Magazine advertisement sends unhealthy signals
In todays society the media implicates the basic idea of the perfect woman to be skinny and beautiful. But what is beautiful? Magazines everywhere promote the latest style and the way you should look to be what is considered “normal” or acceptable. Young girls should not have to worry about the clothes they wear and if it’s the next best thing just because the model on the cover said so. If you look on any clothing magazine what do you see? A beautiful young thin girl with the perfect smile, skin is perfectly air brushed, hair looks styled to perfection. Young girls look at these women and think they have to imitate that image in that magazine to be beautiful, “hot”, or sexy. “A report by the British Medical Association claimed that the promotion of rake-thin models such as Kate Moss and Jodie Kidd was creating a distorted body image which young women tried to imitate” (Namelesstee). Girls everywhere look up to these women and think they have to try to do everything they can to look like these models. This kind of behavior results to eating disorders and depression. “70% of teen girls agreed that magazines strongly influenced their opinion of what was the ideal body type.
Knowing that they cannot compare to such unrealistic standards, many teens end up feeling inadequate and frustrated, and this can eventually lead to depression” (Salinger). With magazines filled with revealing women and tips on how to be beautiful can change the way one thinks or acts and can really affect a young womans body image (Salinger). Its all throughout all the magazines you flip through. Very skinny beautiful young girls promoting the latest things puts the image in a young ones head that its the most acceptable way to be and if you don’t look anything close to these women you’re not going to be popular or liked by boys. This is a real problem that young girls face in todays world. Flipping through a Cosmopolitan and stumbling upon a fragrance add; I see a very pretty woman. She is not wearing anything but three long leaves to cover up her bare chest and her legs propped up enough to where you can’t see anything too revealing. Shes placed in what seems like a bush outside in a forest, because there are tall leaves surrounding her. Her hair is wet as if she just took a shower. Her make up and lipstick look absolutely perfect. She has no imperfections that an outside looker could point out. Furthermore, the fragrance has nothing at all to do with what the model is doing. No where in the add does it say the price or how much fragrance is in the bottle in the picture.
All it says is four words “the essence of joy”. The model in the picture doesn’t look like she is filled with joy at all. All I see when I look at this picture is a naked girl who has nothing to do with the product. In todays society “sex sells”. So consequently, this image is supposed to catch the audiences attention and make them want that fragrance and because its a beautiful young naked women it draws in its buyers. Being a teenager and going through high school you are pressured to do a lot of things. And having the “right look” is what most girls in high school worry about. Going through these magazines are covered with the hot new styles and what the celebs are wearing to the grocery store and just because they threw it together you should wear it to school the next day; no matter how provocative or silly the outfit may be. They also give you the idea that with your next paycheck you should in fact spend 200 dollars on a pair of Chunky Moto boots. Furthermore, because the model in the add has a pretty smile with teeth that are as white as this paper, legs long and beautiful, and the perfect outfit to go with them, that if you spend every last dime to imitate that picture maybe you will have some friends and maybe someone will look at you and think your beautiful too. In this same magazine Cosmopolitan theres one page dedicated two a young couple the page says “Lunch Date” in big letters and under it is a quote of two sentences. “I’m into public displays of affection.
I enjoy making people feel uncomfortable by holding more than hands with somebody.” Also under the quoted words is what all of the model is wearing and how much it all costs. The model is sitting on a mans leg and their arms are on each other. Hes gently kissing her neck while the women sits with her head tilted up enough to give him room to kiss, with her eyes closed and her outside leg propped up a little more than the other and her hand placed on the mans chest. They’re sitting in a park-like scenery with a picnic basket next to them on the bench filled with grapes and wine and flowers popping out. She’s too dressed up for a picnic from what I see. She is wearing high heeled open toed shoes with a plastic-like skirt to match the heels with a black tank top. Public display of affection is not a professional way to act. Theres a time and place for everything and being a teenager with raging hormones, giving the idea that public display of affection is okay is wrong. High schoolers now get in trouble for showing public display of affection because some take it too far. Just as this add implicates its okay to do so. Its not ladylike or polite at all to act these ways. In my opinion these ads and articles give the wrong messages to young women and trying to shape their readers into the women todays society accepts. The advertising world is too revolved around the image that “sex sells” which shouldn’t be the case. Naked women and provoking messages is not something for the adolescent eyes.
