy of the point of physical collapse.
There is a reason behind the way beauty is portrayed by fashion designers today. Bordo explores the concept of the “profit motive,” and its role in the decisions of fashion designers. Obviously, “they want their images and the products associated with them to sell” (371), and they do not care about the means used to attain their goal. Women who are insecure about their bodies are the ones who will buy new clothes, beauty products, and diet aids, putting more money in the hands of the manufactures of these products. When the ideal of beauty is difficult to attain and maintain, this virtually guarantees the profit of cosmetic, diet, and clothing industries. Bordo also speaks of how we have been sucked into a “commercial war,” and how this war is not only affecting the clothing manufactures, but the entirety of society as well. While these fashion designers are serving their own selfish ends, individuals in society are being duped about what real beauty is.
This concept of “ideal beauty” is illustrated in a Dove film titled “Dove Beauty Evolution” (Piper). Part of their Campaign for Real Beauty, “Evolution” was launched by Unilever in 2006 to promote the newly created Dove Self-Esteem Fund. Time-lapse footage shows a normal, average-looking female who enters the studio to be “made-up” to become a model for a billboard advertising foundation makeup. Revealing the extent to which a person can be transformed by artificial means, this video shows how the media can alter the actual appearance of their models so that they become the picture of “ideal beauty” they are advocating. Gradually, this girl’s face is covered in make-up, fake eyelashes are applied, and her hair is styled. This is not all, though. Once the photo shoot is over, it is followed by extensive computer editing. The graphic artist progressively slims and elongates the model’s neck, enlarges her eyes and mouth, and changes her eye color. Now this girl who initially resembled the majority of the female population bears closer resemblance to a doll. She fulfills the media’s representation of beauty, but sets an impossible standard for the average female to attain. This could lower self-esteem when girls find they can never be as beautiful as the model on the billboard, not realizing that what they are seeing is not an accurate representation of the real person behind the makeup. It could also lead to health consequences including depression, eating disorders, plastic surgery, and maybe even suicide. The film concludes with the statement, “No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted.” This mirrors Bordo’s ideas about how fashion designers’ quest for profit influences our perception of “ideal beauty,” and leads to disastrous consequences for the young women of our society.
Facial attractiveness plays an important role in the assessment of beauty today. In their article, “Peer victimization as a mediator of the relation between facial attractiveness and internalizing problems,” from the Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, Kurt Beron and others raise the topic of the role of facial attractiveness in an individual’s life. They reference a quote from a French realism writer in the 19th Century, which is still, if not more relevant today: “Beauty is the promise of happiness” (Stendhal, qtd. in Beron). Even almost 200 years ago, beauty was influential in individuals’ lives, and was predicted to be the difference between a happy or sad life. Now the social effect on an individual’s perception of beauty is indicated in how “unattractive individuals…[may] feel poorly about themselves as a result of appearance-based discrimination.” People are dependent on others for their self-concept, whether they realize it or not. This shows that it is largely the result of the influence of others that society’s definition of “beauty” can lead to happiness and “unattractiveness” to sadness.
Beauty’s influence in an individual’s life can be easily seen in high schools as well. Not long ago I attended a high school graduation. Afterwards, as I looked around the room filled with the recent graduates and their friends, I could see groups of people clustering around a graduate to congratulate that person. Noticeably, people gravitated to the individuals who stood out from the crowd as more beautiful or handsome. Those who were average or below average according to looks were more of the loners of the group. I would assume this would hold true in the midst of the school year as well. Certain individuals are regularly acknowledged by teachers and peers, and others go through each day virtually unnoticed. A distinct pattern in the relationship between attractiveness and popularity has developed. There is a scale of good looks in high school, even though it is implicit rather than explicit. Depending on where a teenager falls on that scale, their influence, popularity, and maybe even success, may be virtually decided for them by teachers and peers. The worth that is being placed on looks has resulted in consequences as varied as undue pressure to measure up, unfair advantage given to those who are naturally prettier, and inhibition of the progress of others who cannot attain society’s estimation of beauty.
Although this can be true, that does not mean that it is. People are not being forced to evaluate their self-worth through the eyes of the media. There is a healthy standard for self-confidence, and it is referenced in Judith Ortiz Cofer’s essay, “The Story of My Body.” She tells of growing up, and the struggles she had in respect to her self-image. She felt she was too skinny, and had an imperfect complexion because of an episode of chickenpox in her childhood. These were just a couple aspects that she did not like about her body. By the time she reached the end of her college years she had finally figured out her life. She states, “My studies, later my writing, the respect of people who saw me as an individual person they cared about, these were the criteria for my sense of self-worth” (341). Focusing on her accomplishments and inward character, she was able to move past her preoccupation with her outward appearance.
Individuals in society do not need to rely on the media to dictate how they should look. They can resist succumbing to the loss of self-esteem resulting from preoccupation with the image of beauty portrayed by the media. If they focus on other qualities, besides just outward appearance, this will set them free from their bondage to improving their physical appearance. When individuals ignore the messages of the media and instead focus on being content with who they really are on the inside, this will help them have a healthy and productive lifestyle.
Works Cited
Beron, Kurt J., Lisa H. Rosen, and Marion K. Underwood. “Peer victimization as a mediator of the relation between facial attractiveness and internalizing problems.” Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 57.3 (2011): 319+. Academic OneFile. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.
Bordo, Susan. “Never Just Pictures.” Seeing and Writing 4. Ed. Donald and Christina McQuade. Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010. 561-73. Print.
Brown, Lora Beth, Steven R. Thomsen, and Michelle M. Weber. “The relationship between reading beauty and fashion magazines and the use of pahtogenic [sic] dieting methods among adolescent females.” Adolescence 37.145 (2002): 1+. Academic OneFile. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.
Cofer, Judith Ortiz. “The Story of My Body.” Seeing and Writing 4. Ed. Donald and Christina McQuade. Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010. 561-73. Print.
Piper, Tim. “Dove Evolution.” YouTube. YouTube, 6 Oct. 2006. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.