by Michelle Wilkinson

Created on: June 14, 2009

The media has a considerable amount of influence over what is predominantly perceived to be beautiful in our society. A certain type of 'look' seems to be favoured by all different sections of the media, from highbrow television shows to downmarket men's magazines. Attractive women are seen to be long-limbed, slim, with flawless skin and ample cleavage, whilst good-looking men are those who are tall, slim, muscular, with a good haircut. Ordinary men and women are constantly exposed to these images, which can affect how they see themselves and how they look at others.

Ordinary men and women end up constantly comparing themselves to the unrealistic images that they see. There may be a few natural beauties who make it into magazines, but most of them have a lot of help to look as good as they do. Professional make-up artists and hair stylists, with professional lighting and photographers, as well as a little bit of additional help from the trusty airbrush to rid models and celebrities of any flaws they may possess. These images of perfection are what members of the general public see; they do not see the process behind their creation.

However, despite the media being in control of the content and images that they release into the public domain, they have also had to confess to the tricks of the trade they use. This is because some celebrities, such as Kate Winslet, have become concerned about the pressure that teenagers are being put under to look as good as the people in the magazines they read due to unrealistic notions of what constitutes beauty. Indeed, the role of the media in perpetuating a certain ideal of beauty seems to have become a story in itself, as the growing number of teenage girls suffering from eating disorders has led to accusations being levelled at the media for encouraging the size 0 trend.

Although not exactly to blame for causing eating disorders the media has helped fuel low self-esteem amongst children, teenagers and adults, who seem to spend a lot of their time comparing themselves to people whose careers put them in the spotlight and whose job it is to look good. Most people therefore spend more time worrying about their flaws, trying to alter them or disguise them rather than acknowledging that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. This is not surprising, though, when the people around them are also fed the same perception of beauty, hence making it more difficult to acknowledge that not everybody finds the same physical attributes attractive. The media therefore has a lot to answer for in its propagation of a very restrictive ideal of beauty.

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