From hairstyles to body shape to shoes on our feet, advertising tries to persuade us that we need the ideal body and look. While we often say that the inside is more important than the outside, far more is invested to change our exterior than our interior. Advertising directly influences this behavior.

When we watch television, the commercials are designed to pump up the expectations about how our body should be. The programming does this just as much, but without saying it. The characters with the more desirable body shapes tend to be more popular, smarter, and richer than their more average-looking friends. This is true even in the "reality" programming.

Very few overweight people are portrayed as smart and capable people. This is not true in the "real" world. When average people are seen, it is almost always in a "poor them" situation. Shows like "Average Joe" are intended to say that people are always disappointed when others do not live up to their appearance expectations. Pretty, handsome, well-groomed are terms that we are programmed to want in ourselves and others.

Eating disorders, plastic surgery, fad diets, and strange exercise regimens only highlight the fact that society has bought into this philosophy. Diet pill sales are perennially high because people are trying to attain a body image that is more of a quirk than a realistic goal.

This is not a new phenomenon. Corsets, girdles, and padded clothing have been a staple of society for a very long time. However, movies and television have created new avenues into our psyche. Desirable shapes for women have gone from the hourglass to the "Twiggy" styles and everything in between. The same is true for men.

It is hard to escape the media blitz on acceptable body shapes. When celebrities allow their bodies to migrate to more of a natural shape, photos of their unglamorous nosedive are plastered everywhere we look. These bodies are only maintained by careful eating, heavy exercise, and liposuction. The torture they require is never on display. We are only allowed to see the finished product.

The moment they are not able to maintain that unrealistic pace, their bodies rebound into the range of average. We are told to pity and possibly mock their slide into mediocrity. This reinforces the advertising world's definition of body shape. Many are driven to avoid the same pit that caught the celebrity. It takes a great deal of personal restraint not to be overly influenced by the force of these ads.

Learn more about this author, Allen Teal.
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