Celia Milne's 'Pressures To Conform'

On a daily basis, we are sent messages that we can have it all. Whether it be on television, social media or in a print article, women are seeing this month’s pinnacle of happiness and health, often resulting in comparing how we measure up, realizing that we just don’t feel adequate in comparison. The unrealistic presentations of perfection by the media impacts women in physical and psychological ways, often resulting in low self-esteem and health risks.
Women have been obsessing about attaining unrealistic goals set out by the media for many years. Celia Milne, author of “Pressures to Conform” addresses the negative impact that media can have on the physical and mental wellbeing of young women. She outlines the ways that the media portrays a generally unattainable model of beauty and that young …show more content…
Consequently, as these young women approach motherhood themselves, they model this behavior and the cycle continues. In Milne’s article, Margaret Beck, acting director of the eating disorder centre states “The research, does seem to suggest that mothers who are food- and weight-preoccupied tend to have daughters who are the same.” The media seems to be increasing their attention on this matter, as the advertisements seem to be multiplying at an astounding rate. Social media advertising.
Milne confirms this in her article referencing a statistic from the National Eating Disorder Centre in Toronto, stating that “The eating disorder centre says that its surveys show that fully 70 percent of Canadian women are preoccupied with their weight, and 40 percent are yo-yo dieting.” (Page 222). When women focus on their weight, they will often reach out to those “quick-fix” dieting ads that have appealed to them, thus resulting in the “yo-yo dieting”