The social issue I would like to focus on is feminism and gender equality. To go deeper, I would like to concentrate on the portrayal of women in the media and how it encourages certain stereotypes and gender roles. Women form their identities from their social context which includes the advertisements and role models from the media. These outside sources can be damaging for women’s self-esteem and thus influence their identities.
Throughout history, advertising companies have over-sexualized women in order to sell their products. The concept of “the perfect woman” has been around for decades, shifting over time, but nevertheless decided by men. In the 1920’s, a woman was considered desirable if she had a boyish figure, short hair, and heavy well-done make up. The ideal body image then shifted to large-breasted, curvy women who were domesticated. This ideal was especially encouraged during Marilyn Monroe’s fame as she was regarded as a role model for women. In the 1960’s, female beauty was considered to be more natural and “hippie”, which then changed to having big hair and fuller bodies in 1970’s to 1980’s (Cosslett & Baxter, 2013). Today, the media portrays the ideal to be thinness, large breasts, long hair, and a “natural” look that is still achieved through make up.
Many women take these examples from the media and develop poor body image that involves feelings of shame, which is the feeling of humiliation and distress caused by the consciousness of the self. One of the most common forms of shaming is self-shaming which is when person encourages negative emotions toward the self. According to Bedrick (2013), a widespread example is when a person looks in the mirror and does not like what they see. Whether they think their body is too flabby or they dislike another aspect of themselves, the first reaction is disgust and dislike. It continues when the person begins internalizing negative thoughts about the self by making dispositional attributions thus encouraging self-shame. Unfortunately, this is quite common in young girls which can lead to eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Much of the thought process behind wanting to be thin is that many people believe that thinness will lead to happiness (Carson, 2009).
Besides the portrayal of incredibly thin women in the media, television series, films, and advertisements also show women as not being central to the plot. Young women are impressionable and the gender roles portrayed by the body types and personalities of female characters in the media can influence the way they think about their own bodies and roles in the world. Since identity is formed with the background of social context, seeing these “perfect” women makes many young girls compare themselves and feel inadequate. They also take the information they learn from observing gender roles on the media and attempting to adjust so they fit those roles. While these women are working on their identities externally, working on the self as an internal process may create cognitive dissonance. For example, a young woman may give off one identity but her self may have developed differently which means that it could cause a shift in self-perception. This could be dangerous and if there is no change on a larger level then women will not be seen the way they want to be seen.
References:
Bedrick, D. (2013). Shame, body image, and weight loss. Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/is-psychology-making-us-sick/201301/shame-body-image-and-weight-loss
Carson, S. (2009). Hollywood portrayal of thinness, success, and butter. Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Retrieved October 4, 2014, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-art/200908/hollywood-portrayal-thinness-success-and-butter
Cosslett, R. L., & Baxter, H. (2013). The five main issues facing modern feminism. NewStatesman. Retrieved from http://www.newstatesman.com/v-spot/2013/05/five-main-issues-facing-modern-feminism
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