Diets and Boot Camp and Boob Lifts, Oh My!

Since the 1970s, women have made tremendous strides in terms of professional success. Thanks to the feminist movement, America has more female scientists, politicians and senior managers than ever before. Women even managed to break into the male-dominated field of broadcast journalism, which requires bulldog tenacity and ambition—traits traditionally associated with men. Unfortunately, even when they prove themselves not only competent, but also exemplary in their fields, women are judged on whether their breasts are high enough and their faces wrinkle-free. Granted, when one is watching television, one expects to see attractive people on the screen; however, something is fundamentally skewed when older women have to have unwrinkled faces, dyed hair, and breast lifts while men can get away with letting their jowls and wrinkles hang out because they are ‘distinguished’ and ‘have character.’ Women comprise more than half the television audience and they would like to see some more attractive men on the screen too! However, that is not likely to happen because American culture is structured around what heterosexual men find fascinating. No matter how engaging a reporter can be, if she does not appeal to straight male sensibilities, then she must either get plastic surgery or lose her job. “Over the past 10 years, we have seen more women journalists than ever on the national airwaves, but they are still evaluated as visual objects in ways that men are not” (Kim). Observe your average sitcom for example. The man can be overweight, insensitive, low-income, and have all kinds of disgusting habits, but the woman is always attractive and knowledgeable. Of course, all men would feel that they are entitled to the most attractive women (7-10 on the ‘looks scale’) while the rest of womankind should either go through the contortions of dramatic weight loss and cosmetic surgery to appease the Average Joe. However, as far as we have come, we still have a long way to go. No matter what women accomplish professionally, they are evaluated primarily on how they look.

The message that females must be eternally hot starts very early. In fact, many little girls believe that they have a weight problem, and many start diets before they are twelve-years-old. Since most crimes against humanity can be justified by following the money, a new generation of young women is primed to support the ever-burgeoning dieting industry. “In 2003, Teen magazine reported that 35% of girls 6 to 12 have been on at least one diet, and that 50-70% of normal weight girls believe they are overweight. Overall research indicates that 90% of women are dissatisfied with their appearance in some way” (Gerber). When images of unrealistic beauty are shoved down the throats of our young, they feel that in order to have any social worth whatsoever, they must conform to these ideals as closely as possible. However, young men who see very attractive men on television do not suffer the same way, probably because they often see average to plain guys with attractive women. Young girls never see the situation in reverse. In addition, it is well known that men judge women visually and harshly while men get some latitude for having a great personality and financial security. Women are usually unsuccessful in employing compensatory strategies for unattractive looks (i.e. developing a quick wit, making a lot of money). The problem is intensified if you are an ethnic minority—then your looks have to be ten times better than theirs, only to be considered for mating. Given this sociological fact, is it any wonder why young girls have such complexes these days?


Here’s a CNN report titled: ‘American Beauty Standards: The Ugly Side of Beauty’ that helps bring home points from the articles.

Works Cited

Gerber, Robin. “Beauty and Body Image in the Media.” Media Awareness Network, 2009, 23 February 2009, <http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_birls/women_beauty.ctm >

Kim, L.S. “Do We Still Need Feminist Media?” Ms. Magazine, November 9, 2007, 23 February 2009, <http://www.alternet.org/story/67388 >

Video Thanks to Youtube.com