Beauty In The Media: Good And Bad Essay Example

Following the American Psychological Association’s Guidelines

Any time we watch movies or television, we are exposed to many images of beauty. These images can come in many forms. Movie stars can be representations of beauty, for example. So can singers, and even athletes. Beauty standards are such a commonplace part of society that 51% of females spend at least $11 just for fashion magazines in order to learn more about new trends and styles (peoplestylewatch.com 2011). Images of handsome and beautiful modes are used all over the world in an effort to grab the attention of audiences, sell products, and create beauty standards. These techniques have a variety of benefits. The use of beauty images today is very popular and beneficial for marketing and advertising purposes, as well as entertainment, but may not be as advantageous for the individuals viewing the material.
Images of beautiful men and women are used today to help create successful industries. Businesses use them in order to keep the public’s attention, but also ensure the public believes their products are worth buying and using. Therefore, beauty is typically used for the purposes of building business. Companies begin to use attractive models, or famous and easily recognizable actors or actresses who are also considered attractive, as a part of their marketing campaigns in an effort to increase productivity. The use of these attractive individuals usually results in a boost in the company’s sales, ensuring the safety of the company’s future. A boost in sales also increases revenue for employees. The media is a powerful tool when it comes to beauty because without it, these marketing campaigns would be useless. The beautiful models are used in commercials or plastered on posters and billboards, allowing their faces to be seen by multitudes of people, guaranteeing the product gets attention, but also that the population is exposed to the standard of magnificence displayed by the models.
Another potential benefit to beauty, especially when concerning the media and commercialism, is entertainment. Directors and producers use famous people who are typically considered attractive by their peers, as well as audiences, in order to boost the film’s appeal. Using attractive casting techniques also grabs the attention of audiences, consequently making the film more popular, even if it happens to have a subpar plot or bad scriptwriting. Despite where the film falls short, the audience will still make the film a success because they will pay to see beautiful film stars acting together; it is no more simple or complicated than that. Audiences like to watch famous, attractive people. Beautiful models are also often promoted in fashion magazines in hopes of directing women toward the latest cosmetic and fashion trends. The trends may be very expensive, or may not be flattering on the average body type or skin tone, but average women will flock to department stores in an effort to obtain these items, believing they will make them “beautiful” like the actresses in movies, and the models in magazines. They believe that by imitating people who are already believed to be beautiful, they can be beautiful themselves, which sets a dangerous standard for beauty, as well as self-appreciation. While beautiful models allow cosmetic companies to sell billions in lipstick, it disallows the average female from appreciating she can leave the house without makeup and still feel good about herself. Essentially, the marketing campaign is good for one side but potentially poisonous for the other.
These predetermined images of beauty can be especially harmful to teenagers. Adolescents are often uncomfortable with their bodies and will do anything to fit in or feel more comfortable. If a commercial tells them a product will make them look and feel more acceptable, they are liable to believe it without question. Furthermore, many teenagers are predisposed to already imitating their idols, which are often famous actors, actresses, singers, and athletes. If these famous icons spend their spare time commercializing beauty, without promoting the idea that one is okay how they are without any primping, it can damage the teenager’s self-confidence and effectively erase their initial idea of beauty. They could become unhappy with themselves and begin a lifelong pursuit toward the impossible, wherein they are constantly dissatisfied with how they look without makeup, hair gel, trendy clothes, or other amenities. The adolescent’s physical and mental health can begin to suffer. They may begin to engage in crash diets in an effort to be skinny, or take steroids in an effort to gain more muscle. The inadequate feeling with themselves may also leave them feeling depressed, as they realize they can only imitate their idols, rather than be they. Eventually they will find they are never attractive enough, or never enough at all, and may continue to suffer more mentally.
In sum, though beauty images these days are beneficial for many marketing, advertisement, and entertainment reasons, they can be damaging to the individuals seeing them. Famous people, such as actors, athletes, and attractive models are often used by businesses, companies, and the cosmetics industry in an effort to promote their products and attract attention from their desired audience. However, sometimes the individuals viewing this material are left feeling as if they are not good enough, and they take the idealized standard of beauty too far. The primary reason to discuss this topic is to show there are two sides to using beauty for advertising. It can be advantageous for companies, but it may also have been taken too far by businesses, as well as the consumer. Individuals should be prevented from excessive consumption, and thinking less of themselves in the process of being advertised to. They should also be notified that the famous people often used for advertisements are often photoshopped, or receive enhancements such as surgery in order to make them look so unachievably perfect, in order to put the idea of beauty into better perspective.