Contact CU Independent Opinion Staff Writer Mackenzie Brecker at mabr2440@colorado.edu.
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We are constantly surrounded by images. Whether we’re on our phones or walking down the street, advertisements follow us everywhere we go, and they change our perception of body image without us being conscious of it. Girls especially have fallen victim to the media, causing many to never be able to see their body as “good enough.”
On average, a woman is exposed to nearly 600 advertisements each day. Most of these ads show women who are more often than not portrayed as sexual objects to be desired by men. These advertisement models are usually shown in very little clothing if not nearly naked, and are generally unrealistic representations of women. In fact, the average model is 5’11” and 117 pounds, while the average woman is 5’4” and 140 pounds. Women are then being held up to expectations that are almost impossible to achieve, and that cause them to lack confidence in their own bodies.
Girls fall victim to these images every day. More than half of 12-year-old girls are unhappy with their bodies — a proportion of young women that only continues to increase to 78 percent by age 17. The fact that a majority of young women feel that their bodies don’t meet the standards they’re led to aim for is a sad representation of our society, especially considering that girls often only see the flaws in themselves but not in others.
When women open a magazine and see that “beautiful” model, they are not even looking at a real woman. Her face may be altered, her waist may be smaller and even little things liked moles can be removed from an image. These ads are teaching women that if they have any imperfection whatsoever, it is wrong. Even though many women may know that these models are photoshopped, they still aim for this unrealistic yet idealized body type.
This feeling of never being good enough can influence women to develop eating disorders. According to the documentary Miss Representation, almost 65 percent of women in the United States have an eating disorder. This means that a majority of women in this country don’t think that their bodies look good, and resort to some form of disordered eating in order achieve “perfection.”
Being in a city like Boulder, where it seems like everyone around you is in perfect shape, it is easy to develop a negative self-perception. There is a constant pressure of having to stay fit due to the active lifestyles and eating habits here.
Even seeing your friends on Instagram can make you question your own body. Hearing my own friends constantly calling themselves fat when in fact they’re the opposite just goes further to show that women are being held up to unattainable standards.
This is not something happening in the United States alone, but all over the world. In order to combat the issue, France recently passed a law banning “excessively skinny” models from working. French models must now have a doctor verify their health, and then present a “doctor’s note” stating they have a body mass index of 18 or higher. If agencies or brands break this law, they could pay a fine up to 75,000 euros. In addition, the law also requires that photoshopped images be labeled as “retouched photographs,” otherwise they could incur a fine of 35,000 euros.
Other countries such as Spain, Italy and Israel have passed similar laws, and Denmark and the U.K. are considering doing the same. But it does not look like the United States is considering something like that anytime soon. Anorexic models and photoshopped women will continue to appear in advertisements that young women will inadvertantly see. If this continues, the way women see their bodies may continue to get worse.
The United States should change the way its businesses advertise. Ideally, pictures used in advertisements would not be photoshopped at all. This way, women would be able to see that models have flaws too, but that these flaws are beautiful. Even the little things such as freckles and moles can cause a girl to see her freckles and moles in a more positive way. If a photo is photoshopped it should be made clear that the photo has been retouched, as with France’s new law. Advertisements should show women that beautiful does not mean perfect, and give them the chance to see their bodies and their imperfections in a better light.
