There are many young, impressionable women who are frequently scrolling through social media, or the latest issue of their favorite magazine, in search of advice and newly released gossip. These magazines are filled with thigh gaps and incredibly thin waistlines, which has become an expectation for what we should look and act like. The opinions of society play a tremendous role in how we, as women, view ourselves and the majority of that comes from media. It’s impossible to get through a magazine or advertisement without being sold and idea or a product, most of which have to do with weight, beauty or fashion. These ads are full of negative messages, masked by photoshopped images and professionally prepped models. Advertisements, magazines and social media are sending the wrong message to society, which is impacting self esteem and body image in developing girls.
Models and celebrities are extremely edited in magazine spreads, yet, they have become icons that portray an accurate representation of what beauty is. It’s a known fact that advertising has an influential impact on how women perceive themselves. Each and every photo that lives within a magazine has gone through extensive editing. Including, reconstructing the natural appearance of one’s body in order to meet the new standard for “skinny.” This has become the norm and is something we can expect in every advertisement we see. Photoshop has become a dictating phenomenon in the advertising industry, playing a huge role in the opinions of society. We live in a world where skinny sells, and the media provides the perfect opportunity to lower our self esteem. Photoshopped images showcase a inaccurate and unrealistic physical representation of beauty. It’s time that companies, within the industry, need to take action by replacing photoshopped images with positive and empowering messages. This will not only benefit women, but society as a whole.