Media and Beauty Standard
Is being slim or having white skin beauty?
That depends on how you think about yourselves.
As technology has been continuously developed, media are everywhere around both you and me. Therefore, it is almost impossible to not be influenced by media. Not only people, but also culture, thought, or lifestyle that is affected by media without noticing somehow.
Now we are entering the postmodern era where the media have a big effect on society by governing and shaping things such as norms, popular culture, or even life goal. Beauty standard is one of those ideas that obviously influences people in every age, gender, or country. It is, even more, surprise that no one can get out of it. People seldom try to gain their weight, get pimples, or shave off their eyebrows to make themselves, which they think, more beautiful.
Most of the media, in these days, create beauty standard with the same purpose. They want to sell their product by planting and spreading the seeds of beauty ideology belief in people’s mind. They conceal the idea in mass media then they will keep referring to the beauty idea as well as the product over and over again or referring to something else with reality. So the idea which has never existed before appears in reality and becomes a commodity that everyone knows about it. Then they success in creating belief in beauty standard and start convincing people to buy their products. Especially in the postmodern era like today, when it goes viral among people, then word of mouth marketing of the product (which has the beauty standard idea attached with) spreads quickly over the internet and social media. Thus, people in this era grow up with the deep-rooted idea which makes this wrong belief is much more difficult to be eliminated or changed.
(Picture: http://www.lingerietalk.com/2014/11/06/lingerie-news/perfect-message-gets-a-makeover.html)
For example, in Thailand, as well as most of South East Asian countries, the skinny woman with white clear skin, big eyes, long eyelashes, big boobs, and not too tall represents the ideal type of beauty. So we will obviously see that in almost every skin care product selling in these countries consists of skin whitening substances. Also, weight loss pills are sold everywhere especially on online media like the social network. However, in these days, western media increasingly influence Asian people so some groups of teenagers in Thailand prefer western style (tan skin, healthy body, big butt, and sexy) as an ideal beauty more. These teenagers prefer western style, but, I believe, most of them continue buying skin whitening.
(picture: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/550846598146463394/)
Media not only create beauty standard, but also a disease like anorexia. Anorexia is a severe eating disorder that mostly happens with people in developed countries who want to be skinny and stop eating food. Excessive beauty standard is counted as a cause of this disease. Many of the patients think that only being skinny will make them more beautiful and get acceptance from the society. Just like they, maybe media too, pressure people to be like that. Therefore, it is the media that creates disease, nowadays, people use the media themselves in creating campaigns in order to get rid of the excessive beauty standard and the wrong belief about beauty.
Back then, media is counted as a mirror that reflects the society, but in these days, media seem to be an influencer that shapes and gives ideas to the society. Then, how can we tell that which message is real and which is just the message that some group of people try to make you believe in serving their own profits? How can you tell that a reality TV program is real not scripted? How can you tell that what you define as a beauty is not be purposely created to serve some people’s profits? Even the campaign that tries to give awareness about being given the wrong idea about beauty standard, how can one tell that it is not another group of people try to change the direction of the market to benefit themselves? Sounds like a negative thinking right? But how you can ensure that your thought, that you have been thinking that it true is not directed by anyone? You never know. However, how media are going to affect society is unpredictable as it depends on how people use the media as well as how they interpret the message that is sent out. So it is extremely difficult for ones to set the effect of the message to the society. All people can do is that give more possibilities to achieve what they want and media are the very powerful tools.
If I ask you who do you think in the most beautiful woman in the world, most of you would tell me names of a famous model, Hollywood actress, or a popular singer. Next time, try to tell yourself that it’s you because “confidence is the most beautiful things a woman can wear.”
Also, I really like these ads and really want to share with you guys. I hope you enjoy and.. see you again soon!
