Paper 1

Body Image vs. Reality: Paper 1

According to Naomi Wolf in her book, The Beauty Myth, the beauty myth is the idea that society, often times directed by men has created a particular notion of beauty and uses this notion to control women. She says, “The beauty myth is not about women at all. It is about men’s institutions and institutional power” (13). Wolf believes that society’s notion of beauty has created unreachable standards that women are supposed to attain and controls them through their failure to reach these standards.

Everyday in popular culture we are exposed to images and ideas of ideal female beauty that are entirely incorrect and create and reinforce false ideas. These ideas even though they are obviously incorrect have become so prevalent in our lives that we have slowly overtime started to believe them. Through these ideas, men and women are told that the ideal woman is an object of a man’s sexual pleasure and nothing more. Many of the ads we see everyday express this idea through sexuality, abuse, and submission. These ads teach men and women that all these horrible ideas and images of sexual abuse and submission are accepted in everyday culture. Wolf believes that this idea of beauty “is not universal or changeless,” the ideal beauty is taken from popular culture and evolves over time (12).

Through the idea of the beauty myth, women are taught that they “must want to embody [society’s idea of beauty] and men want to possess women who embody it” (12). Through this concept, women are told they must fit into whatever standards society places on beauty or attractiveness otherwise they will be considered undesirable to men and forever be lonely.

Across all forms of media and its different devices, a majority of the revenue and profit come from advertisements. In these advertisements, often times women are portrayed as objects of desire and pleasure for men. One advertisement that strongly portrays this idea comes from the Bad Boy Clothing line. In this advertisement, we are lead to believe that there is no other role for women to play other than look sexy and please our every sexual desire. This ad is both damaging to females perceptions of themselves and their roles in our society as well as men’s expectations of women and what is acceptable to expect from them.

Every aspect of the advertisement is very degrading to women as well as sends the wrong signals to men. In the advertisement, there is a woman taking her top off in front of a man sitting on a couch. The way the male is sitting on the couch suggests that he is very relaxed and that he possesses all the control in the situation. From the way he is sitting it is easy to imply that he just allowed the girl his time and it’s now her turn to entertain him. The women could very possibly be a stripper or prostitute or some other type of profession that is degrading to women. The woman is removing her shirt and has her bra showing which is supposed to add excitement and interest to the viewer. The advertisement suggests that the women and the man are about to engage in sex. Judging by my knowledge of Bad Boy Records and its clothing line, the advertisement is supposed to look like it is taking place at a recording studio and the male is a musical artist. Many of the artists that Bad Boy Records endorses often times degrade women in their songs and their music videos, which is exactly what the clothing line is trying to promote and associate themselves with. In the advertisement, the women is very much at the mercy of the male and is happy to be in the situation, she is pleased to be able to entertain the musician both through her looks as well as through her body. This also promotes the idea of sexual abuse among men and reinforces Wolf’s idea that “abuse is a mark of desirability” (164).

The advertisement is a great example of how the idea that women are just merely objects for a man’s pleasure and enjoyment. Bad Boy Clothing which is an affiliate of Bad Boy Records is being promoted in the advertisement. Bad Boy Clothing produces and sells a variety of relaxed clothing worn by its artists and musicians. The advertisement is targeting entirely the male population. Bad Boy Clothing wants the male population to think that by purchasing their clothing line, these kinds of sexual encounters will occur for them as well. The advertisement is tapping in on the male attraction to visual stimulation and sexual attraction. The ad targets guys ranging in age anywhere from 14-30. This is a very large spectrum of ages and life experiences and the fact that the same exact message is being expressed is wrong.

The central idea of beauty promoted in the advertisement follows very closely to the ideas of mainstream media. The idea of beauty expressed in the advertisement is young, thin, and blonde. The woman in the advertisement is very thin and has very nice breasts. She is very young and looks very attractive. This advertisement further promotes the jaded image of true beauty our society has created. The woman has features and traits that are too good to be true and impossible to find in the real world. This false representation creates impossible expectations in the minds of the men who view this advertisement and creates an impossible to reach bar for the women viewers. These perceptions created are very harmful and destructive.

This advertisement promotes the idea to men that life is just like what we hear on the radio and watch in the movies and women are happy to sexually please all of our desires and are supposed to as well. This advertisement is extremely destructive and damaging to women. To men, this advertisement expresses the idea that we will be able to sleep with beautiful women in the back room of our recording studio if we purchase Bad Boy Clothing. This ad reinforces the idea of sexual aggression among men, in her book, Wolf shares the disturbing statistic that 1 in 12 college males have raped or tried to rape a woman (165). The idea is very incorrect and creates the wrong idea in the minds of both men and women. For men, it establishes the notion that women are here to satisfy their every sexual desire and for women, it reinforces the idea that society has created that their main function in life is to be sexually attractive enough to satisfy the male population. Both these ideas are incorrect.

On the other hand, even with our world cluttered with tons of advertisements that reinforce negative stereotypes in both men and women, there are some advertisements that break through the clutter and promote positive ideas.

In the March 2009 issue of Shape magazine, Asics included an advertisement that unlike many of the ads included in the magazine promoted the idea of being happy with you and not comparing yourself to others. This advertisement is one of the best ads I have seen in a while and I really like the fact it promotes begin content with oneself while also promoting physical fitness. Unlike the advertisement by Bad Boy Clothing, this ad promotes positive and constructive ideas towards women. It promotes the idea that a healthy lifestyle will contribute to happiness and self content. It expresses the notion that through hard work and many miles satisfaction will come. Instead of dieting which according to Wolf becomes “anorexia or compulsive eating or bulimia” (127).

The advertisement shows a woman’s legs as she is sitting in grass after what the viewer can assume a run. The advertisement’s copy says: “be happy with the grass on your own side of the fence.” This phrase is a play off of the saying: the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. The advertisement is trying to sell Asics shoes and running apparel to women. This advertisement is targeting health conscious women looking to either lose weight or maintain their current weight. Asics is a very well known running company and has a strong following among those in the running community.

The advertisement is implying that through personal fitness and nutrition, every woman can be happy with her own body and not have to compare herself to other women. This idea and advertisement is a wonderful reinforcement of the notion that if you are unhappy with how you look, you should become proactive and change yourself so that you are happy and confident. I feel like there are so many advertisements that express the idea that every women should fit into a certain size jeans or wear a certain size bra and I definitely think those ads are wrong, but I am also against advertisements that promote the idea that if you don’t fit into those jean you should just settle with whatever body you do have. I think this advertisement by Asics is the best of both worlds because it says if you are unhappy with how you look, start running and practicing a healthier lifestyle and you will become content with yourself. I think the ads that reinforce the idea to settle with whatever body size you do have done a great disservice to the world. Too many men and women who find it hard to exercise regularly and eat healthy decide to give up and “settle” with their body and find offense in every advertisement containing thin attractive people. But this advertisement by Asics does not do this; instead it encourages those who are struggling everyday to practice a healthy lifestyle.

This advertisement expresses the notion that real beauty does not fit into any certain jean size or bra size, but it falls into self satisfaction and content. When you are truly content with yourself you are then the most confident you can be and the happiest. This advertisement does not follow the ideas of female beauty expressed in mainstream media instead it creates a more positive and healthy idea.

This advertisement is a great example of how advertisers can promote their product without being deconstructive to the self esteems of women. This ad promotes physical fitness and health through positive reinforcement and positive goals instead of through fear and desperation. Unlike many advertisements that use a women’s fear of being considered overweight or unbeautiful to sell its product, this Asics ad promotes self improvement and self content. I think many women and men who try to lose weight or become healthier through exercise lose interest because of the lack of positive encourage and positive reinforcement and this advertisement encourages improvement very well.

In Naomi Wolf’s The Beauty Myth, she describes the controls society has created and enforces on women. These controls often times take place through media and advertisements. In this paper, the ad by Bad Boy Clothing represents and reinforces the negative aspects of the beauty myth while the Asics ad represents a more positive and constructive way to advertise.

Ex: Offensive Advertisement by Bad Boy Clothing

Ex: Positive Advertisement by Asics

Blog 6

Cosmetic surgery in the beginning was mainly used for people who had been in accidents or for war veterans. I think cosmetic surgery has become centered around women because they are more influenced or affected by how they are perceived. In my experience, men for the most part care very little about their appearance. We strive to look good and presentable, but I don't think we obsess over beauty as much as women. Also the main reasons women get cosmetic surgery (wrinkles, nose, ect.) are signs of maturity and experience for men. In the business world you are initially given more respect for signs of maturity such as grey hair or wrinkles. Women are not given the same luxury as men in that area unfortunately and that is why I think cosmetic surgery is centered more around them.

I have nothing against cosmetic surgery. If you are unhappy with how you look, you should change it just like if you are unhappy with what you are wearing. You are nowhere near as confident when you don't think you look good. So if by getting cosmetic surgery you are able to gain confidence and improve your outlook on life, why not.

I don't think people take it too lightly. It's too expensive for people to take it lightly. I do think people can go overboard and become too dependent on cosmetic surgery/ That is why I think that those who have cosmetic surgery should be careful and not become too consumed or obsessed with it.

Cosmetic surgery is not vain in my opinion. It's just as vain as wearing clothing you like or running regularly to stay fit. Everyone wants to feel like they look good and there is nothing wrong with having surgery to do so.

Examples of cosmetic surgery:
1. abdominoplasty (tummy tuck)
2. Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery)
3. Breast Augmentation

Blog 5

Gender has played a huge role over time in what kind of toys are played with. From the start, boys have played with GI Joes and girls have played with Barbies. Even though they are very similar toys, there are huge differences and huge implications when confused. GI Joes are played with to instill aggression and competition while Barbies are played with to promote beauty and other femine attributes. As kids get older, boys are drawn to Nerf guns and water guns, while girls are pushed towards easy bake ovens. And finally toys related to sports and other outdoor type activities are promoted to boys during middle school and above and toys revolving around makeup and other accessories are promoted to girls.

When it comes to marketing toys companies take different approaches when it comes to boys and girls. Toys market to boys are shown as strong and dominant while toys marketed to girls are shown as dainty and submissive.

Toys definitely influence the way children play. They promote aggression and dominance in boys and submission in and cooking skills in girls. Boys play with GI Joes and water guns which are very mch associated with aggression and girls play with easy bake oven.

I think they toys kids play with influence who they become. If everything you play with instills some sort of characteristic or trait, you are bound to be influenced some how. I played sports from a very young age and now I am drawn to sport, I'm sure if I had been introduced to ballet at that same age and grew up around it I would have a similar interest.

My favorite childhood toys are: Playmobile, Linkin Logs, GI Joes, Legos, and anything related to sports. I loved Playmobile, Linkin Logs, and Legos because I loved to build things and I loved sports so anything related I enjoyed.

Blog 4

In The Beauty Myth: The Importance of Appearance, the idea that the media and culture have created the definition for sexuality for women, occurs quite often throughout the reading. The reading focuses mainly on women, but I feel men should be included as well. In my opinion, much of our ideas about beauty as well as sexuality are intrinsic in the most basic sense, but through the presence of television and other forms of modern media, our perceptions have become tainted if not greatly distorted.

What we see when we turn on the television or flip through a magazine is far from the truth for both males and females. The women as well as men potrayed through the media are far from the truth. In my opinion, this false representation has jaded some men's perceptions and expectations of women. In the end I feel everyone deep down knows that the women or men seen on television and magazines are fake and in the end everyone can and will be happy when they find the right person. (I hope that's not too naive) I do feel that either way with or with out media, we would create standards for beauty in our society. We are not all created physically equal and some people have more desireable traits, such as stronger muscles, better hair, or dozens of other characteristics that make us unique.

Pornography is another problem that has greatly distorted men's perceptions of women. Pornography is a great example of instant gratification at it's worst. Pornography not only taints the true perception of beauty for men, but it also creates an unattainable level of sexuality for women. I think pornography is one of the worst media trends of our generation, because it has made sexuality seem too easy and has taken so much of the intimacy away from sex which is a shame.

I don't feel like female beauty functions as a social control. I think female beauty is a way for companies and industries to make money. Controlling women is a very low priority for I bet all companies and most individuals and turning a profit is at the highest. If showing images of people we would consider not as attractive turned more of a profit than images beautiful people, every magazine in the world would start showing pictures of less attractive people. The media is not using female beauty for anything more than money. Our society has created our idea of beauty and what we think is attractive, media is just showing us the images we want to see.