Unrealistic Images Of Women Essay

The media shapes society’s opinion on what the “perfect” women should look like. With the increase in technology use, the media is able to leave its imprint on women of all ages. By portraying models in TV commercials and social media sites, the media influences a large amount of women, provoking them to look like the models shown. However, the models are unrealistically perfect, with their unattainable features and thin bodies, causing women to reach for unrealistic expectations. Therefore, the unrealistic images of women portrayed in the media harm a woman’s physical and mental health by causing eating disorders, plastic surgeries, and low self- esteem. Certainly, the portrayal of extremely thin models in the media cause women to develop eating disorders. A survey asking people if they ever had anorexia was conducted by researchers from …show more content…
For instance, a study carried out by the National Institute on Media and the Family found that 53% of girls who are 13 years old and 78% of girls who are 17 years old feel that their bodies are unattractive (“Body-image”). Inevitably, the study depicts that the extremely skinny models seen all over the media cause feelings of sadness and low self-esteem in women. This is harmful because the media is able to impact a large amount of women by making them feel unhappy with themselves. Furthermore, Erin Heatherton, a former Victoria’s Secret model, decides to stop modelling after being constantly told to lose weight by the company. Heatherton says that she felt very depressed because no matter how many weight loss tactics she did, she could not meet the company’s standards (“Former VS”). Clearly, the media puts pressure on women to have a certain body type, causing them to feel depressed. Thus, the portrayal of beautiful models in the media harms a woman’s mental health by causing feelings of dissatisfaction with