oct26 (mid3)

The Ideal Body and Media Portrayal

• Women’s bodies in media have become thinner over time

• Male bodies in media have become more muscular

• These are attainable by few people

Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

• lots of money spent on cosmetics

• Why is the industry so profitable?

  • high demand to fit in beauty standards

• Why do we consume these services/products?

  • to fit in and not be stigmatized

• Why do we engage in impression management practices concerning our physical appearance?

Individualism

• People most likely to explain their behavior based on following instead of social pressure

  • aesthetics: look good, feel good

  • individuality

  • healthy: fit/muscular; psychological well-being

• West and Zimmerman: Doing Gender

  • gender is not a fixed biological trait but an active, daily social performance

  • but is still heavily impacted by culture because they write the scripts for what is feminine and muscular

Critical Theorizing: Political Economic Perspective

• capitalism need continued development of new markets, expanded markets and consumerism— Sisyphean exercise (people get something done then go back for more)

• critique of the industry/advertisements

  • ageism, racism, classism

  • even she doesn’t look like i.e. Dove campaign all bodies are beautiful but doesn’t show a great body variety

Identifying and Expanding the Market Targeting Men

• GI Joe Dolls: biceps more than doubled

• Playgirl: more muscles, less fat

• Men’s Health Magazine: increase in sales and cosmetics

• Ads target different groups that they see as profitable i.e. gay men, working class, trendies, pleasure-seekers, and moralists

Critical Theorizing: Feminist Perspectives

• Beauty Myth by Naomi: argues that when women get more independence, ads that says women need cosmetics increase to oppress women again

Simone De Beauvoir

• says that advertising cosmetics as something women have control and individuality over is a psychological trick because they are still having to comply to society’s standards

Extreme Makeover Criticisms

• Elimination of difference

• Third shift: time away from family

• Increased dissatisfaction

• Increased consumerism: industry dominated by men so they promote patriarchal ideas of beauty

Michael Foucault: Critical Ontology of Ourselves

• advertisements is a discourse about masculinity and femininity where they limit possibilities by showing specific, “ideal” men and women; creates deviance as anyone who doesn’t fit is considered deviant

• alienation of body from self: your body feels like a separate object/enemy that needs constant monitoring