Do read this article =) Written on 13th September 2009 by Tammy Gallagher.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2169229/how_the_media_changes_our_perception.html?cat=69
This is the summary of how the article shows the perception of beauty changed over years.
In the 1960s, Television (TV) was considered as a privilege and not everyone owns a TV.
After 1970s, TV slowly becomes a norm and TV has become a necessity in our life. This is when the media strongly affects OUR perception of beauty.
The media set the image of beauty and push this look in the highest rated television shows, movies, TV advertisements, print advertisements, music videos, posters, and anything else which can portray a visual image. The lists of the "most beautiful" people are compiled over and over again further blatantly telling us what beauty is. Human changed their perception rapidly from what they see from the media.
Perception is influenced by psychological factors and social factors.
Social Factors
- Media uses celebrities, beauty pageant, advertisement, competition, movies and etc to influence us.
For example; a movie has a very beautiful woman (main lead/celebrity) and everyone on the earth says that she is very beautiful.
* The image of the female lead is the image that the media wants to “enforce” on us.
However, the image that the media wants to enforce to us might not be good or true. For example; to be a model you have to be very thin. A lot of teenagers inspire to a model and they will wish/need to have that particular image. Thus, there is an increase or eating disorder diseases .
Trend is also influence by the media. What the celebrities wear are the most 'in' look and people will follow it.
- The media would repetitively show the same kind of image to the public till we are "force" to turn to that image.
For example; in a fashion magazine, there will be a section about how celebrities wear, how they do their make up, their new image and critique on them. At that section, they will show similar kind of look and that will set the trend.
Thus, I conclude that media changes our perceptive of beauty in a positive and negative manner
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Totally agree, although it's not the media's "fault" per se. People who are influenced by the media are only such because of a lack of self-esteem. At the end of the day, if you're truely happy with who you are, nobody can make you feel otherwise.
ReplyDeleteMedia can affect the way people perceive beauty, but I believe that the instincts in human nature has their own way of identifying their own perception of beauty.
ReplyDeleteIt's what they all say. It's in the eyes of the beholders. =D
wow something new for mi...which i believe most of us would have the chance to know about these.
ReplyDeletesometime i was wondering do these celebrities, that we saw on tv, were they really that nice back doors or is it just for show?
ReplyDeleteMedia have affected human's perception of beauty to a really great extent. Those who think they do not belong to beautiful category try to change their appearance to suit into beautiful category. Inner beauty has been forgotten, outer beauty has been considered the most important. For beauty issue, media should give balance information about its meaning and let the audience or readers decide by themselves.
ReplyDeletei believe the information that the media giving us is wrong: "For example; to be a model you have to be very thin. A lot of teenagers inspire to a model and they will wish/need to have that particular image." dont they through of what will happen/end up for those who want to be model?which is more important model or your life which will lead to eating disorderly?to be a model u dont need to be very thin eg TYRA BANKS shes not very thin and yet she can also be so popluar.
ReplyDeleteAlthough media sets the image of beauty and try to push this image, but it's up to viewers to decide whether the image is what they like.
ReplyDeleteAs the saying goes, One man's meat is another man's poison.
True. Not only does media affects our perceptions of beauty, it affects on how we live our lives too. Reality shows like, American Idol, The biggest loser, the bachelor and etc... All these create a lives that make people want to follow. It does have positive influences, but being too engrossed in these shows may have negative influences.
ReplyDeleteI agreed that media affects our perceptions of beauty and it affects everyone; man, woman, teenagers, children, gay, lesbian, etc...
ReplyDeleteBeauty is not what it used to be. Now beauty means suffer the consequences of death, or die to have the perfect body.
In the society that we are all living in now, things have changed completely from simple to drastic.
Beauty shouldn't be a death sentence posted by the media. It should be beauty according to everyone's own self, not a model or celebrity that the media tells us is real beauty.
Real beauty is found in every single one of us, we just got to find it, not die in the process.
Media is just like a salesman. They change person's point of view by showing some stuffs and talk some stuffs into a person.
ReplyDeleteYes example stated here is damn truth. People changes from past to now, it's all due to media. Once media introduce something new, they will just go for it thinking that it is something damn cool, handsome, pretty, so on, by inflicting the positive thought into people.
It is undeniable that it is in fact, the media that controls the impression of beauty. People are in a sense, programmed to identify good looks based on what we are told to believe. Like clothes, features that are considered beautiful go in and out of fashion.
ReplyDeleteEver watched the Dove commercial?
ReplyDeleteI think yes, it is very true that our images today are outcomes of successful advertisments by the media.
the evolution of media has indeed shape how we think and perceive things to be. it creates in our minds how we SHOULD view things to be. when the media portrays a certain type of fashion, they do so for a certain period of time. they are making use of frequency to bring about an obvious change in our perception that the fashion they are currently promoting is more beautiful than before. prototypes like the model you've mentioned are great ways to promote an image. it has cause many girls now to think that thin is beautiful. it has also cause social discrimination towards people who are more to the plum side. thus i agree that perception can bring advantages as well as harm.
ReplyDeleteMedia is a very powerful tool in making people believe the way they want them to believe. That's why people are paying big bucks for media and advertisings to promote erm... i lost that word.. something(ility)
ReplyDeletethanks all for the comments =)
ReplyDeletei guess everyone would agree with me. media is the most powerful tool to pass message or pass an idea around, globally. it is very influencial.