The Unrealistic Portrayal of Women in the Media

Media is whizz of the most powerful aspects of modern ordering. It plays an enormous role in passelting societal standards and show how people, especi every(prenominal)y women, should act and appear. In boththing from advertising, television programming, newspapers and magazines, to comic books, popular music, postulate and video games the media sets false standards for women. These unrealistic depictions of the role that women must play, and the im come along that women must have in order to be accepted argon drastic everyy affecting societies views and the ego-worth of women worldwide.In all forms of media, women ar grossly misrepresented. Women argon most a lot shown in the home, performing domestic chores as sex objects who exist in the beginning to service men as the romantic interest as characters who swan greatly on men as victims who can non entertain themselves and atomic number 18 the natural recipients of beatings, harassment, sexual assault and murder. W omen rarely play lease roles or roles of significance in movies and television shows, and when they do, they are rarely cheat on as independent or as a hero.Only 16 percent time of films feature women protagonists (Richardson, 2011). In 2012, women represented less than one-third of the speaking characters (Eveleth, 2013). For every one fe masculine on screen, there were two and a one-half men. Women are not given enough positive role vexs. make up in Disney movies, female characters ride off into the sunset at age 16 with a prince they barely know sending the message that we are reliant on men. Furthermore, almost every single cleaning point of intersection advertisement created features a woman cleaning up after her children and husband.Despite the item that in real life, this concept of patriarchy and women being fragile and irresolute is largely is outdated, the media continues to portray women in this way. This is sending a entirely faulty image of how things should b e to society, especially to teen girls and women. Women are not wholly being told to play a certain role in society, hardly being pressured to aroma a certain way as well. From junior age, women are exposed to the vagary that they are supposed(a) to be sexual tall, have a small waist, be buxom, have perfect skin, etc.All Disney princess movies, barely harmless they may seem, show girls sexually. In G-rated childrens films, female characters often look just as sexual/revealing as they do in R-rated movies. Many online games for unexampled girls, such as Selenas Date Rush, do a similar thing. The instructions for Selenas Date Rush are simple When Justin comes to plectron her up in the morning, she just woke up with no makeup ravish help her complete her makeup before Justin finds out implying that you are not graceful enough to be seen until you are in makeup.Additionally, while Barbie is supposed to be a positive role model for children, the proportions of the Barbie do ll are humanly unattain sufficient and the outfits that she wears are impractical and revealing. Not lonesome(prenominal) Barbie dolls, merely other popular dolls such as Monster High dolls and Bratz dolls, conjure up that same image. These unrealistic role models, that skew the meaning of beauty are present through womens whole lives. There is a constant barrage of hyper-sexualised, airbrushed images of women as well as messages of needing self-improvement, in all forms of media.Almost all advertisements for augmentative products and clothing feature digitally modified, underweight models. In fact, the first and only ad campaign featuring average and overweight women is a Dove ad campaign. The Canadian Health Network found that the average female model is not only much taller than the average woman, but weighs to the highest degree 25% less (ojejwow, 1996). Even commercials about obtaining a healthy and physically active, life-style feature the presence of very thin actresse s with a wide spue of body and facial cosmetics. This leads to the assumption, that only thin women can be pretty-pretty and healthy.Also, three-quarters of womens magazine covers feature articles about overhauling ones physical appearance and studies indicate that tight three-quarters of all female characters in sitcoms are underweight, and those that are overweight are often the subject of comments or jokes about their bodies made by male characters (Portrayal of women, 2009). Everywhere that young girls and women turn they are faced with the idea that their looks are everything, that pleasing the male gaze is paramount and that hiding their imperfections and do themselves sexy is the sum total of their value.It is only when one looks at all of these things together that one starts to realise the immense impact it might be having on them. The way in which women are portrayed in the media has an overcome negative effect on society. Media reinforcing the idea that women are wea k and vigor without men continues to create problems with the way that women are treated and viewed by society in the workplace and in many social situations.It also creates problems in the way that women treat and view themselves, especially in relationships. 1 in 3 girls between the ages of 16 and 18 say sex is pass judgment for people their age if they are in a relationship (Statistics, n. d. ). Unfortunately, women are often pressured to conform to societies standards regarding sex and relationships, especially as adolescents. Media constantly creating unrealistic standards for beauty is effecting the physical and mental health of women and girls.In one survey nearly half of nine- to twelve-year-old girls verbalize they wanted to be thinner and had either been on a diet or were aware of the concept of dieting and in another study in one study half of girls ages 16-21 said they would undergo surgery to improve their bodies (Body image- girls, 2012) Anorexia Nervosa & Related E ating Disorders, Inc. (2011) says that one out of every four college-aged women uses un-healthy methods of weight control- including fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse, and self induced vomiting. Eating disorders have become more and more bighearted in young women.Psychological factors that cause these disorders include moo self-esteem and feelings of inadequateness or lack of control, which are often caused by the unrealistic standards set by media. Even if eating disorders are not an issue, self-esteem problems much are. Doves Real Truth About Beauty research (2011) revealed that by the age of 14, 55% of Canadian girls feel pressure to be beautiful. By the time they are 29, this number increases to 96%. This industry has gone in like manner far in pushing a dangerously thin, unrealistically beautiful, misguided image that women, and young girls, try to emulate.The harsh reality that low self-esteem, low self- worth, and feelings of inadequacy are evid ent in almost all womens life in some form is not one to be taken lightly. Media, while providing people with information and entertainment, also affects peoples lives by shaping their opinions of and attitudes toward society and themselves. This is particularly relevant pertaining to the image of women in the media. Mass media still uses gender stereotypes and unrealistic definitions of beauty to reach the consumer, and the make that these tactics have on women are severe.With most women facing conquest regarding gender roles of some form and with only 4% of women being able to call themselves beautiful (Surprising Self-Esteem Statistics, 2011), it is clear that change unavoidably to occur. The media needs to stop using underweight women to sell products to every mean solar day women, instilling feelings of inadequacy in women in order to sell products, presenting women in sexual, dependent, or domestic roles and need to begin instilling self-worth in young girls and women of a ll makes and give them positive role models.Changing the medias projection of woman has been a consistent agenda of the womens movement since the early l960s. However, little has happened and it will take an enormous shift in the mentality of media producers and society itself before a great deal can happen. For now, if people become aware of the stereotypes and indoctrinate critical viewing skills and the real meaning of beauty/equality to young girls and one another, perhaps they will be less likely to cede to the effects of the unrealistic standards that the media has put in place for all women.