The one thing that the media has forced into the minds
of their watchers is that appearance is the most important thing a woman has
going for her. Appearance alone, not education, motherhood, career, etc but
only the way she looks. By promoting all type of production commercials where
women are portrayed as perfect human beings. They have perfect hair, perfect
bodies, perfect clothes, and their skin is flawless. These commercials have given
us the impression that every woman must be super skinny to be beautiful. This
is a typical gender stereotype in America that damages some women’s
self-esteem. This opens up a whole window of problems regarding a woman’s
expectations of her own beauty or attractiveness. Not to mention men will now
hold women to higher beauty expectations because of what they see in the media.
Can you imagine a young girl dealing with low self-esteem and constantly being
reminded by the media of how she should look? I think it’s truly devastating.
Will the media ever promote positive images of women?
Thanks, Mercedes! Yes, there IS so much to talk about! I am continually disheartened at the way women are portrayed in the media and how looks are the main focus. Ugh!! I don't see things changing very much, honestly. And often, I think women help perpetuate this, since some of them buy into this illusion! :-( Thanks for this and for all your work with semester!
ReplyDeleteDr. G