The Effects Media Has on Peoples Gender Identity.

The Effects Media Has on Peoples Gender Identity.

With media becoming an increasingly powerful force in the world, more and more people will begin to try fitting the genetic dispensation of what the media portrays as ‘perfect’. Celebrity bodies are desired both subjectively and objectively and the media, without question, is the number one problem for shaping this public opinion. In this essay I am going to discuss the problems males and females face in today’s media driven world as they thrive for physical perfection.

Women today are faced with the implication that their bodies, if they fail to conform to an impossibly high set of standards, are unattractive, unhealthy and unlovable. For example, in the TV sitcom “Two and a Half Men” the show displays women needing to be sexy if they want to ain the attention of a male. This impacts women greatly, making them think that the ‘sexy, dumb blonde’ is more desirable over the average women. The harm of this presentation of the female body can also be seen in our current societal epidemic of eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, excessive dieting etc.). These eating disorders very often lead to long term physiological and psychological damage and even suicide from depression.

The influence media has on men is also a huge problem. Desirable men are portrayed as being muscular, tanned and have a full head of hair. The obsession of perfection is much less common with men than women but the number of physically unhappy men is increasing at an alarming rate. Television sitcoms also portray that men should be dominant between male and female relationships, showing no feelings towards females, and treating them more as objects than human beings. These problems are taking a turn for the worse!

In addition to the physical and emotional damage caused by the current media driven obsession with achieving a physical ‘perfection’, our society faces losing serious social perspective. As it is currently used in the media, the body is stripped on its uniqueness and forced into...

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