It is known to the world that women are beautiful, sexy, and
sultry. But what else do we know about women, other than what the media shows
us and tells us? Have you ever wondered why many women struggle with low
self-esteems? Or perhaps why they are often criticizing themselves for not
meeting the unrealistic expectations of a medium such as a women’s magazine?
Everyday women are being influenced by women’s magazines and are being targeted
to accept this ideology of consumerism in which women without them knowing, are
being told how to live their lives. In other words, women as consumers are not
aware of the true intention behind the content of a magazine, whether it is in their
magazine cover or inside their ads, women do not know that they are being
misrepresented.
In a
women’s magazine we see this airbrushed perfect model, because let’s face it
there’s no such thing as perfection without a little Photoshop. But most times,
women consumers don’t see past it. They believe in the idea that they have to
look a certain way. If they don’t, they are the outcast because they fail to
meet these absurd standards that the media keeps alive with the use of their
advertisements in these magazines. Many of these magazines have been criticized
for promoting the idea of what a woman should look like; they have been
criticized for artificially creating beauty. For instance, fashion magazine
Vogue has been dealing with a lot of criticism ever since their February issue
came out and it was discovered through Internet pictures that their cover model
actress Lena Dunham, (HBO Girls) was extremely photoshopped. (http://www.adweek.com/news/press/debate-controversial-magazine-covers-alive-and-well-155400)
According to an ADWEEK article, “The debate over how women’s
magazines represent their subjects is, of course, nothing new. Women’s fashion
magazines in particular have been dealing with criticism that we show
unrealistic standards of beauty for a long time.”(Bazilian1). Vogue has not
been the only magazine under fire, there have been plenty of other magazines
that have created controversies but they choose to avoid any discussion in
regards of their photos being retouched.
These
magazines are not just influencing women but also affecting their lives. It has
become a habit, a routine to rely on such medium that tells you as a woman what
to do with yourself and what your job is in society. According to the book
Media/Society by David Croteau and William Hoynes, “So-called women’s magazines
are loaded with advertisements and editorial content, nearly all of which
promote an ideology that celebrates consumption associated with beauty,
fitness, attracting men, and the good life.”(181). In other words, women’s
magazines encourage women to consume this lifestyle that is praised to be the
idea lifestyle in today’s society. Truly, the idea is based on perfection, and
sadly as I mentioned earlier there is no such thing as perfection. However, it
is a marketplace, and like every marketplace it is business, and at the end of
the day, it is not so much about helping women to improve themselves, but it is
about exploiting them and make them purchase these products that are being
advertised in the magazine.
Furthermore,
along with the idea of how women should live their lives according to a women’s
magazine, women who take part of magazine advertisements are being
misrepresented as well because they are being sexualized in the ads. They are
being used to provoke and to lure the male audience. These magazines promote
the ideal lifestyle by showing how sexuality and beauty can be bought in
today’s society. This leads to what goes on in today’s popular culture, as
women are being degraded and are being treated like objects instead of being
treated like actual women. Whether they are aware or not, women who are
participants in such ads, are being exploited and in some way their bodies and
image is being misrepresented as well as disrespected.
In Killing
Us Softly 4 advertising’s image of women, Jean Kilbourne discusses how the
advertising of women has become worse. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTlmho_RovY)
Kilbourne talks about how not only are these advertisement images telling the
consumers how to live their lives, but women in particular are being portrayed
as objects and things and these images affect a woman’s self esteem. Kilbourne
also points out that by making women into things, advertisements can send a
message of violence.
Women’s magazines
are able to create an identity with a set of consumer behaviors that are
considered to be “normal” in today’s society. By displaying these behaviors on
their ads, magazines promote this message by telling their female audience that
it is a must to purchase certain products to live a better life. According to
The Association of Magazine Media, “Consumers’
favorite places to look at ads: 45% print magazine.”(1). Advertisement
companies know exactly where to use their ads, and they know that the audience they
are looking for is those who consume magazines on the daily basis. Whether
they’ll stop sexualizing women or misrepresenting them will always be a
question because at the end of the day, all it matters is that they make profit
from their sales. These magazines are not making women better; they are making
them go broke and creating this illusion of fake reality.
Works Cited
"2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up
6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec.
2013. Web.
Bazilian, Emma. "The Debate With Controversial Magazine
Covers Is Alive and Well | Adweek." AdWeek. N.p., 2 Feb. 2014.
Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
Croteau, David, and William
Hoynes. "Chapter 5: Media and Ideology." Media Society: Industries, Images, and
Audiences. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2014. 181. Print.
"Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women
[Trailer] - Available on DVD."YouTube. YouTube, 12 Mar. 2010. Web.
19 Feb. 2014.
I am an avid magazine reader. I mainly read entertainment magazines that focus on celebrity life and style. Though I try not to read too much into the content of a magazine, I can definitely see how women are misrepresented throughout the magazine, and in advertisements. “Women’s magazines in particular have a tremendous influence on body image, with researchers reporting that teenage girls rely heavily on them for information on beauty and fashion, valuing their advice nearly as highly as that of their peers” (Media Smarts). According to this statement, young women view the content in a magazine and believe in the messages that the magazine portrays. It is important to realize how susceptible women are to the unrealistic standards that society places on women.
ReplyDeleteMany magazines use Photoshop to alter images to make women look “flawless.” Photoshop has been used to make women look thinner, remove curves, remove freckles, and alter someone’s real body into something that is not their own. Like Karen said, most readers do not see past the Photoshop and realize that this so-called perfect body is not real. Women feel that they have to keep up with the hottest trends, and meet the standards that people see in magazines. I found the controversy regarding Lena Dunham’s cover shoot for Vogue to be very interesting. According to Hollywood Reporter, editors from the Jezebel blog were willing to pay $10,000 for untouched images of Lena Dunham from her Vogue shoot (Guthrie). They posted the photos on their blog for people to see the difference between the touched up photos and the untouched photos. Jezebel pointed out several characteristics that had been changed, but Dunham did not feel that the images were really touched up that much (Guthrie). She did not see a huge difference between the photos. I took a look at the photos, and I felt that though the images were not extremely altered, I could definitely notice the differences between the pictures. I admire the celebrities who refuse to be photoshopped. According to DoSomething.org, there are several celebrities who have spoken up against using photoshopped images, including Brad Pitt. In a shoot for a magazine, he refused on his images being altered, and “requested a photographer known for his extremely detailed photos that highlight all skin imperfections” (DoSomething.org). I think it is important for celebrities to point out that magazine do not realistically portray people in an accurate light.
The misrepresentation of women in magazine covers and advertisements can cause serious issues in a person’s life. It is important to realize that these images do not define the perfect body or image.
Works Cited:
"Body Image- Advertising and Magazines." Media Smarts. N.p.. Web. 24 Feb 2014.
Guthrie, Marisa. "Lena Dunham's Surprising Jezebel Shout-out on 'Girls'." Hollywood Reporter. 4 Jan 2014: n. page. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
"5 Celebrities Rejecting Hollywood's Photoshop Fever." DoSomething.org. N.p.. Web. 24 Feb 2014.
Karen,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that you wrote about how media impacts the way women think they should look and act. Media sets an unrealistic standard for females, and every woman I know has been affected by these unachievable pressures in one way or another. I am very interested in this phenomenon, and I have studied about it in sociology and media classes. I place a high standard on health; I love working out; and I strive to maintain healthy eating habits. Despite the actions I take, I struggle with my body image and happiness. I cannot help but feel that if I could just achieve the (impossible) standard of beauty, everything else in life will also be possible. It is frustrating and sad that despite my awareness of these media driven pressures on women, I still associate success and happiness with this standard of beauty and feel defeated because I know I will never look like a model. I think it is important to acknowledge this because I believe many women feel the same way, and raising awareness is the first step in change.
Because of my personal interest and research on this subject, I saw the video featuring Jean Kilbourne, “Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women” a few months ago on Upworthy. Kilbourne’s video serves as a tool to raise awareness of negative influences of media. Despite her work over the past forty years discussing the topic of media influence on women and their body image, the issues have gotten worse and not better. As Kilbourne points out, advertisements sell more than just products; they sell values, concepts of love, sexuality, success, and normalcy. In my opinion, advertisements in magazines have made the perfect and flawless body seem normal to the average viewer. Kilbourne’s asserts that media and advertisements tell women what is most important is how we look, and as a result, we spend tons of time, money, and effort on trying to achieve these looks. This is important information for women and for society. When we fail to achieve the presented standard, we feel guilty and ashamed despite the fact that the standard presents an unachievable goal because the ideal female version of beauty is absolute flawlessness (Kilborne).
(cont.)
ReplyDeleteUnrealistic images of women bombard us every single day. They are inescapable. As the class reading Magazine Media Readers are Social how should this be –in quote or italics? points out, magazine readers who are 18-34 years old use social media on multiple levels and are extremely connected through these social networks (Magazine Media Readers are Social ).Because of this, magazine content constantly surrounds social media users. The article also points out that sharing digital content is very common among this group, and "A substantial majority also re-tweet articles from a magazine’s Twitter feed" (Magazine Media Readers are Social). Magazine readers tend to not question what is presented as the report indicates that 54% trust the opinion of magazine editors; 43% trust advertising and offers on a magazine's Facebook page; and 40% put stock in the opinions shared on the magazine's Facebook or Twitter accounts (Magazine Media Readers are Social). To me, this level of trust raises a red flag. Magazines are aligned with generational beliefs. In the 1950’s magazines told women that in order to keep their man they should not talk, they should know how to cook, and that the man is in charge. Hearing that today would be unthinkable. Nevertheless, media still tell us how to eat, dress, and which products to buy in order to achieve perfection. I agree with your assessment that women's magazines are able to normalize consumer behaviors and attitudes. Magazines promote tons of messages in their advertisements, and as you wrote, magazines are able to tell their female audience that it must purchase certain products or act certain ways to achieve perfection and beauty.
Media influence on women is increasing as it is delivered on more and more platforms. According to 2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms: “data for magazine ad pages and their tablet edition ad unit data base, shows a 6% increase in the magazine media advertising “footprint” of print pages and tablet units. Furthermore, reports from major publishers and recent research confirm this positive trend” (2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms). Advertising is on the rise: “This positive advertising trend was also supported by SMI Dataminer which reports agency spending on print magazines was up 9% through November 2013 – more than television (3%), newspapers (3%), radio (2%) and out-of-home (2%)” (2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms). Images that negatively influence women are ever-present. Despite increasing awareness, women appear unable to shield themselves from the constant barrage of imagery and information that influences their self-perception. Until society and consumers demand media to present achievable and realistic images to its consumers, the unattainable, unrealistic and harmful projections will continue.
Work Cited
“Magazine Media Readers Are Social.” MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. n.d. Web. magazine.org/socialresearch. 19 Feb. 2014.
"2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
"Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women [Trailer] - Available on DVD."YouTube. YouTube, 12 Mar. 2010. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
Karen, I agree that this is an extremely important issue. It seems like society spends a great deal of time talking about the misrepresentations of women in popular culture, yet the media continues to perpetuate these images. Magazine covers have historically displayed provocative, air-brushed photos of famous women in order to sell the most copies possible. When women see these images, they want to look like them; when men see these images, they want to be with someone who looks like these women.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the only goal of these magazine companies is simply to gain a profit; they don’t care if women starve themselves or get cosmetic surgery to emulate these images, as long as they reap the benefits from that revenue. Perhaps the saddest part is that these aren’t even real people that are shown on the covers – they are retouched so much that sometimes even the celebrities themselves doesn’t recognize their own image. For example, you mentioned Jean Kilbourne’s “Killing Us Softly 4,” which provides numerous examples of how the media inappropriately portrays women. In this video, Kilbourne highlights a magazine cover where actress Kate Winslet’s image were resized significantly. Even Winslet herself released a statement disapproving of the cover and saying that the magazine cut off “at least a third of her leg” (Killing Us Softly 4).
In addition to this course, I am also taking another Media Studies course entitled “Diversity in the Media.” This week’s readings dealt with a similar concept. In one particular article from HeinOnline, the author critiqued George magazine’s sexualized depiction of Latin-American women on their cover. The author stated that “the magazine contained a layout entitled, “If I were President” featuring a photo of television star Daisy Fuentes that could conceivably have been titled, “If I were the Playmate of the Year” (Román). Although this statement specifically applied to the portrayal of Latin-American women as over-sexualized, the message applies to most media depictions of women. Pairing a voluptuous actress with ambitious words does not send a message of power – it sends a message of conformity. It sends the message that although a woman may indeed have the capability to become president, she still needs to rely on her body and appearance to get there.
(continued)
ReplyDeleteThis is the completely wrong message to be sending to anyone, but especially the audience that is most influenced by magazines. The Association of Magazine Media recently conducted a survey asking a group of about one thousand 18-34 year olds about their habits in reading magazines. The results were that 93% of all respondents had read or looked into a print magazine in the last 60 days (MPA). While this does not give specific information about genders, it does show that most of the young adult population is actively involved in reading magazines, which means they are consuming their messages. The MPA also published another article detailing the fact that as we have more and more media platforms to check, we become less attentive to each one (MPA). Therefore, it is more common for us to skim through a magazine article than actually read it, which becomes problematic when we are only taking in the images and a brief overview of the articles. Keeping both this idea and the above-mentioned Daisy Fuentes example in mind, one would completely miss the idea that she may one day be “president” and solely focus on her body. Unfortunately, as you state in your post, magazines will continue to perpetuate these harmful images towards women’s self-esteem until someone takes a significant stand to bring them down.
Works Cited
Román, Ediberto. “Who Exactly Is Living La Vida Loca?: The Legal and Political Consequences of Latino-Latina Ethnic and Racial Stereotypes in Film and Other Media.” Accessed 17 Feb. 2014 via HeinOnline. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
"Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women [Trailer] - Available on DVD." YouTube. YouTube, 12 Mar. 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTlmho_RovY
McDonald, Scott, Jim Spaeth, and Alice Sylvester. "Magazine Reading in the Distracted, Multi-Tasking Attention Environment." MPA's Biennial Research Symposium. Accessed from MPA website (www.magazine.org), 1 Feb. 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
"Magazine Readers are Social." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. n.d. magazine.org/socialresearch. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
You posed the question of what else do we know about women, other than what the media shows us and tells us? I think this question perfectly captures the inundation of ads and magazines in our lives. When you walk into any convenience store, bookstore, or any major city with billboards, you are overtaken by images of perfectly structured woman. Is that reality? No, but it is what the advertising industry uses to sell their products. One reason that the “perfect woman” ideal has been used so often in all different advertisements is its success. We want to look like these women so we buy the products. This is also another reason why this aspect of society is difficult to change. Why fix something that isn’t broken?
ReplyDeleteIt is no longer just reading a magazine. Advertisements are displayed all throughout the Internet and social media. Magazine readers can put the magazine down and go talk about what they just read with the magazine on Facebook and Twitter. It is almost impossible to get away from these images. Magazines, such as Cosmopolitan and Vogue, tweet pictures of spreads that will be in their magazines. If you are following them, you will see the images that they are posting. These images are most likely ones that contain unrealistic representations of woman.
According to the “Magazine Media Readers are Social” document, when asked the question “Have you read or look into any magazine, print or digital in the past 60 days, 93% of all respondents have read or looked into a print magazine” (The Association of Magazine Media). This in itself highlights how many people are reading the magazines and therefore seeing the images of “perfect” woman displayed. It is the abundance of these advertisements and images that create an image of what woman are supposed to look like. Also according to this article, “56% of total Twitter users and 65% of avid readers follow a magazine editor or columnist on twitter, and 51% have re-tweeted a magazine editors Twitter” (The Association of Magazine Media).
Part 2
ReplyDeleteAccording to the article, “2013 is a Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising up 6% Across Platforms,” “There are currently 7,390 print magazines published in the U.S. today- the most in 10 years” (MPA Press Release). This means that there are hundreds of thousands of ads in total within magazines. Whoever opens one of these will come across these “unrealistic images.” Advertising tends to take over magazines. It makes sense for monetary reasons. According to the same article, “The top 25 print magazines reach 48% more adults than the top 25 prime time shows” (MPA Press Release). It also says, “Magazines rank as the #1 medium for advertising acceptance” (MPA Press Release). It is understandable that advertisers include their images within these magazines. The magazines are getting the most readers therefore an abundance of people seeing their products. Magazine readers “Accept” the notion that there will be a lot of ads in the magazines they pick up. It is part of the “magazine experience.”
I strongly agree with your comment, “but it is about exploiting them and make them purchase these products that are being advertised in the magazine.” Magazines aren’t featuring gorgeous woman for no reason. It has been the norm because it has been successful. Our society has unfortunately created an ideal that is unrealistic, but sells. The more we continue to see the advertisements and then buy the products, the less chance that there will be any change of the idyllic woman. As seen in the article, “2013 a Growth Year for Magazine Media Platforms,” “for the full year 2013, tablet magazine advertising units increased 16% with print pages essentially flat at -.2%...This data analysis of the 69 media titles that measure both print ad page and IPad unit advertising affirms that 2013 was a successful year, with magazine media strongly resonating with consumers and advertisers” (Magazine Media Press Release). 2013 was a very successful year for advertisers and magazines. This probably foreshadows that 2014 will be even more successful with new modes of technology and ways to showcase advertisements.
Works Cited
"2013 A Growth Year for Magazine Media Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 9 Jan. 2014. Web.
"2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec. 2013. Web.
"Magazine Media Readers Are Social." The Association of Magazine Media (2013): Web. .
Karen,
ReplyDeleteYour article really meant a lot to me. Magazines show the idea of perfect women and how we all should look like them. They can say that this is not there intention all they want but the reality is majority of girls including myself feel this pressure everyday. I do not want to say I am shallow but my weight is very important to me, sometimes too important. When you sit down and really dissect why women like myself may feel this way it is because of what society has shown to be the norm. Being fit is becoming more well known, but then why does every magazine cover have stick thin models that look emaciated. The repetition of seeing this over the years programs our brains to think this skinny look is what makes you beautiful. Your are right when you say that we misread these pictures because they definitely are photo shopped but even so, we still look up to this ideal body image and would do anything to have it.
Many women even embrace this look and re post ways to get the body they look up to. I have noticed over the years that on my Facebook wall people will post links to new diets or supplements that will give you the perfect body. On Instagram I see many people posting pictures of not only fitness pictures, but of stick thin women that they wish they looked like. “Sharing magazine content is important to young digital readers. Avid magazine readers and multiple platform social users are in the vanguard for sharing content with friends and they do it to a high degree using social devices. Most chat with friends on Facebook while reading a magazine and share what they are reading. A substantial majority also re-tweet articles from a magazine’s Twitter feed” (Magazine readers are social). We see this content all over and it brainwashes us to think about the issue often throughout the day. Women post these skinny tips and pictures because they are admiring something that is just not realistic.
I agree with your point that many magazines have been scrutinized for their way they present women. Not only about weight but women are seen as sex symbols to sell objects and this just adds to our confidence issues. We see that we have to be sexy, but to be sexy you need a perfect body, so we are right back to where we started. I personally think that if magazines all of a sudden started putting average women on the covers and did not air brush them anymore their sales would drop. It is sad to say but skinny has become the norm. It will take time for viewers to drop everything they have seen and heard and recreate the image of what a beautiful woman should look like.
Karen could not have said it better, “Women’s magazines encourage women to consume this lifestyle that is praised to be the idea lifestyle in today’s society. Truly, the idea is based on perfection, and sadly as I mentioned earlier there is no such thing as perfection. However, it is a marketplace, and like every market black it is a business, and it the end of the day, it is not so much about helping women to improve themselves, but it is about exploiting them and make them purchase these products that are being advertised in the magazine. I found it interesting when you said that by portraying these women as object it could send a message of violence. I never thought of that but it makes a lot of sense. Men think that women are here to look pretty and serve them and if they do not follow this idea of a sex object, violence may occur.
ReplyDelete“The latest Fall MRI 2013 release shows print audiences up 1% and magazine media (print plus tablet) up 2% versus the Fall MRI 2012 study, with 5% growth among 18-24-year-olds” (2013 is Pivotal). This age group scares me because the growth of viewers is such an impressionable age. College years are here to explore oneself, not to obsess over what the scale says and if you have the wrong clothes or makeup. Not only has that age group increased, “ Magazines rank as the #1 medium for advertising acceptance (76%) (2013 is Pivotal). The reality of this situation is we embrace these obnoxious standards and accept them. Women’s magazines are creating an unreachable standard and making it extremely hard for a woman to feel powerful and confident when they are constantly worrying about their appearance.
"2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec. 2013. Web.
"Sharing Magazine Content Is Important to Young Digital Readers." Magazine Media Readers Are Social. MPA The Association of Magazine Media, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
Mass media and advertising is arguably the most powerful tool in the world for creating, changing or spreading society’s ideas about an issue or group of people. It works both openly and subconsciously by deciding which issues are important or not important, how to frame those issues, who to show as affected by them, and increasingly, providing personal observations on the matters at hand. Because the majority of major media corporations are dominated by white men, many minorities (like women) are portrayed in ways that perpetuate negative stereotypes. Even though women have made great strides towards equality, they continue to experience both misrepresentation and underrepresentation in our media today.
ReplyDeleteI personally am not much of a magazine enthusiast but one thing that always catches my eye are the magazine covers in grocery stores, news stands, and anywhere you could run into newspapers or magazines. Out of the thousands of magazines I have seen and walked by in my life, it is hard for me to think about specific ones where there was a male on the cover. I do not have a specific stat, but I’d have to say that approximately 90% of magazine covers are women and the majority of the time, they are half-clothed and this scares me because of what the future may hold for young women.
“Women’s magazines in particular have a tremendous influence on body image, with researchers reporting that teenage girls rely heavily on them for information on beauty and fashion, valuing their advice nearly as highly as that of their peers” (Media Smarts). According to this statement, these young women believe what these images and messages are saying. These images are portraying women falsely. In my MSS 231 Media class, we watched a short film called, “Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women” and we talked about the way certain advertising portrays women’s bodies. The film showed actual pictures of celebrities from their photo shoots for the magazines and then showed the picture that was issued on the actual magazine. It was amazing to see the difference of the two pictures and how incredibly altered they were from airbrushing and photo shop. There was one specific instance with Kate Winslet in 2005 where she was on the cover of a GQ magazine. The image of her was so extremely edited that she came out with a statement of; “The retouching is excessive. I do not look like that and more importantly; I don't desire to look like that. I actually have a Polaroid that the photographer gave me on the day of the shoot… I can tell you they've reduced the size of my legs by about a third. For my money it looks pretty good the way it was taken." The fact that a celebrity like Winslet can come out and say these powerful words shows how serious these image problems can get.
I also think social media has a serious impact on advertising and the way our society, especially young women, sees advertising and more specifically, magazines. “Magazine readers who are 18-34 years old use social media on multiple levels and are extremely connected through these social networks.” (Magazine Media Readers are Social) Social media is only getting bigger and is growing everyday. This is going to effect the way young teens see these images. Maybe they don’t go out and by a magazine themselves, but they will see these magazine covers through Twitter and Instagram.
I think you picked a very interesting and important topic. There needs to be more awareness on the topic and hopefully down the road, something can happen in order to help the false advertising situation.
Works Cited
ReplyDelete“Magazine Media Readers Are Social.” MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. n.d. Web. magazine.org/socialresearch. 19 Feb. 2014.
"Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women [Trailer] - Available on DVD."YouTube. YouTube, 12 Mar. 2010. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
“Retouching Is ‘Excessive’ Says Slimline Covergirl Kate Winslet” Hellomagazine.com. Hello!. Web.10 Jan. 2013.
Karen,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, great blog topic! I think this is definitely something that needs to be addressed more often. The topic of female misrepresentation in the media, especially magazines, has been discussed in many of my previous classes and I am very interested in why women have to be exploited so often. You brought up a very valid point in your beginning paragraph. We do know that women are beautiful beings, but you’re right, what else do we know about them? Considering that we are females we do know that women have a LOT more to offer than just their bodies, but magazines don’t seem to want to get that message across.
One thing that is scary is the fact that women see these images of themselves in many different mediums. They are not just seeing perfectly photoshopped females in magazine ads, but in ads on the internet and on TV. Another scary thought is that most of the time we don’t even realize what we are looking at. I know from experience that when I see a beautiful actress in a magazine I don’t immediately think about how much work goes into editing their picture and that they most likely don’t even look like that. I just assume that is what they actually look like because we have been so conditioned to think there is such thing as perfection and we need to accomplish it.
Magazines as a niche media do a good job at targeting females. Many magazines I read are targeted specifically for females such as Cosmo and Vogue. The images of women I see in these magazines are almost frightening. According to the article Magazine Reading in the Distracted, Multi-Tasking Attention Economy, print still dominates magazine reading and most consumers still are most likely to read magazines in their printed form. This allows advertisers to create ads that will convince women to buy products because women are still picking up a magazine and physically reading it. The article Magazine Readers are Social states that 18-34 year olds are highly connected users of social media and they use it to share magazine content. This age group includes young woman that are still developing and when they see images of “perfect” women, what will they think? That they have to buy a product in order to look perfect or be perfect? It is not a surprise to me that young women feel so much pressure. I understand that advertisers have their eyes on making money, but something needs to change so women don’t feel like they have to look like a walking magazine ad. Life doesn’t come with Photoshop.
Works Cited
McDonald, Scott, Jim Spaeth, and Alice Sylvester. "Magazine Reading in the Distracted, Multi-Tasking Attention Environment."
“Magazine Media Readers Are Social.” MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. n.d. Web. magazine.org/socialresearch. 19 Feb. 2014.
I think the unrealistic perception of what women should like, and what body type that they should aim for is very sad and unfortunate. I will never truly be able to relate to the types of pressure women go through internally to live up to these extreme images of what beauty is in American society, but I do sympathize. I do find what David Croteau and William Hoynes to say in the book Media/Society to be very true. When in the bookstore I rarely if ever glance at a woman’s magazine, but just by looking at some of the covers online of Glamour, Women’s Health, and InStyle magazine, I’d definitely say they promote the ideology mentioned in their book. From messages on magazines covers like “Mix-A-Lot Is Right: Why losing your butt may mean losing your man”, “Look Leaner Naked the 14 Day Workout to “Tone Your Butt: Until Your Hot Enough to Be Offended When Guys Appreciate It “ it should be no surprise as to why lots of young women have self esteem issues, and feel that their self worth is defined by their physical appearance, and the attention, approval and validation they receive from men. I would also agree with the notion that in these magazine covers and ads, these women are also being very sexualized in these ads. You mention at the end of your writing, that print magazines are the main source, where advertising companies place their ads. This is supported in the article Magazine Reading in the Distracted, Multi-Tasking Attention Environment where it says “87% of those who reported reading any magazine during the week claimed to have done so from conventional printed editions.” (McDonald) This shows that print magazines have to take responsibility for their role in causing women’s insecurities because the majority of reading is dominated by print. One thing I disagree with and didn’t understand though is how according to the Killing Us Softly Advertising Image of Women trailer is that by turning women into an object that it creates widespread violence against them. I personally found that ridiculous and would have liked for her to have gone into more detail about how that happens. All she did was mention examples and say those examples are shown in racism, homophobia and terrorism. In my opinion that just didn’t make any sense. I can speak from experience, that I’ve never felt a desire or urge to inflict harm on a woman because of seeing one on a magazine cover, nor has any man I’ve known felt the desire to do that. So I don’t agree with that at all. So yes these magazines very much affect these women lives and influence them. This is supported in the article 2013 is a Pivotal Year for Magazine Media when it says, “Magazine media deliver powerful relationships that influence, inspire and endure.” I agree that magazines influence and inspire people. In conclusion, I do agree that these magazines are not making these women’s lives better, or setting a realistic sense of reality. The fact is we all are chasing a false sense of what is achievable through not just magazines, and ads, but Hollywood as well. It’s been time for magazines, and ads to be honest about the image that they forced feed to young women (and society in general), but the unfortunate reality is that will never change as long as money backing up these magazines covers and advertisements.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec. 2013. Web.
McDonald, Scott, Jim Spaeth, and Alice Sylvester. "Magazine Reading in the Distracted, Multi-Tasking Attention Environment." MPA's Biennial Research Symposium. Accessed from MPA website (www.magazine.org), 1 Feb. 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
I have been hearing about the issues with Photoshop in magazines for as long as I can remember. To be honest, I can’t believe magazines are still making the mistake of “fixing up” a model or celebrity to the point where it is completely obvious to the general public. Anyone would think that this would cause magazine’s to start becoming less popular with people being completely aware that the images throughout the entire magazine are always skewed, but magazines aren’t going anywhere. Data from the Association of Magazine Media shows that “2013 was not only an inflection year for magazine media, it was a successful year, with consumers responding to the industry’s powerful content, when, where and how they chose” (Association of Magazine Media, 2013).
ReplyDeleteEvery page of a magazine tells women how they should be living, what they should be buying, what they should be eating, even who they should be dating. So of course we all buy into these ideas and believe that we are suppose to look and live in a certain way. Just as you pointed out in your Blog, Vogue and the many other magazines that have been under fire because of these issues, never deny that their photos have been retouched, they just avoid the subject all together and continue with their formula knowing that the magazines will always sell.
I definitely agree with you when you said that magazines are ultimately affecting women’s lives. It really has become a habit to rely on this medium to tell you what to do with yourself, what the current trends are, even things like what color you should be wearing this week! This is made clear on social media. “51% of total respondents and 66% of avid magazine readers re-tweet articles from a magazine’s Twitter feed” (Magazine Readers are Social, 2012). If people are willingly sharing what they are reading on their own social media profiles, it is clearly influencing them and they want to tell others to live their lives this way as well.
You say in your Blog, “in the end it is a business”, and this is completely true. The magazines are not really concerned with how women live their life and what they should and shouldn’t be doing. They want to put whatever in their magazines that will get it off the shelves. And it is working. “The positive advertising trend was also supported by SMI Dataminer which reports agency spending on print magazines was up 9% through November 2013 – more than television (3%), newspapers (3%), radio (2%) and out-of-home (2%)” (The Association of Magazine Media, 2014). Advertisers know that magazines are important to women, and will pay a lot to get their products in those pages.
I don’t think we will see any change to the formula of magazines for a long time. They clearly know what is working and have the minds of women everywhere wrapped around their finger. As long as magazines are retouching their models, giving women suggestions on how to live their lives, and putting ads for products in their pages, women will continue to buy them and live their lives based on what is said in these magazines.
“2013 A Growth Year for Magazine Media Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 9 Jan. 2014. Web.
"2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec. 2013. Web.
Report compiled by MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. It was published on the organization's website and can be found at this address: magazine.org/socialresearch
Karen, this is an interesting topic that seems to pop up again and again in the majority of my media studies classes. I agree with Susan in the fact that this particular topic remains under academic scrutiny but yet no advertiser in the mass media field have tried to implement a different approach. It seems so simple, as an audience we realize that magazines portray a 'perfect' face in their publications, so why can't we accept the flaws? Across the various fields of communication beauty remains a key element for women except radio. As the term goes "you have a face for the radio." I am not simply stating that females are the only misrepresented in magazines, men too are required to meet certain 'manliness' protocol when it comes to the magazine 'do's and 'don'ts'. Why do we settle for these set of norms?
ReplyDeleteIn relation to your blog post, I think you raise some great questions about the unrealistic expectations being set by the magazine publications. Flipping through the standard magazine we continue to see an emphasis on beauty, and how that beauty helps restore happiness in one’s life. As an avid soccer fan, I try to stay up-to –date with soccer news. The 4-4-4 global soccer magazine runs features on upcoming tournaments and shares players’ success stories. Time and time again, we as an audience flip through these pages and rarely see female soccer players being featured in the monthly edition. BUT when we do, she is often posted semi-naked holding a soccer ball. FIFA Director Sepp Blatter recently suggested during the 2011 Women’s Soccer World Cup that the Federation should consider having woman play in more feminine clothes like they do in volleyball. They could, for example, have tighter shorts… We continue to question why females are represented as objects rather than subjects BUT yet we continue to let ideologies and dated cultures remain instilled in society. Sex appeal draws attention to a female in all areas of mass media; think about it when was the last time you haven’t seen a hotshot female news broadcaster? It doesn’t happen.
The reason why I continue to relate to other media sources is because I think it’s important to understand why magazines continue to depict a false sense of reality. It’s the notion that everyone’s doing it so we can too. After all, magazine companies employ people to scrutinize a face and ‘retouch’ it to make it ‘easy on the eye’ for readers. The article 2013 is Pivotal year for Magazine Media points out the increase in magazine numbers for 2013. “The data which analyzed the 69 magazine media titles that measure both print ad page and iPad unit advertising, affirms that 2013 was not only an inflection year for magazine media, it was a successful year, with consumers responding to the industry’s powerful content, when, where and how they chose (2013). This illustrates just how powerful both print and digital magazine advertising remains in today’s society. Why would the production sector of advertising change their way if they are still succeeding in catching the eye of the consumer?
ReplyDeleteAccording to Magazine Media Readers is Social, the article points out that 18-34 year olds use social media to enhance their media experience and particularly place an importance on sharing magazine content. 56% of total Twitter users and 65% of avid readers ‘follow’ a magazine editor or columnist on Twitter. 51% of respondents have re-tweeted to a magazine editor’s Twitter and 42% chat with friends on Facebook while reading a magazine and share what they’re reading. These figures are surprisingly in the sense that social media in a sense promotes the more ‘realistic’ depiction of image. Pictures tend not to be re-touched although, we are already beginning to see young teenagers crop and filter their images to enhance their beauty.
Honestly, as I have mentioned before this topic continues to be talked about and agreements have been made about the ridiculous expectations that magazines place on both genders, especially females. It’s a massive hole in the market and one that will bring success to the advertisers who are smart enough to make a change and promote more ‘realistic’ images. Unfortunately, we are guilty of allowing magazines to continue to advertise in unrealistic ways.
Works Cited:
"Magazine Reading in the Distracted, Multi-Tasking Attention Environment." Paper presented at the MPA's Biennial Research Symposium. Accessed from MPA website (www.magazine.org), 1 Feb. 2014
"2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec. 2013. Web
"Sexualizing our Female Athletes: How Media Holds Back Women's Sport Leagues" Sour Grapes Winery. 3 Feb. 2012. Web
Luke Glockenberg
ReplyDeleteKaren, I really like all the points you hit. It is sad that a majority of girls of all ages today are kind of brainwashed in a way by magazines and other news outlets showing them what they should look like or how skinny they should be. If you think about it since we were all little there have been different movies, TV shows, magazines, newspapers, and even toys that have had a major influence on us on the way we wanted to look because we saw maybe our idols or just these beautiful actors or actresses looking like that. Heck any guy or girl wants to look good. I know this might sound corny but I believe that it is what is on the inside and not the outside that matters. It is hard for our generation to go by that though. Especially with everything switching over to social networking now a days. Girls especially I think are sometimes cyber bullied over the way they look or about their weight. Now you can follow your favorite athlete, actress, model, or someone who is your role model right on Twitter or Facebook. Media has a huge influence on women today and it really does misrepresent them.
In my Media Studies 231 class this semester we watched a documentary on Disney. In the documentary a bunch of parents and little girls talk about the Disney princesses. All the girls want to be a Disney princess and the parents are worried because then their daughters wanted the princess toys which influenced them even more on how they should look like. Even some of the girls said that’s how they should look. From a young age it shows you how powerful the Media can be even through some of our child hood favorites. Another thing is that with all these programs that our out today to help make Woman who are on the covers of magazines look better like Photoshop, and different kinds of photo programs where with a simple click you can erase the pimples off of someone’s face.
In “Magazine Readers are Social,” a survey done asked a question what prompted your responding to a magazine or a magazine editor’s on Twitter? (1) Sixty percent said they respond because they were inspired. (1) To me that’s crazy especially that were talking about females. Social Media has become a main influence on people. Magazines now can misrepresent women online as well as you can buy digital copies of magazines. After looking at photos or reading an article you can communicate with the people who published it right after. Which to me has a bigger influence on people because your looking at this beautiful picture of someone on a cover of a magazine and then going to communicate with them right after. This just furthers the misrepresentation of women and even some men.
There are 7,390 different print magazines today in the United States according to the article, “2013 is a pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising up 6%. “(2) This is the most in 10 years according the article. (2) That means hundreds of young men and women will either consume one out of those 7,390 magazines a month. Whether it being a hard copy or a digital one. Whichever gender opens one will be shown photo shopped and misrepresented images of some famous model or celebrity. Magazines also are
Luke Glockenberg Part 2
ReplyDeletethe number one medium for advertising acceptance. (2) That means more men and women will see these products and want them more to add to their unrealistic image of want they want themselves to look like.
Karen I really like the questions you raised in your introduction because many guys especially don’t really believe how stressful some of these things can be for a woman. I know I mentioned men be misrepresented as well but I think women are far more misrepresented then men and in the two articles I used to help me write this comment it seems with social media and advertisements it will only get worse.
1.“Magazine Media Readers Are Social.” MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. n.d. Web. magazine.org/socialresearch. 19 Feb. 2014.
2. "2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
Karen,
ReplyDeleteI personally enjoyed the way in which you shine light on an aspect of the media that is generally overlooked and simply blamed on the ability of Photoshop instead of holding these media outlets responsible. Though it is common to hear about the effects of these images, especially as a female media student, the aspect of misrepresentation of women in advertisements is not one that I have personally put much connecting thought into in regards to the effects on the female consumer. When you take a look at the facts though, stated within the December 2013 issue of The Association of Magazine Media that states “The top 25 print magazines reach 48% more adults than the top 25 prime-time television shows” (MPA 2013). I realized that this subject is less of a concern and more of an epidemic. With numbers reaching the masses and with the assumption that majority of the consumers being female, the misrepresentation of women, especially within print advertisements in magazines is endless and the effects seem irreversible. Also stated within the same article produced by The Association of Magazine Media is the fact that “There are currently 7,390 print magazines published in the United States today, the most in ten years”( MPA 2013). This fact presents the question though that if the misrepresentation is primarily present and a major concern within the United States or if this matter branches further than our homeland.
Another major aspect in which could be the adding fuel to the fire when it comes to who is consuming this major misrepresentation goes hand and hand with the age as well as vulnerability level. Within a report produced by the Rader Programs they stated that “From an early age we are bombarded with images and messages that reinforce the idea that to be happy and successful we must be thin. It is nearly impossible to open a newspaper or magazine, listen to the radio, shop at a mall or turn on a TV without being confronted with the message that to be fat is to be undesirable. The most frightening part is that this destructive message is reaching kids. When adolescents feel as though their breasts, weight or hips don’t match up to those of supermodels and actors, they feel fatally flawed. Sadly, even children of elementary school age are obsessed over their weight.” When mixing what was previously stated by the Rader Programming in regards to the destructive message reaching children to moving into the fact that “ For the most part, those 18-34 years old personally own a digital device and access multiple social platforms. They have a healthy appetite for media and believe that technology has improved the experience of accessing media” stated within an article presented by Key Findings Research. It’s a deadly combination of being bombarded by advertisers at a young age setting a pattern of unrealistic expectations within oneself to an adult having the same unrealistic expectations within oneself and a lack of self-worth if one does not fulfil this expectation. Holding only the individual responsible for their imbedded societal conditioned image of self-worth instead of the true culprit, the advertisers that produce these images with no remorse for the effect on the consumer.
Works Cited:
"2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec. 2013. Web.
“Media Influence.”Rader Program. Web.
“MPA Releases Benchmark Social Media Study.: MPA: The Association of Magazine Media.Web.
Karen,
ReplyDeleteNice work! Your blog did a good job of looking at a lot of the issues that advertisements and magazines bring about for women of all ages in American culture. While some may say magazines are on their way out so why worry. The Association of Magazine Media reported in December 2013 that “[the magazine industry] shows a 6% increase in the magazine media advertising “footprint” of print pages and tablet units. Furthermore, reports from major publishers and recent research confirm this positive trend,” (2013 Is Pivotal Year). This points out that magazines and the images and advertisements they hold must still have a relevant impact on women. If they are reading these magazines there must be some repercussions from the images they see.
I found the area where you talk about the actress, Lena Dunham, and her photoshopped photos from Vogue to be very interesting. As you brought up, if women are looking at photoshopped images, they are looking at an unobtainable, unrealistic picture of beauty. An instance of extreme photoshop that will always haunt me is the now infamous Ralph Lauren ‘blue label’ ad from 2009. When the famous women’s clothing designer photoshopped the models waist to be smaller than her head, a lot of eyebrows were raised and the company eventually had to make a public apology. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1219046/Ralph-Lauren-digitally-retouches-slender-model-make-look-THINNER.html). But in cases like this, or the Lena Dunham case, is the damage already done? People can complain as much as they want after the ads have been published, but at the end of they day they have been published and they are out there for people (more importantly women/young girls) to see. What effect must these doctored images have on women? (Ralph Lauren Apologises).
In your blog you go on to point out that magazines and advertisements help to shape a woman’s personal identity. They show her what it is to be female and how an ‘ideal’ female should look and act. After reading a report from the Association of Magazine Media about social medias impact on magazines, I had a few ideas. The report stated that “51% of total respondents and 66% of avid magazine readers re-tweet articles from a magazine’s Twitter feed” and “The importance of being able to share digital magazine content with friends is highest among avid magazine readers at 54% and equal to 3+ social media users,” (Report compiled by MPA). The numbers make me think that social media must be adding to the problem of poor body image and self-esteem for women because of magazines and ads. Now, not only does magazine media show women how they should look and act, but also we have friends and family enforcing the medias message. Re-tweets and Facebook communication about magazine content from friends and family can make it seem like what the magazines are showing is not only normal, but is what is most desired.
I enjoyed reading your blog. It got me thinking a lot about what magazine media is doing to interfere with women’s self-esteem and self-worth. It will be interesting to see if the media ever changes its view and starts representing women in a more realistic and normal light.
Work Cited
Report compiled by MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. It was published on the organization's website and can be found at this address: magazine.org/socialresearch
“Ralph Lauren Apologises for Digitally Retouching Slender Model to Make Her Head Look Bigger than Her Waist." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 10 Oct. 2009. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
"2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec. 2013. Web.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteKaren,
ReplyDeleteI thought this article was extremely relevant, especially with the growing influence of the media in our lives today. I personally do not read or purchase print magazines, but the edited and unrealistic portrayal of the female body is so overwhelming that it seems to permeate all other media outlets as well. Nearly every cover, advertisement, or fashion photo shoot has been digitally altered and enhanced until it reaches society’s idea of perfection. This perfect image requires symmetry and proportion throughout the body, as well as a certain weight, shape, color, and style. The images lack any real flaws and therefore set unrealistic standards for the female consumer.
I believe that the media and advertisers, in particular, are using methods like retouching and Photoshop as a means to sell products. In fact, “magazines rank as the #1 medium for advertising acceptance (76%),” according to the MPA (2013 is Pivotal). By creating this unrealistic body image, advertisers are giving young girls and women something to aspire to. When we consume these images put forth by the media, we are made to feel insecure about ourselves and are therefore encouraged to buy products that might help us achieve this unrealistic standard of beauty.
Some companies have attempted to combat this strategy, however. I remember when Dove first started their Campaign for Real Beauty, in which they used all types of un-edited women in their commercials and advertisements. Dove hoped to widen the definition of beauty rather than continue to use the media’s unattainable standard that impacts the self-esteem of the female consumer. More recently, the lingerie brand Aerie has decided not to Photoshop or digitally enhance their models for their new ad campaign (Ciambriello). Similar to Dove, Aerie seeks to improve the female consumer’s body image and help them feel good about themselves by no longer portraying an unrealistic body. Aerie took their campaign a step further by tapping into social media; the company even created a hashtag, #AerieREAL, and has asked that women use it when sharing photos of themselves on social media. I think this was a step in the right direction, especially considering how “magazine readers who are 18-34 years old use social media on multiple levels and are extremely connected through these social networks” (Magazine Media Readers are Social).
I also think it is important to note, however, that the media’s portrayal of body image is not just confined to women. I took a class called Diversity in the Media in which we discussed how these print magazines and advertisements also promote unrealistic portrayals of men. While it may not be to the same extent, magazines do still digitally alter the male models in a similar fashion; they create the same type of body proportion and symmetry, Photoshop abs and define muscles, and airbrush faces and skin tone. This gives boys and men a standard to live up to as well, encouraging them to buy products that will help them achieve it.
Works Cited:
Ciambriello, Roo. "Simple, Revolutionary Lingerie Ads Feature Beautiful Models and No Photoshop." AdWeek. N.p., 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
“Magazine Media Readers Are Social.” MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. n.d. Web. magazine.org/socialresearch.
"2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec. 2013. Web.