I was online shopping the other day and found a website that Photoshopped their women so much that it was disgusting. I started to see that in virtually every website women are mutilated so that they look like Barbie. They have large breasts, hips and tiny waists. They have large eyes, perfect skin and long slender legs. Some of them are so top heavy that in real life they would fall over. However, I found one photoshopped woman, probably in her late 20s, who was shown from the side and had concaving breasts and a large behind. I actually got so irritated that I wasn’t even looking at the clothing; I was looking at how mutilated these women were by the Photoshop process. I am not trying to shame the women who are very thin. I want women who don’t look like this to be comfortable in their own skin and not strive to be this size.
When young women are online shopping or flipping through magazines, they are exposed to the “ideal” body shape. They expect to be able to look like these fake women. It is an unattainable idea that young women have. I watched a documentary film called “Miss Representation” in a design history class, about how women are not as respected as men are and how women are objectified. The problem is that young girls grow up thinking that looks are everything. Men get this idea from advertising. In a section of the film, news achors are talking about what would happen if a woman ended up in the oval office and what the downside would be. The male anchor said “you mean besides the PMS and moodswings?” Even women in the highest level of politics are being disgraced.
So why do these models allow themselves to be objectified? A lot of it is about finding work. Robyn Lawley is considered a plus size model because she is larger than a size 2. She says she hates the term “plus-size” and it is completely derogatory to anyone. A completely healthy, beautiful woman is considered plus-sized in this world. What doesn’t make sense is that she is a plus-size model and not wearing plus-size clothing. Cosmo Magazine gives women this false hope that they can look just like her if they buy those clothing.
Our generation has the power to change the way women are viewed. Social media has such an impact on how we think and feel. We get false ideas of how we should look from magazines, television, the Internet, and all social media sites. Our generation is in control of social media. We have the power to change this idea about women.