Does Media Affect The Way We Perceive Ourselves?

“ Catch them young “ is the new moto used by clever advertisers (including those from the

film industries), who understand very well, vulnerability of young adults looking for approval

from their peers and the rest of society. The minds of young adults today have the ability to

develop faster with the increase in access to different media of information.

Media allows us to improve our lifestyle and know what is socially acceptable. However, it

does lay a very great emphasis on the physical appearance of literally everything; from phone

covers to the look of a house, not to mention the various celebrities, everything is designed to

be appealing to the eye, even if other qualities are compromised.

Growing up with the influence of media all around, it has instilled in the minds of the present

generation the idea of “ what looks beautiful is beautiful” which is a huge deception. Most

models weigh an average of 23% less than a typical woman. Twenty years ago this difference

was a mere 8%. Owing to that perception of beauty, most youngsters, adults, and to the

astonishment of many, sometimes even children have a low self-esteem, since they believe

that their bodies do not meet the so-happens- to-be standard of the celebrities they know.

Thus, any neglection or rejection, whatsoever, leads them to the conclusion that they were

rejected for the flaws in their appearance, and ultimately that they are not desirable.

Led by such thoughts, people try to become what they see without embracing their own

appearance by going to the gym or severe diets rituals, which contributes to a lot of people

experiencing eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Shockingly, problems with eating

disorders have increased over 400% since the year 1970. The diet business is much more

profitable today than t was 20 years ago, this being the result of media advertising today this

industry consists of over $33 billion each year. As a result a lot of young adults, either grow

weak in most aspects of life, go into depression or consider suicide.

In my opinion, the media does affect the way we look at ourselves and others. However, we

know that the media is not going anywhere and that we will continue to be exposed to all

sorts of advertisements. We need to put efforts in changing our way of thinking, both adults

and children. “You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful”

says Amy Bloom, an American writer which gives us a lot to think about.