In today's society, the media is very influential to the public through advertisements, stories, and incessant messages of how people should live their lives. The unreasonable expectation of what a female body should look like is perpetuated by the celebrities in the media, and causes women to be unhappy with their own bodies.
"People" Magazine is one of the most popular magazines that revolves around celebrities and human-interest stories. It is very widely recognized, and on the day after the Oscars, received 51.7 million views on the website. This magazine serves as a place where individuals can get their "fix of the hottest breaking news, celebrity photos, and fashion."
In each issue of "People", there is a special section that is titled "Celebrity Slim Down", and then goes on to say "FROM THEN TO WOW! STARS REVEAL HOW THEY LOST WEIGHT." The September issue shows four celebrities: Jennifer Hudson, Angie Everheart, Kevin Federline, and Patti Stanger. Next to a picture of Hudson wearing a shirt that says, "Lose for Good," there's a little bubble that says, "Lost 20 More Lbs!" It also shows a picture of her when she was "heavy" in Sept. of 2008, and then shows two current ones where she is 20 lbs lighter. Kate Hudson should have been able to feel comfortable, sexy and beautiful in her own skin, without furthering the image that you have to be a size two in order to feel good about yourself. According to Hudson, she "ate chocolate almost every day," but kept a food journal in order to help her keep track of her diet. In today's society, women should be able to feel confident no matter what their body looks like, and work out and change their diets in order to be a healthier person overall, rather than try to fit into what the media designs to be attractive.
Angie Everheart's picture shows a drastic transition from 2009 to this year, where she was pregnant. Everheart dropped from a size 16 to a 6. Since July 2009, Federline has lost 25 lbs after being dedicated to a strict diet in order to get his physique back. Patti Stanger has lost 25 lbs since March 2009 "post-breakup". Stanger's method included using Sensa over the summer, which is an appetite suppressant powder that she sprinkles over every meal. Apparently, she is motivated to lose more and states, "I want a fitter body so I can get out and date!"
The fact that "People" Magazine finds it necessary to advertise these success stories that glamorize weight loss in sometimes unhealthy ways is negatively affecting our society. This weight loss section is objectifying the bodies of both women and men. If you really think about it, the whole concept of clothing sizing in society today is ludicrous. As opposed to in the past where people would construct their own clothing to fit their body type, society pressures women today to fit into specific sizes. The most desirable sizes for women are 2's or 0's, which is incredibly small and hard to attain if you're not naturally petite and if you've been through puberty.
In Susan Douglas' book titled Sexism, she discusses how important it is to note group mentality. Once social expectations are formed of what qualifies as beautiful, it is hard to break that mold and be comfortable in your own body, especially if it is not as perfect as those of celebrities and supermodels. In addition to these unattainable social expectations, Douglas also discusses how women's bodies have become like projects. In class (10/21/10), we discussed some ways in which we treat our bodies like objects: Dieting, working out, hair styling, plastic surgery, make-up, hair removal, clothes, nails, tanning, jewelry, piercings, and tattoos. This obsession with how we look leads us to consider a very important question: why do women find it necessary to spend so much of their lives worrying about how they look, and having their lives revolve around it like the celebrities in "People" do? Is it for themselves, other women, or men.
One component that definitely is relevant to this question is the struggle for power. Some women resort to focusing on their looks because they think it gives them an advantage in the work setting or in the social setting. When Patti Stanger states that "I want a fitter body so I can get out and date!" she is implying that the main reasons that men are attracted to women are physical, and that she is playing into this game by trying to make herself more desirable. Even though she went about losing weight in a very unnatural way that may be dangerous to her health, she still put her body through it in order to go on dates and impress men.
This magazine also creates expectations that are not ideal for the typical woman. Most women can't afford a personal trainer and nutritionist six days a week, or take expensive supplements that make them lose weight. In addition, it is a very ridiculous demand to pretend like it is normal to drop 10 sizes after having a baby in a year. In order for magazines to portray a healthy and normal image of women, they could interview celebrities who follow a healthy diet, and exercise in a healthy manner. In addition, they could consider different social classes, and suggest workouts that you can do at home, or that are easy to do in free time. This way, women who have to work a lot and are also responsible for their children will be able to stay fit without feeling the need to pay for a personal strength and conditioning coach.
In conclusion, the over-the-top image that magazines create for women's bodies leads to a lowering of self-esteem in women of all social classes and lifestyles. The pressure to fit in in society is immense in our culture, and it is being made even harder to do so with the ridiculous standards that have been equated with beautiful and desirable.
Works Cited
Douglas, Susan J. Enlightened Sexism. New York: Times Books, 2010. Print.
I think what struck me the most about this article is that you stated it is in every issue of People. The fact that they can find a sufficient amount of celebrities dieting for every single published edition of People is ridiculous. This makes it seem as though every celebrity is dieting everyday. Subsequently, because celebrities are role models, everyone in America should be dieting daily to try and attain the same lofty goals. This is a dangerous message to send. People should be considered with maintaining a healthy well balanced diet of course, but they should not be obsessed with losing weight on a daily basis. Also, as we have learned, we should always be mindful of who is benefiting from stories in the media. The fact that the product Sensa was included in the coverage was probably no accident. I would not be surprised if there was an ad for the diet pill within the next few pages. I think Americans should start obsessing over their food because it develops unhealthy eating habits on either end of the spectrum- overindulgence and also deprivation. Weight fluctuations to this extreme are not healthy or normal and should not be advertised as such.
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