Dental

Thesis Paper

My "question of gender" is going to be, "How do women's images in the media affect the way society views women?"

The thesis of my project is to inform women of their images in the media, and to have them look at the world in a new perspective. The images women find in the media are not what the average girl looks like. The media portrays women as images that do not exist. The media represents what the culture of today sees as "beautiful." In advertisements, I find women with the "perfect" body size and shape. This develops a negative image, because real people do not look like this. It gives off the impression that this is what women are supposed to look like. We see the image of a beautiful woman with no wrinkles, no pores, and no blemishes. No one actually looks like this!

As I was reading through my stack of magazines that consisted of Vogue, Cosmo, Seventeen or Mary Claire, I find more advertisements for make-up and weight loss medicines than for anything else. This sends the wrong image to women today. This image of beauty that does not exist, it just results in lower self-esteem for women who believe that this is what they are supposed to look like. It leaves them feeling dissatisfied with their body. These negative images show women that they cannot be satisfied, loved, or secure without having this flawless appearance. When the media releases a catalog women are splashed from cover to cover with the images that "skinny is beautiful." This targets the group of women who are not at peace with there bodies and are striving for the "skinny look" by dieting or just plan not eating. You never see a picture of women who are larger, like a size 10, 12, 14, or even 16 in any of these popular magazines. Actually you don't see women in magazines over a size four.

This issue involves many women all around the world, including the women who are threatened by the images that are portrayed on the television and in magazines. There are not particular populations that this issue addresses, I believe that everyone should be aware of this and should know how to recognize and examine the issue.

This is an important question for understanding the social construction of gender. Women's self esteem has been getting damaged by all the images that are portrayed in the

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