TBA
The Global Impact of the Fashion Industry and the Media on Body Image
The norms of body images are constantly being reinforced by the media whether it is through the use of fashion models on the runways and in advertising; the up trending dietary industry or women's magazines that prey on women's anxieties about their weight. The media attempts to portray various body types by using models of different culture and ethic background. The idea in advertising is to capture the reader's attention through the use of fashion models and then attempt to sell the product that is being promoted. The fashion industry and the media, through illusion and visual deception, have favored a standard body-type which is used as a ploy to make the reader feel their pre-existing bodytype is unacceptable by today's standard. The media creates a world of social comparisons for the reader. Women and men view their weight and eating habits on a continuum between ultra thin models, portrayed in the media, and obesity. Where women and men view themselves on this continuum may be determined by not only the media images, but also race, ethnicity, class, or gender. The variety of images in the media today is from various cultures, however; their body types continue to fit the Western body ideal of tall and thin. This glorification of this particular body type is having a negative impact on the self-image of women and men around the world.
Top of page
