Media and Women
A woman's body has been a topic of conversation for centuries. Women were considered sexy or voluptuous if they had a pear shape body. The ideal pear shape icon would be Marilyn Monroe. She was actually a size 12 and she is still known as one of the sexiest females ever. The media today projects women in a different light. Females in show business (television, film) are under pressure to be thin in order to keep their jobs. Such stars such as Calista Flockhart, who plays Ally McBeal on FOX, is a star who is extremely thin and is on the verge of being skeleton thin. Does the pressure of "Hollywood" cause these women to stop eating? The most popular television show right now is "Friends." Each of the three female leads has gotten thinner over the years and their appearance is very noticeable. Flip through the channels and as each television program comes on the female lead very thin. Is this a requirement to work in Hollywood? Of course they are some exceptions, but look at the females as a whole and the numbers are astonishing. Models on covers of magazines are extremely thin and yes they look beautiful, but the pictures are air brushed to hide their flaws. The media is giving a false identity to w
As Hollywood is striving for thinner is better, sport athletes like Venus and Serena Williams are showing the world that stronger is better. These two sisters rule the tennis tour with exceptional power and quickness. Their biceps and toned legs are an image of the more powerful woman ready for success. Music stars such as Janet Jackson, Madonna, Britney Spears, and others are celebrities that work out everyday and work for tone muscles instead of thin body frames. These women can handle there own in the weight room and they are good examples that thin does not have to be the complete answer. A woman can be sexy and strong at the same time. The media focuses on what these women wear, but the issue is that they are being themselves because they are entertainers and when they entertain they want to wear what expresses them at that moment. The truth is that these women are role models, but they are entertainers first and foremost. According to Cynthia M. Lont, author of Women and Media, suggest that "advertisers capitalize on the fact that teenage girls tend to have negative feelings about their bodies. They also found that the physical beauty theme extends to health and nutrition, that identity themes weren't emphasized despite their importance for that age group, and that ads were generally populated with slim white females, often with blond hair and blue eyes" (82). Women's magazines are the number one selling magazines in the country. That means that girls and women alike read these publications and exposed to the negativity of girls complaining about their bodies. If all they read is negativity about how their bodies look it is going to rub off on the readers. They start to question their bodies and this leads to a domino effect. Girls are easy targets because they are in a period of their lives where what they look like is important to them. Self-esteem becomes an issue and the side effects can be harming to ones state of mind. Girls need to accept that each human body is different and that is what makes an individual beautiful and special. People want what they do not have and comparing physical attri
Some common words found in the essay are:
Tough Girls, Women Media, McBeal FOX, Britney Spears, Women's Culture, Parton Cher, Ripley Aliens, Serena Williams, Cindy Cindy, Marilyn Monroe, women women, image girls, pear shape, cindy crawford, role models, join gym, extremely thin,
Approximate Word count = 1443
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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