Lubaba Abbas Kazmi
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Spring Elective: Fashion and Culture
Creative Reflection
Page 92
The Media Monopoly on Beauty
During the past few decades, both the beauty and diet industries flooded women’s magazines, advertisements etc. with glorified thinness ideals, the ‘slim thick’ women and dramatically emphasized their importance, making many readers feel a sense of dissatisfaction with their bodies.
As social media continues to play a crucial role in our lives, it increases a person’s exposure to body shaming and promotes body obsessions, comparisons, and competition, all of which can contribute to disordered eating.
Every day, whether it be men or women, we are put through the horrors of facing other people’s remarks about the way we look, eventually normalizing the abuse. Our appearance is so closely observed by others that over time we internalize that perspective.
However, media and fashion also help me gain confidence. Personally, whenever I dress up, I feel better because I know I look. The idea itself is flawed (looking good and gaining confidence) (does this mean that people who aren’t good looking enough cant feel good)? (who sets the standard of beauty?). Whenever I post a picture on Instagram, it makes me feel good as the likes and comments approve of the post. Culturally there are such different perspectives on how people look at fashion in different shapes and sizes. Important questions that rise before a girl’s marriage in an average middle-class Pakistani household include whether she is fair enough, tall enough, short enough or thin enough (major concern). The models shown to these people are usually fit men and women with photoshopped skins and bodies which sets wrong ideals for the general public.
