Steve KravitJacqueline HillComm 491April 30, 2007-Final ProjectShaping Society with a Lack of Shape: Media Representation and Body ImageWe are each exposed to over 2000 ads a day, constituting perhaps one of the mostindirectly powerful educational forces in society relating to our self body image. It can be seen that advertisements ultimately sell a great deal more than products; they sellvalues, images, and concepts of success and worth, love and sexuality, popularity andnormalcy. They in a sense tell us who we are and who we should strive to be. Men andwomen, teens, boys and girls—all segments of society tie identity to the way people look,to body size and shape, to clothes and even one’s hairstyle. Therefore, the way we viewour body and image can have a tremendous impact on the way we feel about ourselves.For most people, especially adolescents, body image is strongly influenced by massmedia and advertising. When looking into advertising within media representation andself body image one can see how powerful of a tool advertising can be in our currentsocietal demands of life.Advertisers often emphasize body image and the importance of physicalattractiveness in an attempt to sell products. They hope to persuade society thatsomething needs to be “added” or “fixed,” because what we have is not enough to meetour demands and satisfy us. Advertising firms also are constantly trying to convey totheir consumers that by buying and using their product, one will be more attractive, have better social skills, have more friends, and even be happier (Jhally 79). Manyadvertisements use images and representations of men and women as central components

of their strategy to get attention and persuade their audience to buy their product.Commercial messages rely heavily on gender display and not the way men and womenactually behave but instead the ways in which we think men and women behave (Jhally80).Adolescents are particularly vulnerable because they are new and inexperiencedconsumers and are the prime targets of many advertisements. They are in the process of learning their values and roles and developing their self-concepts. Most teenagers aresensitive to peer pressure and find it difficult to resist or even question the dominantcultural messages reinforced by the media. This constant exposure to these problematicadvertisements may influence individuals to become self-conscious about their bodiesand to obsess over their physical appearance as a measure of their worth.Specific Examples-The media continues to set unrealistic standards for what bodysize and appearance is considered “normal.” Collarbones, hipbones, cheekbones and ribcages are the hottest silhouettes in Hollywood. Celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Mary-Kate Olsen, Nicole Riche and Lindsey Lohan can be seen in designer outfits, withdesigner handbags and gorgeous men on their arms. These girls are making millions of dollars and are the model of success to girls everywhere: young, gorgeous, rich andfamous. Most young women look up to and admire these celebrities. Girls are taught at ayoung age that Barbie is how a woman is supposed to look – tall, blonde, big breasts,extremely thin – when in reality Barbie is so exceptionally thin that her weight and body proportions are not only unattainable, but also unhealthy.

An image that helps to portray this problematic issue of media representationwithin society is a print advertisement for Chanel from the March 2007 “Elle” magazine.This particular advertisement portrays most of the features that are associated with anideal model in society and how woman strive to be. The woman is extremely thin- tonedstomach, long legs, fashionably dressed, and appears to have a seductive look on her face.This model has a very balanced, symmetric face, with big brown eyes, high cheek bones,a small nose, a small chin, small hips, soft, glowing skin, long straight hair, no wrinkles,and no acne. She is dressed in a black and white rich looking, sophisticated jacket withit unbuttoned and her flat stomach exposed, with her long legs being accentuated by her shorts. She is wearing tall platformed shoes and carrying a stylish black purse. Thesexual look on her face makes her seem very intimidating and standoffish to viewers of this ad.This Chanel advertisement is a true indication of a problematic example of whatsociety views as the “ideal body.” Beautiful features, a symmetrical face, and a proportional skinny body makes this model become an icon of what our culture trulyvalues and how it can be detrimental to the role of body image. While many peopleknow that this type of body is mostly unachievable, people will still compare themselvesto these models, still develop eating disorders, emotional trauma, low self-worth andstrong dissatisfaction with their body.Mainstream media representations also play a role in reinforcing ideas about whatit means to be a "real" man in our society. In most media portrayals, male characters arerewarded for self-control and the control of others, aggression and violence, financialindependence, and physical desirability. Another example of an advertisement that can