Contreras 1

Erika Montes Contreras

Holly Guile
English 1010 051
April 17, 2015
Body Image
For a number of years evidence surrounding the insecurities that women have towards
their own bodies has been widely published. Recently, it has been suggested that men are also
falling victim to the media and the pressures of society. They are developing insecurities that are
also associated with women. Much of the body dissatisfaction that we see today can be
recognized from the huge difference between our current social beauty ideals and our actual
bodies. Womens magazines are full of articles urging that if they can just lose those last twenty
pounds, theyll have it allthe perfect marriage, loving children, great sex, and a rewarding
career (Harris 1).
Today's society is so focused on the physical aspect of our bodies. It seems that our body
image is such a concern to our peers, family, friends and people we dont even know. According
to previous research studies, one's self-esteem is closely related to the degree of satisfaction with
one's body image. Most of the research before now on body image has been done in relation to
the female population. The concerns of how one looks used to be thought of as a female concern
(Parks 32). However, cultural and society trends suggest that body image concerns may also
affect males. New research has shown that the young males are weak to the pressures of
obtaining the "ideal" male body. For example the ideal includes the V-shape, muscularity, and
tallness. This new desire has led many to participate in athletics. Most of the data relevant to this

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subject has been done on college and adult aged people. This study is due to the limited
information regarding younger male athletes. The study was done to compare body image
concerns between two groups of adolescent male athletes. The two groups were composed of
football players and cross-country runners. Various coaches were called up and asked to
administer the questionnaire to their players at a convenient time. The players were told to
answer seriously and make sure their answers were clear. By the end of the questionnaire, it was
not such a shock to see that most of the images that were drawn to show what an ideal body
looks like had a six-pack and were thin with muscles (Parks 32).
Its scary to think that body image is so important in our society. There is no escape from
it. It seems images made by the media will make people do almost anything to fit Americans
standard of the perfect body. Images made by media affect everyone from birth until we
become adults although all ages in society are basically forced to deal with the expected body
image. When children are young their minds are fragile and are basically molded from whatever
they are taught. I realized that one of the first toys I ever received, as a young girl was a Barbie
doll. As a young girl, I always thought that Barbies were beautiful and perfect. Eventually, once
other younger girls reach middle school, they see Barbies look is what they still want to
physically reach but they dont really look at it like Barbie anymore, they turn to a realistic lifesize Barbie figure like for example, Katy Perry. I also realized that teenage girls all strive for the
same goal to become what the opposite sex is attracted to. Teenagers want to dress and look like
young celebrities, so they wear tons of makeup and dress in clothing that is not only ugly but it
makes you question, what are they thinking?
Television and magazines compare women and men with images of young, extremely
tall, thin, and beautiful women. The media has negative affects on womens body image

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because it portrays an ideal body type that many women feel they should meet. Women try to
look a certain way and men begin to expect women to look a particular way. For most women
this image is almost impossible to achieve; yet they constantly strive to look like people in the
media. The dieting industrys revenue is evidence that Americans are struggling with losing
weight. The members of the Weigh to Go club at Purdue are there for this exact reason; to lose
weight. Journalist, Jan Brogan spoke about her experience after attending group meetings and
said, After attending the group meetings, I couldnt help but notice that many of the women that
are part of the group arent losing weight for themselves, but to achieve a desired look. Jan
mentioned that in the beginning, when all of the members were asked why they want to lose
weight, the majority answered and said they wanted to be healthier. This answer does make
perfect sense, as it is a well-known fact that being overweight is harmful to ones health. Jan
continued by saying, there were a few in the first meeting who declared they wanted to lose
weight because they didnt like being fat. They added, When I look in the mirror, I hate what I
see, and I need to change that. Then, after they were the ones to break that barrier, in the
upcoming meetings, almost every member of Weight to Go admitted that they wanted to lose
weight because they felt it was a sin to be overweight and that they hated they way they look
(Brogan 6). But my question is, why do the majority of American women feel they must look a
certain way? The media has negative affects on womens body image because it portrays an
ideal body type that many women feel they should meet.
A magazine responds to a question that almost every woman have asked at some point in
their lives, why don't magazines give us a more realistic body types that are actually out there
roaming the streets? According to author Marcia Mentor, Glamour receives thousands of letters
to the editor each month from angry and discouraged readers who are tired of measuring their

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own bodies against extremely thin models. Mentor tries to justify their appearance in her
magazine, however, doesnt quiet give the best answers. She continually insults the reader by
insisting that whether we want to admit it or not, the "thin is in" message still rules in most of our
brains, and makes the possibility of more realistic looking models a marketing mistake. She
supports her views by writing that bigger clothes would cost too much to produce and the job of
a model is essentially to be a clothes hanger. She also adds that like it or not, this phenomenon
is not likely to change anytime in the near future. Her list of reasons goes on and on and
honestly I think this is one of the most condescending articles I've ever read. Her one-sided
views prevent real women from being viewed as socially acceptable in the media industry.
A much cleaner approach, American Eagle lingerie brand Aerie has now used a new
campaign featuring all untouched models. Aerie's senior director, Dana Seguin says, Embracing
a more realistic image of girls and women is not just a one-time thing but will now be an integral
part of the brand's overall strategy. This is now our brand; it's not a seasonal campaign for us. It
is now how we're talking to our customers." Seguin says the new approach is aimed to appeal to
women reacting in their own way to the standards that society has set. "We wanted to offer our
customer something different, a real experience, says Seguin. "We listened to our customers,
whether on social media, in the stores or in focus groups, and we've heard them talk about body
image and how hard it is to find a bra. That really helped us come to this point in the brand." One
look at the new ads and it's clear the models are still models but at least they're real people and
not digitally photo shopped. Sequin finishes by saying; "Nothing is covered up such as tattoos,
stretch marks, scars, freckles, etc. so what you see is what you get. We're not altering their bodies
in any way. The product fits them as shown and no alteration to them at all (Seguin 1).

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Body image is a topic hard to discuss no matter what age you are, whether youre tall or
short, obese or skinny. With the way that society is influenced, there will never be a perfect
definition of body image. The media is so quick to put beautiful people on set yet alter their look
by adding extra, unnecessary makeup or Photoshop their excess skin. Its condescending and it
makes viewers self-conscience of their own appearance even though majority of viewers know
that its almost unreal to achieve that look. With the media, we have individuals who are so
biased and believe that the media will never give in to what the real world wants so they ignore
feedback and critism. After looking at all the negative, there are groups out there willing to
change the outlook of the media and make something different to connect with their customers.
As the media begins to grow and receive different views, body image will soon learn to accept
that those are two words that have no specific meaning other that what you think of yourself and
thats all that matters.

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Works Cited
o Brogan, Jan. "Depriving Yourself is the Worst Approach to Weight Loss." Health
Features, 31 Jan. 1999: 6pp. 17 Apr 2015.
o Harris, Dan R. Diet and Nutrition Sourcebook: basic information about nutrition,
including the dietary guidelines for Americans, Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 1996.
17 Apr 2015.
o Parks, M.S., Read, M.H. (1997). Adolescent male athletes: body image, diet, and
exercise, adolescence, 32, 593-602. 17 Apr 2015.
o Seguin, Dana. ""This Is Who We Are Now:" Why Aerie Stopped Retouching The
Models In Its Ads." Co.Create. Jeff Beer, 24 Jan. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.