Myths are told to us through many different mediums and institutions through our lives. From our parents, to schools to social media, we grow up surrounded by things we are taught to believe as true. Common examples of this can include being made to believe that Father Christmas is real or that swallowing chewing gum will mean it will wrap around your heart and kill you. However, in society, some things are represented so consistently in television, radio, advertising and in newspapers, that we are forced to believe it to be true. Sometimes there's no other option but to believe and act upon these views because everyone else is doing so, and it feels like its the only option.
An example of this and the subject of this blog post, is the ideal beauty standards for both
men and women in society. Our bodies, for example, are something that we live with all of our lives, and the idealistic standards to which we feel like we have to live by are so set in stone and we are constantly reminded of them.
For women, influencers like Kim Kardashian reach audiences of over 100 million people every time they make a statement. In my opinion, these types of people, who have a very dominant presence in our modern society, help to reinforce the hegemonic views and ideologies on to their followers. Kim Kardashian, actively promotes diet pills and waist training clothing on her platforms.
By doing, her audience is being told that they must look a certain way in order to be thought of as beautiful and successful. This is so damaging in our current society, especially when people are SO easily influenced by what their favourite celebrities say and do.
Whilst I do think Kim openly discussing her body struggles and encouraging girls to love their body, some of her actions are harming how young girls perceive the ideal body type.
Moreover, this is unbelievably prominent for men too. They, too, are portrayed in a certain way in the media which reinforces body ideals. Males in the media are so often portrayed as fit and muscly with a six pack and facial hair. These characteristics aren't just prominent on men that are presented in the media, but they are portrayed as the only way to be a 'proper' man. Whilst 'plus size' female models, like Ashley Graham, exist to put up a fight against unrealistic body standards (though there are still not enough), you will hardly ever ever see a larger man on the front cover of QQ, or a more lean and less muscly man covering Men's Health. The 'Ken' body ideal is becoming just as prominent as the 'Barbie'. And it's
damaging.
Statistics show that over 40% of men are unhappy with their bodies, and 38% of men would sacrifice at least a year of their life in exchange for a perfect body, [source] This is because of men in movies, TV and magazines are telling them. This is done by previously mentioned magazines such as Men's Health to reinforce their ideologies and, in essence, sell more copies.
I find this article about the impossible body standards for men really insightful: https://www.doctornerdlove.com/new-impossible-standards-male-beauty/
Another element of unrealistic beauty standards for individuals in society, more specifically teenagers, revolves around skin. Acne and spots are one of the biggest insecurities in people aged 14 to 21 and is frequently something the media fails to address. The sheer absence of people Skincare adverts are so popular and there are so many brands that claim to be the answer to the nations' teens' skin worries. However, very few adverts for these products show boys and girls with real acne or skin imperfections. Instead they showcase models with perfect skin who have supposedly used the product and it worked miracles. Why is this?
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