How does the media effect body image in teen girls Essay

How does the media effect body image in teen girls - Essay Example The idea of the ‘Barbie complex’ is not new, but the importance placed on being blonde, slim and young has created a culture that is inordinately focused upon appearance to the great detriment of most of its members. This is largely the result of a concerted effort brought forward by the big cosmetic giants that depend on this flawed perception for their profits. The links between advertising, female perception of themselves and serious physical and mental disorders are abundantly clear. The media world depends to a large extent upon the money it receives from advertisers to stay alive, but these advertisers depend to a large degree upon selling their products. The best way to sell a product is to ensure that the product is something that will be needed perpetually, that there will always be some kind of demand for the product. A very effective technique in doing this is to set an ideal that is nearly impossible to achieve and then selling products that are geared toward bringing someone closer to this ideal, as has been done in the dieting and cosmetic markets. â€Å"Women are sold to the diet industry by the magazines we read and the television programs we watch, almost all of which make us feel anxious about our weight† (Jean Kilbourne, media activist, cited in â€Å"Beauty and Body Image†, 2009). This is only started with the portrayal of women in the media as â€Å"the images of impossibly thin models overwhelm today’s teenage girls.   U nbelievably, most models are thinner than 98 percent of American girls and women† (Bartell, 2008), which is also the source for everyone else to form their ideas of what the ideal female body should look like. Thus, friends, boyfriends, parents and others all add to the pressure for girls to attain, regardless of how impossible it might be, the shapes and forms represented in the media. While some may argue that this isn’t really as prevalent as the

Japanese media and pop culture in East Asia, especially in Korea Essay

Japanese media and pop culture in East Asia, especially in Korea - Essay Example Japan is one of the few countries that started experimenting with the television in 1920’s (Brown, J., & Brown, J. 2006, 198). Television, however, began dominating Japan’s households in the 1950’s. The NHK General TV and the Nippon Television were the first television programs. In as much as TV programs may vary across stations, News programs dominate the early morning hours. The early evenings comprise anime programs. On the other hand, most movies occur in the night hours. It is crucial to highlight that the typical Japanese television has always entailed dramas, animes, and science fiction movies. Both Korea and Japan strive to satisfy a diversified consumer base that comprises different preferences. For instance, adults prefer serious television programs such as news and political discussions. On the other hand, the younger generation gears towards anime and movies. Pop idols emerged in Japan in the early 1970’s. The society was growing out of conservatism and it entailed a reconnaissance that favored the proliferation of pop idols in Japanese cultural scene. In the Japanese cultural scene, idols are teens and twenty-year old young people who are considered media-attractive. Pop idols may be singers for popular groups, TV personalities, models, and actors. Sylvie Vartan, a Ye-Ye singer, was one of the most significant pop idols that ushered a new cultural scene in Japan (Iwabuchi, K. 2004, 124). By acting in a French film, Cherchez, she attracted instant popularity. Another prominent example regards the case of Momoe Yamaguchi, who became a singer and acted in several television dramas. It is essential to highlight that such pop idols appeared and quickly disappeared from the limelight. In the 1980’s, there would be as many as forty idols that would appear in a year. The popularity of female idols, however, waned in the 1990â€⠄¢s due to rising rock idols such as Kinki Kids and V6 (Craig, T. J. 2000, 89). Unlike their