Miss Representation

Unrealistic Visions

“Images in the media today project an unrealistic and even dangerous standard of feminine beauty that can have a powerful influence on the way women view themselves.” (Serdar) In the media, being thin is what is considered to be attractive and beautiful.  The perception that you have to be model thin to get attention from guys leads to eating disorders. According to the video Miss Representation, sixty five percent of women have eating disorders. Not only is keeping a thin body important but so are other aspects of the body; nose, lips, cheek bones, breasts, and many other feature. People spend a lot of money because they are fixated on the “perfect” look and I just see no reason for it.

            On commercials, movies, shows, and magazines girls are presented half naked and sexually.  Girls strive to be what they see even when that leads to hurting themselves. This goal isn’t an impossible goal for everyone but for a good majority of women it is impossible and when women don’t see improvement and are having a hard time that’s when eating disorders occur. Not every girl that claims she’s overweight is which leads to women being underweight. A study showed that “ 75% of women consider themselves overweight when, in reality, only 25% were.”(Rader Programs)  Other problems can go hand in hand with the eating disorders or even cause the eating disorders.  It’s never good to have negative thoughts about yourself, but it’s even worse to have multiple negative thoughts a day. Unfortunately, negative thoughts are the norm these days, and “women experience an average of 13 negative thoughts about their body each day, while 97% of women admit to having at least one, “I hate my body” moment each day.” (Rader Programs) Women shouldn’t have these thoughts every day or any day for that matter, but because of what the media puts out there women are often put down.

            Being thin is only one part of fulfilling the look of the media.  You have to have the nose, and the eyebrows, cheek bones, and so much more. Cosmetic surgery can change a person’s whole appearance and most women are using this to reach the ideal look. A lot of money is spent by women as well, “Americans spent 10.4 billion on cosmetic surgery in 2011.” (Ron Dicker) It amazes me that so much money was spent on cosmetic surgery when we are in a recession and almost every American is in debt. Also, there are risks that come with cosmetic surgeries. Some of these are; nerve damage which cause numbness or tingling, scarring, fluid buildup under the skin, infections, and many other things.  It’s not just about having the look, it also has to be about feeling good and keeping safe. 

            On the other hand, women choose to put themselves through all of this, they have a decision and no one is making them do anything.  More individuals need to learn how to lead their own path in life and be who they are meant to be.  But, it is easy to follow along with others when peer pressure and media get into your head and under your skin. No one is perfect and no body is perfect, everyone has flaws and sadly other people influence our decisions on how we will look and feel. Everyone needs to start taking the negatives people throw our way and turn them into positives, by constructing healthy diets or exercising properly, not damaging our bodies.

            Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. –Oliver Platt The media, in this case is the beholder, voicing their opinion into other people’s minds.  Not all media is negative, there isn’t enough positive though to outset the negative. Unfortunately the opinions lead to eating disorders and tons of money wasted on cosmetic surgeries.  Just think about is, how different the world would be if we didn’t worry about others and were happy within ourselves? Also, think about all the bills that could be paid towards or family vacations you could plan instead of paying for plastic surgeries. Why are we allowing the media and the news to determine how we live our lives and what we think about ourselves?