Why is it that women constantly seem to be obsessed with their physical appearance?
Magazines have been criticized for promoting unnatural images of women for years now. Photos have been a part of magazines since the 1850s; as of the 1990s, photos have elevated women’s insecurities. Fashion magazines show women who average 5′10” in height and less than 120 pounds in weight. The average woman is 5′ 4” and 144 pounds.
Women need to realize that the images portrayed in magazines are completely rare and most of the time, unhealthy. Some images are completely photo-shopped. Because of the recent controversies over such photos, women have been informed about the truth. However, more influential people, such as teenage girls, don’t listen to the truth. When a teenage girl sees a certain actress or model looking a certain way, they want to copy the style, no matter what. This leads to unhealthy dieting, or worse, not eating at all.
Magazines are starting to crack under the pressure of the criticism and are promising to only show average women. But honestly, how likely is this? Magazines sell based off of the images half the time. Hollywood thrives off of physical appearances and the material world. Everyone knows that Hollywood sells, including magazines.
More importantly however, is it really the magazines’ responsibility to make sure readers don’t try to change who they are? Women should be able to look around them in the world and see that the people on magazine covers are 1 in a million, and not necessarily desirable to everyone. Women, especially in America, need to become comfortable in their own skin.
The new images of beauty; Supermodel’s vs. the average woman.
I feel that for the younger teens and children parents should make sure that they know when they look at modles on magazines they know that what they are looking at is not reality. Maybe if they do this young girls will not go to such drastic measure to try and look like something that is not real.