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Unrealistic Body Images Presented in the Media

Presently, the society is faced with a problem where women develop various diseases, for example obesity and eating disorders, that can be diagnosed as physical and psychological diseases. Consequently, a common perception concerning human health and appearance, most specifically women, has shifted to entail unnecessary and risky inclination to unhealthy standards and behaviors. The unhealthy obsession with appearance, diet, and food among women is complemented by the primary belief of “ideal” body shape and weight. According to Grabe et al. (462), most of the women who believe that they fall short of what is considered to be ideal, end up developing low self-esteem and poor eating habits. Therefore, severe physical and psychological diseases linked to eating disorders can be attributed to unrealistic media images which are generally presented as most acceptable in the society. However, there are tendencies of gender bias, for instance, society permits men to increase body weight, thus boosting the development of muscles. In the media overweight women are ridiculed as well as presented as comic relief; conversely, those regarded as heroines and heroes are depicted to have smaller bodies. Exposing women to unrealistic body images increases the risk of developing psychophysiological diseases, negative moods, and low self-esteem, hence it should be discouraged in our society.

Most women who read fashion magazines result in reducing their intake of calories per day, due to the increased desire to have thinner bodies, thus risking the development of health-related issues such as bulimia and anorexia. For some time, the media has continuously championed for “ideal” body shape and weight, in different ways. Notably, the models used in product promotions, as well as those shown on magazine covers, embodies the “ideal” body shape and weight narrative, besides the characters used in fictional television programs are also portrayed as slim and beautiful. For example, various reality shows such as America's Next Top Model uses real-life women who advocate for the “ideal” body shape and weight narrative: as such, this underlines the unhealthy levels, the “culture of standard attractiveness has reached” (Grabe et al. 465). Women who are not able to conform to the narrative being peddled by the media, end up engaging in life-threatening measures so that to achieve ideal model-like bodies. Such extreme measures are linked to the development of critical physical and psychological health problems; hence women experiencing body dissatisfaction end up developing eating disorders.

Furthermore, a content...