Advertisements Influence On Women

Advertisements, in various forms of media, have a constant presence in American culture. When in relation to selling makeup or fashion, there is a fragment in opinion about the use of photo manipulation and the depiction of current beauty ideals for women represented in ads and the modeling industry, as they uphold one body type. Much research has been done on the psychological and behavioral effects of these images on individuals in various cultures. Advertisements and the media have such a powerful effect that they train our unconscious mind; in the process, these repetitive messages form society’s view of women, our own view of ourselves and others, and generally demean those who digress from the standard.
When media is viewed as a form …show more content…
Looking at ads, we may see some of the changes they make in our thinking, but there is no definite idea of how much they influence us. Kilbourne states: “Women learn from a very early age…to achieve this [certain] look and [then feel] ashamed and guilty when [they] fail (Killing 05:18).” Seeing one dominant body type represented in magazines and billboards affects our body confidence. In addition, if we are given messages with an emphasis on absolute perfection, but we ourselves cannot achieve it, this affects our sense of self when we fail. It cannot be achieved “…because the ideal is based on absolute flawlessness (Killing 05:18).” In the study performed by Lee and her colleagues, they reported two things: “…repeated messages about the value of thinness from one’s environment have been shown to increase body dissatisfaction (Lee 1345)” and “in the United States, body dissatisfaction can lead to low psychological well-being, low self-esteem, stress, increased depressive symptoms, and…eating disorders (Lee 1345).” Really then, our self-esteem can be measured by what we see and who we surround ourselves with; our association. When we are unable to look like or live up to the standards glorified in social norms, the end result will be all around low …show more content…
(Lee 1345).” Even though Korea is a country far different in culture and values from America, western ideals influence their societal values. “…people in collectivist societies such as Koreans value connectedness…consider fitting into society and engaging in appropriate behavior very important, and have a higher tendency to engage in social comparison (Lee 1344).” So, in a culture where it is valued to conform to social norms and care about others’ opinion of you, how easy will it be to let go of the standards you see in the