Introduction
It is a common saying that “beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”. However, the major question that a significant number of people are asking is whether this is just a saying or it is an actual reflection of what happens in the society (Women in American Media: A Culture of Misperception, para.2). A significant number of sociologists have focused on debates that are geared towards the determination of whether the conventional media industry has an influence on the definition of beauty. It is apparent that there is a particular standard that the media has associated with beauty in different countries. This is evidenced by the constant use of individuals or models that are or a certain physical appearance i.e. talk models with long necks.
The influence of these perceptions is massive; many people have spent billions of dollars to perform plastic or cosmetic surgery with an intention of attaining a particular look or to basically to appear beautiful. Currently, everybody desires to remain young and beautiful, despite the fact that it is common sense that aging is inevitable (Facelift SurgeryRhytidectomy, para. 6). This paper attempts to answer the question: What is the influence of media on the standards of beauty in various countries? This question shall be approached by examining how the media affects or influences the standards of beauty in different countries. The comparison will be based on the United States as a reference country, France and Asian nations such as Vietnam, Japan, Indian and Lebanon. The major reason for selecting the United States a reference country is based on the fact that it is one of the major Western nations whose cultures have had significant impact in various countries across the globe. On the other hand, Asian nations such as Japan, Vietnam, Indian and Lebanon have deeply rooted cultures with specific traditional beliefs concerning beauty and appearance.
Discussion
The United States is one of the nations in which the media has had a significant impact on the manner in which it affects the standards of beauty. This is because the United States culture is saturated with myriad messages that are propagated through the modern mass media channels. Research has shown that mass media whether the modern communication channels or traditional forms of mass media, have a major impact in the manner in which audience perceive or understand issues (Women in American Media: A Culture of Misperception, para. 2).
One of the major reasons that have been proposed or suggested to explain why mass media influences audience is the cumulative and rapid effects of advertisements. Advertisement in countries such as the United States greatly affects the manner in which women and men perceive beauty. Even though the media attempts to attract or target every person in the society, the level at which one is exposed to these information is determined by gender. Research indicates that a significant number of messages disseminated through the media focus more towards women compared to men, for example: In a magazine where the author tries to pass messages that are associated with images tend to make women appear inferior. Women are usually portrayed in a passive body language and seem vulnerable compared to women (Women in American Media: A Culture of Misperception, para. 6).
In terms of beauty, being a woman as portrayed in the American Media-obsessed lifestyle compels one to live in accordance with the beauty standards that advertisement stakeholders create. Achieving the highest level of beauty in the United States is one of the most imperative roles played by women. Certain sociologists have termed beauty in the American culture as a currency system such as the gold standard (Women in American Media: A Culture of Misperception, para. 6). In the American culture, the media has created a mentality that beauty is not universal, although, many people in the United States assume that beauty originates from an ideal woman or a platonic model. The United States media has coupled the idea of beauty with morality; this has been shown in various television shows, series and movies where women that play the good characters are generally beautiful or attractive (Women in American Media: A Culture of Misperception, para. 6). On the other hand, the United States media links the corpus of evilness with incidents of unattractiveness.
The resultant impact of the aforementioned role of media is that the ideals of beauty are internalized among the target audience, made rational and socially accepted. This means that women are constantly reminded through the media that they can only be valued in the society due to their attractiveness or as a result of their beauty despite the fact that the codes of beauty cannot be measured aesthetically.
The influence of media on the standards of beauty has not only been a contentious issue in the United States, but also in Britain where psychologists have argued that people are losing their bodies as fast as language is lost. According to Susie Orbach just like the English language has become the most accepted language globally, smalle-nosed, long-legged women, small-waist and blonde women have become the standard of beauty. In discussion, the manner in which Western Media channels portray beauty has spread rapidly to other parts of the world such as in Japan, India and other parts of Asia.
The portrayal of thinness as a standard of beauty in Western cultures, particularly in the United States has spread to other parts of the world rapidly. This has introduced damaging standards of thinness even to African Nations where beauty is associated with thick bottoms of general body thickness (Membis, para. 3). In countries like Japan, beauty standards have been maintained in a distinct manner compared to the Western nations such as the United States. In the history of Japan, attractive and curvy women have been associated with success and high social value for a long period of time. However, due to the penetration of images portraying the standards of beauty through social media from Western culture, a significant number of modern Japanese women are classified as under-weight (The Disturbing Effect Our Beauty Standards Have on Women across the World, para, 4).
Japanese sociologists have argued that many Japanese women are currently under high pressure to attain a particular body or image (The Disturbing Effect Our Beauty Standards Have on Women across the World, para. 5). This pressure has been propagated by the images that are cultivated through the media channels such as beauty magazines, televisions, films and documentaries where women are basically presented as thin with long hair and long legs across the world. Certain sociologists have associated the change in regard to perception of beauty with globalization, characterized with infiltration of standards of beauty from Western Cultures.
The impact of media on the standards of beauty has also been observed in Lebanon, a largely Muslim nation. Researchers argue that beauty standards in Lebanon have been negatively affected by infiltration of images or standards of beauty from Western nations such as France and the United States (Women in American Media: A Culture of Misperception, para. 8). Lebanon is classified as one of the nations with the highest levels of cosmetic surgery that occurs on an annual basis. Due to the influence of the Media regarding beauty standard, approximately 1 out of every 3 Lebanese women has undergone through cosmetic or plastic surgery. In an interview, Lebanese students asserted walking along streets in Lebanon, one realizes that people look almost similar, a scenario that is attributed to plastic surgery (The Disturbing Effect Our Beauty Standards Have on Women across the World, para. 9). In his perspective, the penetration of Western culture, coupled with certain ideals of beauty and exported through the media is attributed to the current changes related to beauty standards in Lebanon (The Disturbing Effect Our Beauty Standards Have on Women across the World, para. 9).
Sociologists in Lebanon have asserted that the Lebanese culture and attitudes towards beauty was not as it is in the last one half decade. In their perspective, the root causes of the change of attitude and ideals towards culture is mainly due to globalization and increased access to mass media i.e. through social media. Evidence also indicates that the rigid benchmark on beauty has been seriously embedded in various levels of the Lebanese economy (The Disturbing Effect Our Beauty Standards Have on Women across the World, para. 10). Classified advertisement place emphasis on the fact that women have to be beautiful in all cases; hence, increasing pressure on the need to appear on a particular manner. The pertinence of meeting beauty standards in Lebanon is even supported by certain banking institutions such as the First National Bank where individuals are provided with loans as much as $5,000 for purposes of plastic or cosmetic surgery (The Disturbing Effect Our Beauty Standards Have on Women across the World, para. 12).
Similarly, India is another of the country that has been affected by the manner in which the Media portrays or creates a standard for beauty. Until the late 1990’s, eating disorders were of negligent levels in India; however, currently there have been increased cases of anorexia nervosa among Indian women i.e. Indian women are affected 10 times by poor eating habits compared to Indian men. Psychiatrists and Indian sociologists have attributed these recent changes to imitation of Western culture regarding beauty as portrayed through media and globalization (The Disturbing Effect Our Beauty Standards Have on Women across the World, para. 14). Indians are currently making attempts to copy westernized images of beauties as indicated in various media channels such as movies, the social media, magazines and newspapers among others.
Filmmakers such as Jean Kilbourne have made observations that the Indian film industry once valued voluptuous women or figures, although, currently there are rapidly changing norms in regard to beauty. In his perspective, the Western culture coupled with what is considered an ideal image of beauty has been the root cause of this rapidly changing norm. Moreover, Jean Kilbourne in his observation asserts that the popular Western cultures i.e. the American culture has a great influence wherever it goes, in that people simply follows believing that it is the benchmark for rationality (What Is the Standard of Beauty in Your Country?, para. 3).
The influence of media on the perception as well as attitude towards beauty has also been evident in the Vietnamese culture. The major cause of this change is due to the rapid spread of Western Movies or films that are associated with particular standards of beauty. As a result of Western Movie influence, Vietnamese have had a different opinion on how women and mean should appear, for instance, they have began to show attraction towards white skinny ladies. The concept of beauty and appearance has undergone a major transformation, that is, from the virtue of physical appearance to an individual’s outlook (What Is the Standard of Beauty in Your Country? Para. 4).
In France, the media has not had a significant impact on the standards of beauty; this is because French women have characteristically long, blond hair, which is considered as sign of beauty. In as much as tall women are portrayed as beautiful through the French media, short women are also equally appreciated (What Is the Standard of Beauty in Your Country? Para. 2). Image is not highly valued among the French, although a person is considered attractive when they maintain trendiness that is, appreciating trending clothes and other aspects of fashion.
Persons who do not appreciate trend in the French culture experience challenges associated with difficulties of accessing job opportunities. Recently, the French began associating beauty with darker complexions and excessively thin bodies, although the French government intervened and prevented a further spread of this trend by banning all television adverts that presents overly thin-bodied women (What Is the Standard of Beauty in Your Country?, para. 2). Moreover, individuals that may attempt to access beauty or weight loss websites are usually warned, “Prevent excess weight loss”.
The French media has had a rather controversial approach to the standards o beauty of late; women are basically portrayed as tender humans that require the protection from men. Consequently, cosmetic or plastic surgery has not had a positive reception in the French media. Those who have performed cosmetic surgery are usually shunned or discouraged by others. Consequently, the French family values do not support bodily manipulations for purposes of beauty. Families tend to have a negative reception towards those who have performed plastic or cosmetic surgery.
Conclusion
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