Body Image

body imageSomalia Hinton                                                                   Foundations of Writing

 May 13, 2013                                                                     Period 2

   Today's media portrayals of body image have a significant effect on teenager's self esteem and suicide rates. I strongly believe the media puts this picture in our brain that being skinny is the only way to be. It puts pressure on females and even males to be skinny even so skinny that people have disorders. Body image is not just how we look at our own physical appearance, but how we think others look at us as well. In our society, there’s praise for people who are well-toned and have picture-perfect bodies. Our senses are attacked with this message through advertising, entertainment, fashion and other media.

Body image distortion is something that can affect both males and females, although it is more commonly found in women. Many women feel the need to be as thin as those seen on the television, movie or fashion industry, and will often look at themselves as overweight whether they are or not. Men, on the other hand, want to be perfectly sculpted, with strong, muscular bodies. But in distorted body image cases, men usually have a more realistic outlook on the current state of their body image. Even so, for both sexes, the desire to have the perfect body can often lead to dangerous eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia. Media is stronger than what people think.

The media influences its place on us. It affects the way we behave, how we think, and how we go about our daily lives. There are many different ways media affects us, through the television shows we associate ourselves. Media significantly influences teens to acquire negative attitudes that can be reflected in their day to day behaviors and their relationships to others. In addition, it also portrays images of models that look like they haven’t eaten in days. They are extremely thin,...