Negative media messages come in numerous forms: ads, the tabloids, any women’s magazine, the People magazine, movies, TV shows, and some of the more modern books.
Notice all the criticism on these magazine covers, and the fact that 99.99% of the people are women:
Of course the message can get passed down from your parents or those close to you if any of them has ever been worried about eating too much, weight, or if they say things like, “Oh, I’m just having an ugly day.” Or “I just feel so fat!”
In the end though, the main reason your parent or loved ones say things like that is because of the same factors: society and media.
You continually see countless mentions of peoples’ weight, who gained more, who lost what, who is better for now being thinner. And, who is too thin: many images of those who have gone too far in their quest of being “beautiful enough” and have ended up anorexic. And nowadays, some are picked on for just being really thin naturally, for not having a “big enough” butt, and small boobs.
“Today, the media is a far more powerful influence than ever before, sometimes taking precedence over friends, family or other real women. Whereas women used to look at role models who were average-sized, women are now comparing themselves with images (some of which are merely computerized conglomerations of body parts) that are unrealistically thin. In the old days, a young girl grew up wanting to look like her mother or best friend. Now she wants to look like Angelina Jolie.” (Ross, 2012)
The focus is always on the thickness or thinness of the body, the body shape (curves, breasts, butt, etc.), features: hair, face, skin. I have probably never read an article about a celebrity or famous person without mention of their body. And often during interviews you’ll hear it as well. (“You look great! What do you do to stay thin?” or “Are you comfortable in your own skin? Because your body shape is a little different than what is seen as ‘ideal.’” Or “Do you ever feel like you want to look like those women in fitness magazines?”)
We see hundreds of thousands of advertisements and images per year that negatively affect body image. If you see, hear or feel something enough times, your subconscious mind learns it by heart, and you will know it, deem it as true, and act in the nature as if it is true. Because of this, we start to believe that if we don’t have a body like all the ones we see all the time in magazines, ads and on the tube, then we aren’t beautiful and not as worthy.
Watch this powerful video about the negative effects of media, and how it distorts our perception of body image:
In the end though, the main reason your parent or loved ones say things like that is because of the same factors: society and media.
You continually see countless mentions of peoples’ weight, who gained more, who lost what, who is better for now being thinner. And, who is too thin: many images of those who have gone too far in their quest of being “beautiful enough” and have ended up anorexic. And nowadays, some are picked on for just being really thin naturally, for not having a “big enough” butt, and small boobs.
“Today, the media is a far more powerful influence than ever before, sometimes taking precedence over friends, family or other real women. Whereas women used to look at role models who were average-sized, women are now comparing themselves with images (some of which are merely computerized conglomerations of body parts) that are unrealistically thin. In the old days, a young girl grew up wanting to look like her mother or best friend. Now she wants to look like Angelina Jolie.” (Ross, 2012)
The focus is always on the thickness or thinness of the body, the body shape (curves, breasts, butt, etc.), features: hair, face, skin. I have probably never read an article about a celebrity or famous person without mention of their body. And often during interviews you’ll hear it as well. (“You look great! What do you do to stay thin?” or “Are you comfortable in your own skin? Because your body shape is a little different than what is seen as ‘ideal.’” Or “Do you ever feel like you want to look like those women in fitness magazines?”)
We see hundreds of thousands of advertisements and images per year that negatively affect body image. If you see, hear or feel something enough times, your subconscious mind learns it by heart, and you will know it, deem it as true, and act in the nature as if it is true. Because of this, we start to believe that if we don’t have a body like all the ones we see all the time in magazines, ads and on the tube, then we aren’t beautiful and not as worthy.
Watch this powerful video about the negative effects of media, and how it distorts our perception of body image:
Media’s Effect on Body Image
If you have time, I recommend watching
this video as well. It explains slightly more in-depth, and gives you a view on how it
affects a teen’s way of thinking:
America's Obsession: A Documentary
Of course we can’t totally remove
ourselves from every sort of media, but one way to start is to avoid reading
things like tabloids, People magazines, and even any type of magazine geared
toward women. Do not obsess over ads, and if you watch TV, mute the ads when
they come on and get up and go do something ‘til they are over.
If you are going to watch a movie
or show, watch one that makes you feel good about yourself for the way you are,
and not one that immediately makes you want to go and try to look like those on
the screen. Limiting your screen time is beneficial in many ways, so now you
have one more reason to do so!
Just being aware that those women in
shows and movies don’t even look like that in real life (makeup and video
editing!) can make a difference. NEVER compare yourself to the women on the
tube. It is all fake: fake looks, fake bodies, fake reality, and fake life.
Find healthy media, that lifts us up rather
than putting us down. Go to www.upworthy.com
for positive news, and take the pledge at www.iamthatgirl.com
(I just signed up there!).
The IATG pledge is this:
“I am perfectly flawed and sublimely beautyFULL. I am a constant work in progress. I recognize that what I admire in others also exists within myself. As a member of this community, I promise to collaborate instead of compete and remind other girls of their worth when they've forgotten. I'm on a mission to turn self-doubt in to self-love, to use my voice, to share my truth, to love others, and to leave this world better than I found it.” –iamthatgirl.com.
Can you think of a better pledge than that?
Come back for tomorrow’s post: Objective and Perceived Beauty where I’ll
ramble a bit about the differences between the two and which is more important.
Thanks for reading!
Love,
Linnaia
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