The concept of beauty in the media

Academic Paper from the year 2015 in the subject Communications - Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, , language: English, abstract: The work examines the concept of beauty and unrealistic body image and beauty standards propagated by the media.

The Body has been traditionally understood as a gift. Generally a gift is given and accepted and not demanded. The dissatisfaction about the body-gift is partly caused by the images that are being bombarded through various media. As a result ideals of body shapes are formed both in men and women, nowadays from a very early age. Children in many countries (more so in developed ones) consume media for three to four hours daily on average. The perfect body image standards set by the media are almost impossible to live up to. This can cause low self-esteem and can lead to psychological disorders such as depression. Contemporary mediäs presentation of the body, especially in advertisements, almost amounts to "organs without body". However, some individuals and organizations have come forward to counter the unrealistic body image and beauty standards propagated by the media. Ultimately, one must develop a positive body image.