Introduction The mass media greatly influences the lives of many females as they grow up. It sets unrealistic expectations on how women should look, convincing them they need to be thin and attractive in order to achieve success. The emphasis mass media places on traditional feminine beauty has a direct correlation with women’s lack of professional ambition. The mass media leads to lack of professional ambition by defining the unrealistic standard of beauty, the absence of female role-models, and the development of low self-esteem. As well as, examining the representation of women in politics. This research will analyze the role mass media plays in the professional lives of females and how aspirations of traditional feminine beauty prevent
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(Werithem & Paxton 2012) The media causes women to feel unsatisfied in with their bodies, and is often considered to display the ideal looks, roles, and behaviours that are most approved by society (Carter). When a woman tries to attain an ideal body that differs from her own, it can leave her feeling inadequate. It becomes less likely for a woman to fulfill a more challenging position when she feels pressure to attain the ‘perfect’ body. As pressure from the media increases, the expectations a woman has for herself increases. When these expectations are not met, this leaves her feeling inadequate. Positive self-esteem is considered to be an essential condition to professional pursuits. This allows an individual to become more self-sufficient in a given situation and encourage a person to take on more challenges, persist in difficult tasks, and create less anxiety and stress in new work conditions (Turner). Without a positive perspective on herself, a women will be less likely to strive for more difficult and challenging job …show more content…
Women in the United States congress only hold 19.4% of the seats (Rutgers). The manner in which female politicians are represented in the media can be attributed to this low number. Women’s success in politics is often related to social status of females, and whether they enhance or damage their character (Coman & Scarlat 2014). In addition to this, a female politician who is considered ‘attractive’ is more likely to receive support from male counterparts (Coman & Scarlat 2014). Because the media emphasizes the importance of being beautiful, women’s credentials are often brought in to question. In Common & Scarlat’s article they state that the message sent by the media is, “in a world of men, women cannot enter through their intellectual capacity and hence they resort to personal charm.” This means that women use their behaviour and their appearance in order to achieve professional
(Werithem & Paxton 2012) The media causes women to feel unsatisfied in with their bodies, and is often considered to display the ideal looks, roles, and behaviours that are most approved by society (Carter). When a woman tries to attain an ideal body that differs from her own, it can leave her feeling inadequate. It becomes less likely for a woman to fulfill a more challenging position when she feels pressure to attain the ‘perfect’ body. As pressure from the media increases, the expectations a woman has for herself increases. When these expectations are not met, this leaves her feeling inadequate. Positive self-esteem is considered to be an essential condition to professional pursuits. This allows an individual to become more self-sufficient in a given situation and encourage a person to take on more challenges, persist in difficult tasks, and create less anxiety and stress in new work conditions (Turner). Without a positive perspective on herself, a women will be less likely to strive for more difficult and challenging job …show more content…
Women in the United States congress only hold 19.4% of the seats (Rutgers). The manner in which female politicians are represented in the media can be attributed to this low number. Women’s success in politics is often related to social status of females, and whether they enhance or damage their character (Coman & Scarlat 2014). In addition to this, a female politician who is considered ‘attractive’ is more likely to receive support from male counterparts (Coman & Scarlat 2014). Because the media emphasizes the importance of being beautiful, women’s credentials are often brought in to question. In Common & Scarlat’s article they state that the message sent by the media is, “in a world of men, women cannot enter through their intellectual capacity and hence they resort to personal charm.” This means that women use their behaviour and their appearance in order to achieve professional