Student’s Last Name 1

Killing Women’s Self-Esteem Softly

Current society, as is planted by Jean Kilbourne, guided by marketing, give the idea

of artificial women, all over the world images, videos and advertising can be seen, showing

the way women are supposed to be, to behave, now, the reality can be very disturbing when

faced, there’s absolute no woman who can reach the ideals that have been set for her, let

alone women of color, if being a woman isn’t already rough, being a women who isn’t white

can become a real challenge in the subject of beauty.

Violence against women, shallowness and misogyny are born from the same place,

one where they are dehumanized and turn into objects, where their bodies are just things to be

exposed, taken, used and seized, they have to believe it and follow accordingly, then, once

that happens girls and teenagers will have no self-respect, no self-esteem, and from there to

violence it’s not that far; subsequently women look to please man and of course, society, by

not expressing, looking pretty, thin, being superficial, feeling guilty for eating, etc, which

creates health issues very serious such as eating disorders, depression, domestic violence and

others self-destructive issues. Nowadays girls grow up “Without a strong sense of self and

will enter adulthood with a deficit” (Orenstein 32), being unable to reach their true potential

because they are told they shouldn’t challenge themselves to be any more that sex objects and

sexy prizes for men to stare.

Women face today objectification, sexualization, gender violence and struggles with

their self-esteem as a result of marketing, the only way to break this stereotype is by changing

obsolete ideals and raising awareness in the new generations, transform people’s attitude

towards what it means being a woman, so in this way, a safe environment can be created to

raise healthy girls who can value themselves and be whatever they want to be.
 Student’s Last Name 2

Works Cited

Killing us softly 4: advertisings image of women. 2010. [Video] Directed by S. Jhally.

Orenstein, P., 2013. Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self Esteem, and the Confidence Gap.

New York (N.Y.): Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, p.32.