More than a size zero, the perfect body image
Today, if you are not between sizes one through about size three you can consider being outside of society’s “perfect body image.” Beauty ideals in American culture and culture worldwide is that to be beautiful and accepted you must be thin. Within these cultural standards, especially in the U.S., having a thin waist, thigh gap, big hips, big breasts, and no extra fat on your body is considered to be what young girls and women are striving for.
But it really is no surprise that young girls and young boys have this unrealistic image of what their bodies should look like. It is all they see in the media they consume around them. From t.v shows, books, advertisements and movies, the extremely thin size zero is all they see and what they perceive to be successful and beautiful women and men. The media pays special attention to these men and women as well. From a celebrity’s new diet that will never work that was on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine in the grocery store, which depicts a already thin and beautiful celebrity who needs to be even more thin according to Cosmo, to the Victoria Secret commercials that play on t.v that show the stereotypical size zero prancing on screen in lingerie. These cultural standards to be extremely thin in order to be beautiful has been established in the media.
“The correlation between media image and body image has been proven; in one study, among European American and African American girls ages 7–12, greater overall television exposure predicted both a thinner ideal adult body shape,” Alexandra Ossola said. https://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/the-medias-effect-on-womens-body-image
Young girls are the most affected by these stereotypical ideals of beauty placed in their head by the media, but young boys and men are affected as well. Advertisements play off of an individual’s insecurities to make them think they need their product to be thin or to be what is shown in their ad. But in reality a pink razor used by a size zero shaving her legs is not going to make someone who is a size 12 a size zero. A pink razor is a pink razor and nothing else. The media portrays these unrealistic standards and because of these standards young girls grow up thinking they are not beautiful, that they are not good enough and thinking they will never be successful because they don’t fit into what is “normal” in the American culture. But what is normal? Is it a size zero… is it bigger than a size zero?
In the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, a study that was featured in USA Today, states that the average size of women’s clothing in America is 16. That is 16 sizes bigger than what the media is showing to be normal and beautiful. It is no wonder that eating disorders in adolescents are on the rise. Media exposure to unrealistic ideals has shown that biases towards the “perfect” body image are shown and modeled through the media. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/media-spotlight/201311/media-exposure-and-the-perfect-body
But with awareness and change the beauty norms’ in today’s society can be lifted from the minds of America’s youth and used to combat societies “beautiful” social standards.
