Like it or not the media has a big influence on the way women perceive their bodies. We all notice the way that almost every add on T.V. seems to portray women in a glamorous, but unrealistic manner. I say unrealistic because the women presented in most ads are not portrayed in the image of the average woman. Most of the ads represent women who are size two and under. It is unrealistic for every woman to be viewed as being extremely thin. These types of images tend to make most women and young girls insecure about their bodies. These days getting plastic surgery is like getting a tattoo. So many of us see these unattainable bodies in the media and we think that we have to duplicate them in order to be considered beautiful. Beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes, but it would never be evident if we continue to let the media set the standard for what beauty is. Health educators are presented with the challenges of influencing individual lifestyles through education on a daily basis. They must start by building self esteem programs within the community. Health educators can also advocate against adds that have been technologically altered to portray false images of women. Young girls are affected the most because they do not understand the extend to which these images are changed before being displayed. Women must be taught at early ages to love themselves and to embrace their bodies in order to change the way they perceive themselves in the media.
Although for years the media has negatively influenced women perceptions of their bodies, they have recently made some attempts to change. For example, Tyra Banks has attempted to change the face of beauty by providing opportunities for women of different shapes, sizes and color on her show "America's Next Top Model". Full figured models are more accepted today than they were years ago. I believe the key to changing the standard view of what beauty is, lies in seeing diverse portrayals of it on a regular basis.
Martinetta Victorian
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