Beauty Analysis

THE MEDIA

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 // 9:54 AM

The video in this post called "Doll Face" manages to artistically portray the standards that the media has set for us as humans, and the struggle for us to try to obtain them.

The Doll Face at first comes out of her box and sees the TV, and an image of what she is supposed to look like. Thus, she pulls out her makeup and such and changes herself to look like that. Once she does, she is happy. However, the TV screen changes to a new, higher standard. And along with that screen change the TV itself raises itself higher up. So, the Doll Face stretches itself to reach that point, and changes herself again to fit the standard on the television. But then, even quicker than before, the TV standard once again increases and raises itself higher to a point that the Doll Face cannot reach. It tries as hard as it can to stretch and reach that point, but it cannot, thus leading to her own downfall. She falls, shatters, and breaks. And that's where it ends.

We as society [especially girls] try to conform to these standards set by the media; how could we not? It's all around us. It's in TV, magazines, movies, etc. We are surrounded by the established norm, and thus expected to meet them. We stretch ourselves to be like those models in the magazines and actors in movies with perfect features, at all means possible. Girls use makeup, haircuts, sometimes even surgery to become closer to this standard. But the problem is, as the majority of the population manages to reach the standard, the standard is increased to even more unattainable heights. And, girls [some guys] go through serious depression and insecurity by not meeting the new norms, sometimes. Our own downfall.

Whether or not the media portrays as what is beautiful, I do not know. But the media portrays what society wants, and I have always believed that opinion lied within the majority. What the media shows is what society believes. There is a direct correlation between the two. However, the media exposes these standards more to the public, and sometimes even exaggerates them to create a new norm among society. It is a never ending cycle.

I will discuss society later.

Another way to analyze the media's affect on beauty is by looking at places without any media, or if so very little. And, what they define as beautiful.
There are many undeveloped countries, especially in Africa. Africa probably shows one of the largest contrast in beauty to our western standards. Many places in this continent are still indigenous and tribal. They lack such things like commercial production, television, etc.

Some places in Africa define beauty as something quite different than we would ever expect. They like metal piercings, long necks, and long mouths. Cords are wrapped around the necks to elongate them, metal disks are placed on tongues to weigh it down. Nobody would ever consider that here, yet they are also without the media. If ever they were to be exposed to the media and thus our standards, it is no doubt that their views on beauty would change as well.

All we can prove is that the media does greatly influence one's opinion on what is beautiful. When someone is surrounded by it as much as we are, it's hard not to notice it and take into account why it is in fact advertised as much as it is.