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Beauty in Today’s Culture

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

1. 40% of girls have tried to lose weight by the age of 9 or 10.
2. 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".
3. A 1996 study showed that the amount of time in front of the television is associated with the degree of body dissatisfaction.
4. 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)

Over the last decade a number of celebrities, companies and even a country have come forward and spoken up against glorifying the ultra-thin and have been promoting healthier weight, self-image and lifestyles.

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


 

New Year, New me

Most people at the start of a new year make resolutions.   In the past I have resolved NOT top make resolutions.   Like most people I don't stick to them.   But the lady couple of weeks since the start of 2014 I have done a lot of thinking about it.   I realized that my home life has revolved around my family, my kids and my parents.   This year I want to make it about me.   What I need to do to be happier and healthier.   I want to reread books to get me in that path, specifically the celestine prophecy and the secret.  Both books are so profound and have taught me a lot in the past.   Now that I'm forty and my kids are older and for the most part stable I think it's time.   I have narrowed my resolutions down to 3 (apart from rereading the books) 1) make an earnest effort to lose this weight.   I want to feel good inside and out.  2) I want to start dating again.   It's been 4 years since I've dated and it's time to get back on that horse.  3) I would like to quite smoking.   My kids need me to be around and they need to see that they can have a life without cigarettes.   These are all very hard for me to do but I KNOW that I can.   This is a project I have to finish.   I want to feel better inside and out.   My self confidence level is better than its ever been now I just need to use it to better myself.  Being that I have ADHD (inattentive type) finishing projects is not my strong suit bit I do know how to count calories and I'm switching to and electronic cig to start.   The dating thing I think will honestly be the toughest part but I think that will come in time.   Here's to 2014!  It's going to be a great year!

Type 1 diabetes journey part 2

In part 1 of this post I mentioned that Peyton was getting her insulin pump.   She has now had it for 6 months and we have gotten used to it pretty well.   I am pleased with the freedom it brings her and the fact that she doesn't need 4 shots a day.   What I have been disappointed in is the lack of control over her blood sugars.   The aprn that we see at Endocrinology assured me that things will level out.   She is certain that her "honeymoon" phase is over (this means her pancreas is no longer producing any insulin hence the reason for her higher blood sugars and resultant a1c).  She has modified her diet some but I do allow her some treats much to my mother's annoyance (she thinks she shouldn't be allowed anything but to restrict her too much is just asking for her to rebel and make things worse) but because her a1c was so high this last visit we opted not to go trick or treating.   Having all that candy in the house was just too much of a temptation.   We went back to endo today and her a1c had gone down a little bit so we are going in the right direction.   We made a few more adjustments to her insulin and we are hopeful that things will get even better.   It was encouraging to hear the nurse say it wasn't anything we were doing or not doing because I was so disappointed to see her a1c so high. Of course there's a certain amount of guilt associated there too even tho I knew we were doing everything by the book.  As her mom and sole caretaker it is my job to ensure she is well cared for.   To protect her and keep her healthy.  To not have that control over this disease feels like a failure on my part.   As unreasonable as it may be the guilt is there just the same.   I've been finding myself waking up at all hours of the night just to check on her like I did when she first came into the world just to make sure she is still breathing.   Then she will check her sugar and go back to bed.   I am getting so paranoid but I know this child has a purpose on this planet.  She is destined for greatness (i know every parent feels this way but when you have multiple school teachers say the same thing one tends to believe it) and I will do anything I can to help her achieve those goals.   Who knows maybe she will be the one to find a cure for this disease.   :)  I am so proud of the young lady she is becoming.

I am human, love me or hate me

Its been a while since I've blogged but this subject is something that means a lot to me and is somewhat related to the last one.  In life we have all manner of relationships- lovers, family, parent/child & working   All of these types of relationships are different- feel different and mean different things to different people.  The one thing that all these relationships need in order to thrive is communication- people are too afraid to voice their feelings, and issues never get resolved.  I have learned that one big reason for this is because at some point or another in life we have all been victim to the energy vampire, someone who thrives on drama to make themselves the victim.  This makes the rest of us afraid of conflict or drama so we keep quiet and stew and let negative feelings brew until we either explode or implode.  I am the kind of person who, I would rather someone come to me and express how I've made them feel (whether positive or negative) so that we can work on things from there and build a positive relationship.  If I don't know I've hurt someone how can I fix it?  I don't ever intentionally set out to hurt anyone but that's not to say I'm perfect either, I'm not by any stretch and I try to be good to people but... I am human like everyone else and I make mistakes.  I think if everyone were more open to discussing how they feel to each other and more open to receiving this message (rather than being on the defensive) I think the world would be so much more peaceful. Unfortunately you don't always know who is approachable this way.  I feel this is related to my last post because when I was in this situation I did not feel that I could approach this person without possibly alienating someone else that I care a great deal for.  Like I said in my last post this has been brewing but here it is almost a year later and just thinking about the situation upsets me.  What it all boils down to is people need to be more real, more transparent and more approachable when it comes to their relationships and how they feel.  I can honestly say that this is probably the root of where my marriage failed (on both sides).  My ex-husband may be a lot of things but he was not alone in the lack of communication department.  After being divorced almost 8 years and being alone for the majority of that time I have truly grown and learned a lot about relationships (ironic huh?  it took me being alone and comfortable in my oneness to learn these things LOL) and most especially how I have grown as a person, a woman, and a mother.  I am not perfect, I make mistakes with my kids.  My house is far from spotless, some weekends we don't do fun things and I let the kids have at their video games from dawn to dusk because hey we all need down time.  But now that I am 40, I can honestly say I have made all the big mistakes that I could make and learned from them.  I communicate openly and honestly especially with my children and I encourage them to do the same and I make myself approachable to them.  Peyton is very closed and never likes to share how she is feeling and that is something we are working on.  I have learned however, to read her body language and when she is being overly aggressive or antagonistic to her brother I know she needs more praise and love from mom for the good things she does (which are many) and ignore the negative behavior as much as possible.   I have also learned from my parents mistakes and shortcomings just as I'm sure my kids will learn from mine (at least that is my hope).  I try everyday to not be too critical, to accept them for the individuals they are.  To not expect them to be carbon copies of me.  I am approachable to them so that if they feel that my shortcomings are becoming a problem for them they can voice their feelings to me about them without my defenses rising to the surface.  I try to guide them gently to make decisions for themselves and if they are making a choice that I feel may not be for the best I ask them to think about it and say, "Do you really think that is the best choice you can make here?".  Most of the time they end up making the better choice, when those times come that they don't, they learn that they have consequences as a result of it.  I am truly proud of the people they are becoming and of the person that I have become since having them in my life.  While there are always things about me that I can improve on the outside, it is the inside where I have really grown and learned the most.  I have learned self-respect, self-love and to not settle for less than what I deserve out of life.  

Whats with all the negativity!!!

We've all been in those situations where you are with another person whose life is soo much "better", they have it all "together" right (according to them)? So much so that they feel the need to pick apart your life and tell you everything you are doing wrong, which according to them is, of course, EVERYTHING! I was in this exact situation a number of months ago and it has plagued me ever since. I know I should have said something right then and there but 1) I have never been good at standing up for myself, when I do it comes out as an attack. I tend to think from my heart instead of my head and tact tends to fly out the window (not that this person was using any) 2) Had that happened it would have risked alienating other people in my life and that just wasn't worth it to me. So instead I kept the peace and have been obsessing over it and getting furious over it and trying to figure out how it is that I became this person's target. Its gotten to the point where it even woke me up at 3am this morning giving me an anxiety attack. I have known this person for a very long time and for her to criticize me for everything that she did really upset me. It took a long time for me to get back to sleep this morning thinking about it and getting over my anger over this person. It especially upset me that she was criticizing my parenting. Then I got to thinking about it. I was perusing facebook and among all the funny pictures and friend status' I saw this, "Don't worry about what other pople say behind your back, they are the people who are finding faults in your life instead of fixing the faults in their own life." it then occured to me that during that weekend that I was listening to this persons negative feedback I was also watching my children and my interaction with them. My children were very well behaved, they did not act out and they did everything they were told. They were polite and respectful to all the adults and they were clean and friendly. To me this is a success, not something worthy of another persons criticism. To me this says that this person is too afraid to hold the mirror up to her own face so she has to project her own image onto someone she views as weaker. After this self reflection I do feel better about myself especially as a parent. I am going to limit my exposure to this person as I don't deserve this treatment but I hope that in the future I will have the strength to open my mouth and say something to put her in her place where she belongs.

ASD continued...

So my son and I are on the road to getting him the help that he needs.  Above and beyond his weekly therapy sessions.  He started his PHP program today and he really seemed to enjoy it.  Wednesday he starts at his new school in a smaller class.  PHP means less time at home and I'm really going to miss him but I know that he needs it and maybe he and I will start getting along better.  He is so angry all the time and I just dont know why. It could be a multiple of things.  I dont think its at me though, I think I'm just an easy target because he knows I wont give up on him, I wont leave him.  Its still tough though.  Typical discipline dosen't work so i've had to be creative and try to stay positive but I do snap at times.  I am so hopeful that he snaps out of this soon and becomes the loving, sweet kid I know he is.