Body Image
Would you like to change anything about yourself? Have you ever considered dieting or having surgery? Millions of teens get their ideas about beauty from magazines, billboards and music videos. The impact can be fatal.
Keywords
- seduction (n.)
- appeal (n.)
- perception (n.)
- appearance (n.)
- surgery (n.)
- strive (v.)
- distort (v.)
Unhealthy Eye Candy
You have seen them: the luscious blonde beauty in her underwear looking down at you from a billboard, and the guy with a six pack on TV interrupting an entire office of female staff when delivering lemonade.
Models are pure eye candy, but like real candy, they are not nutritious or healthy for you. Their job is to draw attention to a product through sex, seduction, and perfection. The models have an addictive appeal, which may influence the way you look at yourself, your body and your lifestyle. Is this the way you have to look in order to be accepted, find a partner and be happy?
Picture Perfect
Even the models we see in magazines probably wish they could look like their own images. Almost nothing is natural about those photos. They have to go through a great deal of retouching in order to appear perfect. The photos contort your perception of reality and what natural beauty is.
While striving for good looks, it is important to keep in mind that not all of what is perceived as beautiful in ads, fashion shows and magazines is actually real. This puts the term 'real beauty' into a new perspective – a perspective that does not necessarily acknowledge that we are all beautiful in our own individual way.
Teen Changes
When teenagers go through physical changes during adolescence, it is sometimes a challenge to see real beauty when looking into the mirror. Their bodies are developing rapidly and their appearances are massively changing. These changes have a huge effect on the way you perceive your body. You might consider going on a diet or exercise heavily to gain a six pack or drop a dress size – all in the pursuit of the perfect body.
Millions of people worldwide are affected by eating disorders, specifically young women striving to have an 'ideal' figure. A survey made on an American college campus revealed that 91 percent of the young women had tried to control their weight through dieting. Distortion of body image is common among adolescents who frequently feel fat, even at a normal weight.
Picture Yourself into Being
Social media sites like Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest allow you to create your own 'picture perfect' image and manipulate the way others perceive you. Hours of hard work at the fitness center or being on a diet can finally pay off. One could say that you create your personal image through the pictures that you choose to post.
'Selfies' give you the opportunity to control how you want to present yourself. Every little flaw can easily be erased using filters that help conceal pimples, excess weight and dark circles under your eyes. This phenomenon adds yet another critical dimension to the term 'real beauty'. Only this time it is you who is using the media to distort reality.