User:EliaNappa/sandbox

The Influence of Pop Culture on Body Image

According to the article “Popular Culture’s influence on the Mental Health and Body Image of Girls and Women”, pop culture focuses its attention on marketing the “beauty ideal.” Therefore, this message is being sold to girls and women everywhere. The message stemming from this, is that by having the “beauty ideal”, you will achieve true happiness. What is displayed as “ideal” in magazines, television or other channels of pop culture has seemingly led girls and women to believe this is who they should become. Pop culture is presenting physically unhealthy and detrimental images that are unattainable. In todays cultural context, the internalization of this ideal is understandable, however, incredibly harmful. As we are exposed to over 3000 advertisements daily, it is hard to escape the internalization. Pop culture has fast-forwarded the lives of young girls and pressured them to take on the adult persona. Due to cultures placement of damaging standards, it has led to 80% of girls and women dealing with body dissatisfaction (Peters, 2004). “We do not have a concept of our body image at birth. Therefore, it develops over our lifetime. This image is influenced by the information we receive daily about what is considered attractive and what is considered unattractive. This information is deeply embedded in our culture. Each culture has its own ideals of beauty, which change over time and are transmitted to individuals through family, stories and legends, and through the various forms of media” (Goodbrant). We live in a culture where looks consume us. Inevitably, so many face body dissatisfaction. Young girls are immensely vulnerable to the exposure on how to achieve the “right” look. Overall, Pop culture influences the body image of everyone. Regardless of where the direct message comes from, it is there. An article from Fox News, on the topic of Seventeen Magazine. Seventeen magazine is purchased by teens from all over and it gives “advice” on how to lose weight, how to dress, style your hair and makeup but what it fails to mention, is that all of the girls on the cover and within the magazine are airbrushed and photoshop in some way. Magazines aren’t helping, rather, they are contributing to unattainable ideals. At such a young age, girls should be influenced by “real” people, and all of the advice should be contributed to goals that individuals can actually reach.