Beauty in Today's Culture
Nancy Mineau
Post University
Abstract
This paper shows the influence of the media and celebrities over young girls in today's society. It shows how celebrities have a responsibility to these girls to set an example of health and self-esteem. How when fashion magazines use photo shop technology and air brushing to make beautiful women impossibly beautiful, it damages the young minds of our everyday girls. In recent years there has been an insurgence of celebrities and big name brands to come forward to fight these methods. It is my goal with this essay to show the shift that has been slowly taking place with our celebrities, those who realize the influence and responsibility they hold over young girls today.
Beauty in Today's Culture
In today's culture the prevalence of social media, magazines, movies and television has had a major influence over how adolescent girls view themselves. With fashion and celebrity magazines using all the latest technology at their disposal to touch up the photos, it gives young girls an unrealistic view of how the world works and how people are really supposed to look. Thankfully in recent years a number of celebrities, a company and even a country have come forward to try to reverse this damage and show girls the real world and what it really means to be beautiful.Celebrities are in the public eye every day. Whether they want the responsibility or not they owe it to young girls to set a good example to them. They have the power to boost these girls up or to knock them down. It wasn't too long ago that pictures of famous celebrities, Lindsey Lohan and Nicole Ritchie were seen strutting on the beach in their bikinis showing off their emaciated bodies. How many girls did that influence to want to shed a few pounds even though they already wore a size 6? Since when did a size 1 or 2 become average for a girl and a size six become overweight?
It doesn't help when fashion magazines are constantly using airbrushing techniques and the latest technology to make beautiful women even more slim, beautiful and flawless. This sets an impossible standard for the girls who look at their pages. Studies posted on Teen Health and the Media show that
- 40% of girls have tried to lose weight by the age of 9 or 10.
- Another study showed fifth grade boys and girls were dissatisfied with their bodies after watching a Britney Spears video or a clip from an episode of "Friends".
- A 1996 study showed that the amount of time in front of the television is associated with the degree of body dissatisfaction.
- Lastly, another study found that by age 13, 53% of girls are unhappy with their bodies this number grows to 78% by age 17. (Fast Facts, Teen Health and The Media, para 1 National Institute on Media and the Family)
On February 24, 2014 Jada Pinkett-Smith posted on her Facebook page a picture of herself and her family. She stated, "My girlfriend sent me this pic, and I could clearly see the weight I've gained which is about… 8-10 pounds. I think I will keep it. I like being a lil… fuller ;) Let's just hope it will fit in The Oscars dress. Here's to loving our bodies by our own standardsJ" (Pinkett-Smith, February 24, 2014 Facebook Post) such a simple message about herself but profound because she is a celebrity and she understands the power her message can hold over young girls.
As Glamour Magazines Woman of the Year 2013, Lady Gaga was featured on the front cover. When she saw that the photo had been Photo shopped her response was immediate and heartfelt. During her acceptance speech for the award she stated, "The picture, which I'm very grateful for and very happy to be on this cover, I felt it was too beautiful. I felt my skin looked too perfect, and my hair looked too soft. This is not usually how I dress or how I carry myself. I believe my true mission is to inspire young people to fight back against forces that make them feel like they're not beautiful or important." (Billboard Staff, November 12, 2013 Lady Gaga Glamour Cover "Too Beautiful")
Dove® Campaign for Real Beauty, launched in 2004, the campaign promotes using real women in their campaign ads. Not airbrushed versions of supermodels. In 2005 the campaign was broadened using women of all shapes and sizes to throw out the stereotype that only thin is beautiful. This opened up discussion boards on the campaignforrealbeauty.com website to discuss beauty issues to thousands of women. (The Dove® Campaign for Real Beauty para 3 & 4)
In 2006, Spain bans overly thin models from its fashion runways. (The Dove® Campaign for Real Beauty para 6)
While celebrities and media have a responsibility to set an example of beauty to young girls, we find more often than not that they set the wrong kind of example in today's society. We need to look to those who are speaking out against this brainwashing of our daughters. People like Jada Pinkett-Smith, Lady Gaga, Dove® and the Country of Spain have stepped up and set a real example to the young girls of today. It is my hope that more and more celebrities, companies and countries will follow their lead and stand up for these girls and show them that they are worth so much more that what is on the outside. That being super thin is not healthy, that the models they see in magazines are not real and that what is on the inside is what matters most of all.
References
Billboard Staff (November 12, 2013) Lady Gaga Critical of Glamour Cover: 'Too Beautiful,' She Says. Billboard Magazine, retrieved from http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-hook/5785885/lady-gaga-critical-of-glamour-cover-too-beautiful-she-says
The Dove® Campaign for Real Beauty retrieved from http://www.dove.us/Social-Mission/campaign-for-real-beauty.aspx
Fast Facts. Teen Health and the Media retrieved from http://depts.washington.edu/thmedia/view.cgi?section=bodyimage&page=fastfacts
Pinkett-Smith, J (February 24, 2014), retrieved from www.facebook.com/jada
