For my last and final civic issue blog post I want to talk about a grandfather issue in the media. By grandfather issue, I mean an issue that has been a problem for years and has yet to be solved. That issue is body image.

Body image is just another thing that the media has shaped our perception. When viewing TV or flipping through magazines, we form these ideas on what the perfect body is because of what is always broadcasted and advertised in the media. Young boys and girls grow up thinking that what they see on TV is the ‘ideal’ or ‘normal’ body image. They hold these same beliefs throughout life, passing it onto others.

A Continuous Problem

Advertising, specifically those related to fashion and cosmetics, affect how people view body image. Magazines with stereotypical models, skinny with abs, send the message to consumers that thin is beautiful. The lack of a variety of different shaped models disallows people to see body image as a spectrum instead of just one thing. In a study conducted by AdMedia, 69% of the girls surveyed believed that the models found in magazines had a major influence on their concept of what a perfect body shape should look like. Young girls are forced into tunnel vision and only see skinny as the perfect body shape. There has also been a progression in how men are also negatively affected by models in magazines and advertisements. Just like women, men see hold the idea that the perfect body type is slim, hairless, with a six-pack. They don’t see the perfect body like the spectrum it is.

But all the credit cannot go just to advertising and magazines. Social media has become a major contributor to our perception of body image. Trends like the thigh gap and slim thick bodies have shaped the way we view body image. Users are constantly seeing their favorite celebrities promoting these bodies and products that will help them achieve it. They have no choice but to think this is what beautiful is. They buy these products like waist trainers holding the idea that once they get their desired bodies they will be perfect.

Check out this video showcasing opinions held about body image from girls ages 6-18.

Having a singular view on what the perfect body is can be detrimental. People strive for perfection, so they try to look like the models and celebrities they see in the media. 5% of women in the United States can achieve the current popular body type in advertisements today based on genetics. That leaves 95% of women not fitting the image they see advertised everywhere. When it cannot be achieved, negative things can occur like low self-esteem, depression, and eating disorders. The media has created false views on what perfect is.

Reform

In recent years, there have been tremendous efforts to change the perception of what the ideal body image is. Dove is one of the major pioneers of the body-positive movement having promoted it for over a decade now. It can be seen in all of their commercials and advertisements; they aim to use a diverse group of people (different skin colors and body types) to change how we view what is perfect. The ultimate goal is to promote self-love. Campaigns like #HereIAm and #LikeAGirl are created to send the message that you are beautiful just the way you are. It is important that these campaigns reach younger audiences because they are the ones who are the most impressionable. We want young boys and girls to grow up wanting to be themselves rather than fit a trend.

This blog has given me the opportunity to share issues within the media that are often overlooked. Although I was unable to go in-depth with each issue, as they are very complex problems 700 words cannot cover, I hope you all investigate further. The first step to change and reform is education.

Sources:

http://www.admedia.com/media-and-body-image.php

http://mediasmarts.ca/body-image/body-image-advertising-and-magazines

https://verilymag.com/2016/07/positive-advertising-womens-body-image-beauty-standards-dove-nike

In this day in age, we as a society consume so many different forms of media on a daily basis that we become oblivious to problems within it. The ultimate purpose of my blog is to shine a light on issues in the media that are often overlooked.

The media holds a lot of power because it plays an important role in an individual’s everyday life. Media is used as entertainment and education. Sometimes with so much power, comes a lack of control and negative outcomes. The media and producers of the media have the power to manipulate consumers to think a certain way or do something. Through the use of advertising/marketing, the media manipulates and brainwashes consumers to think they need something.

Advertising/Marketing

One of the main purposes of the media is to spread awareness of products, services, campaigns, and issues. Because of this, advertising plays a major role in the media. According to Forbes, advertisers will have spent $72 billion on U.S digital advertising and $71 billion on TV advertising by the end of 2016. It is now 2019, so that number has only increased.

Having such a major role, advertising has taken over media. It is hard to find a place free of advertising. As we evolve, advertisers and markets have found more innovative ways to advertise to the public. Some new and popular ways would include:

Cross-Merchandizing

• Cross-merchandising is when shows, movies, internet companies, publishers, and music companies merge together to advertise/promote products. For example, while watching your favorite sitcom, you might see a character drinking name brand soda like Coca-Cola.
• Cross merchandising draws connections between two mediums. Thus, consumers will want to buy mote Coco-Cola because they associate it with their favorite show. Cough cough. Manipulation.

Self-Endorsers

• Marketers are moving away from using celebrities as the face of products, like a cereal box. Now, consumers are more likely to see celebrities actually endorsing products they are paid to use. For example, The Kardashians were big promoters of waist trainers and skinny tea. Users who wanted to be like them will/did purchases these products.
• When health and media are linked, negative effects are susceptible to occur. In the Kardashian example, the waist trainers and skinny tea was not yet FDA approved. Some users experienced fainting and loss of circulation when in the gym with the waist trainer.

Consumerism

In simple words, consumerism can be defined as the idea that spending money and consuming goods/services in great amounts because it is good for the economy. The increase in advertising and marketing has led to a higher significance of consumerism. This is mainly due to new approaches to advertising.

Children as a Target

Children have a great influence on their families spending. According to a report done by YTV Tween Report, Canadian kids ages 9 to 14 spend almost $3 billion of their own money and at least $20 billion in purchases of their parents. Although that study was done in Canada in 2005, today in America in 2019, that number can have only increased. Marketers have been targeting children because they see them as a direct way into the pockets of adults with money. Children have the ability to nag their parents until they get what they want. In order to get their kids to stop they cave in and buy them whatever they want.

The young mind is very impressionable — They tend to copy what they see. That is how they learn and develop interest. Kids will see other children or adults they envy and want to be more like them. They believe that the way to achieve that is through buying everything they have. This concept is called Street Marketing — similar to word of mouth. Marketers are grabbing onto this and using it to manipulate children into think they NEED these products advertised. Then children run to their parents and nag them until they get it. THAT is where the higher significance of consumerism comes in.

Social Media

Social Media is the next big in society. Marketers are also taking advantage of this and using it to advertise products and services leading to the higher significance of consumerism. A Deloitte report found that 47 percent of millennials’ purchases are influenced by social media. This same study noted that one in three U.S consumers’ purchases are influenced by social media. Social Media has gained the control to influence and manipulate consumers into thinking that they NEED something.

Recently I was watching Shane Dawson’s Conspiracy Theories on Youtube and he was researching popular social media icon, Jake Paul. Jake Paul has received a lot of backlash due to his high percentage of advertising in his videos and on social media. Jake Paul, like other marketers, has targeted children to sell products taking advantage of their impressionable minds. They think ‘Oh Jake Paul is so cool. He says to buy is merch so I am going to buy it to be cool too”.  Check out the series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDs0tNoNYTz1P3dO8m5Wdv0WE2lPTQSJm

In conclusion, because of the major role advertising plays in media, there has been a widespread of heavy influence/manipulation on the younger generations leading to a higher significance of consumerism.

Sources:

http://mediasmarts.ca/marketing-consumerism/advertising-its-everywhere

http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/media-issues/marketing-consumerism/how-marketers-target-kids

https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/marketing/2015/05/how-social-media-influences-consumer-buying.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brandonkatz/2016/09/14/digital-ad-spending-will-surpass-tv-spending-for-the-first-time-in-u-s-history/#1985a2e64207

In my last post, I raised a concern about the negative portrayal of minorities in the media, specifically in the news. But the news is not the only place where minorities are not given a fair representation. Entertainment media acts as an aid to stereotypes of minorities held by society as a whole.

Women of color specifically are given unfair and inaccurate portrayals that follow them their entire lives. They are consistently compared to these characters/personas seen in print media or on the screens that do not accurately represent them. Some women spend their lives proving the stereotypes wrong or live in fear of acting out and making them true.

For years, the media has served as an aid to stereotypes held by young impressionable minds that grow up and keep the same opinions.

The Black/African American Woman

When people see a Black woman some of the many stereotypes associated with them are that they are loud, aggressive, and angry. Before even getting to know them, these characteristics are assumed. Additionally, Black women are often stereotyped to have large lips, fake hair, and a big butt. When they do not have one/all of these characteristics they are looked at as less than.

Print Media

From the early 1800s to now, print media exaggerates characteristics of Black women creating commonly held/believed stereotypes. Starting with the introduction of the Mammy. Mammies were depicted has large, round and matronly Black women. Their skin was the darkest shade of brown they could possibly find, with large red lips. Mammies had this nurturing, and motherly nature that if weren’t present they were punished. That translated to Black women feeling as they always had to uphold that same image. If they were caught being anything put that, they would fear some level of punishment. 

Now in current times, we see print media portraying Black women the same way. Last fall, a caricature of Serena Williams was circling around the internet. It caught a lot of backlashes because now, more people are aware of the negative portrayal of Black women. Serena was drawn similar to Mammy in the fact that she was drawn with big lips, big nose, and a round figure. The artist depicted Serena as a child, throwing a fit while being AGGRESSIVE (broken racquet). The Black community was very upset about this because it represented the stereotypes commonly held by Black women that they try to steer away from. Serena was upset because she wasn’t getting the fair treatment. It was unfair to depict her the way they did.

Television/Movies

With time, the main medium transitioned from print to television. The transitioned led to an opportunity to create false stereotypes of Black women.  From Sunday morning cartoons to late night adult shows, black women are portrayed as the loud, aggressive character. Take a look at these examples:

Disney’s The Proud Family

The main character of the show was a light skinned teenaged girl named Penny Proud. One of her best friends was this short, round Black girl names Dijonay (we are not going to address how they gave her a crazy name). Dijonay was always loud. Probably one of the most annoying characters in the show. If characters are inspired by real life muses, then the creators are generalizing all black girls to be loud and annoying. As children, we try to find similarities in what we see on TV, but I definitely could not relate. I did not want people to think of me as loud and annoying because I wasn’t. Why weren’t the other characters also loud and annoying?

These stereotypes of Black women fed to us by the media creates false opinions and expectations on how someone should be or act. It is unfair for Black women to feel as if they have to prove a stereotype wrong because of the preset opinions held about them.

The Hispanic/Latina Woman

Latina women experience this same negative portrayal in the media. There are so many stereotypes the media emphasizes for comical effect. Some stereotypes often held about Latina women are that they are sassy, lovers/mistress, and/or immigrants.

The Maid

Similar to Black women, Latina women are always casted to play the role of the help. Some prime examples of this are films and tv shows like “Maid in Manhattan”, “Family Guy” with Consuela the maid, and “The Devious Maids”.  Why can’t the Latina women play the role of the rich housewife? Why is she always subjected to play the maid? Children watching consistently occurring on TV grow up to think that all Latina women are maids and nothing more. Latina little girls don’t get that same inspiration to chase their dreams and become doctors through the media because all they see are women who look like them in smaller roles.

The Immigrant

The idea that all Latina women are immigrants and do not speak English is discriminating. When creating Latina characters for shows and movies, these characters often do not speak English. It is made to be a joke that these women came from another country and cannot communicate as well as the American natives — This translates to the commonly held stereotype. I have personally seen children arguing and this (that the Hispanic/Latina student cannot speak English) used as a way to bully one another.

Children are very impressionable and easy targets for the media to feed false stereotypes of different demographics. In this post, I simply brushed over the common stereotypes illustrated in many forms of media. The lack of diversity in characters played by people of color — women of color to be more specific — strengthens racial discrimination. The poor and inaccurate portrayals of women of color must come to an end. These women should not have to spend their lives trying to prove these preset opinions of themselves. As we evolve as a society, we should work towards equal and accurate representation in the media in order for young impressionable children to have a weaker level of implicit biases.

Sources:

http://theconversation.com/i-am-not-your-nice-mammy-how-racist-stereotypes-still-impact-women-111028

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/08/stereotype-angry-black-girls-racial

https://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/antiblack/sapphire.htm

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-latino-stereotypes-20170428-htmlstory.html

https://www.thoughtco.com/latino-stereotypes-in-television-and-film-2834654