The Ideal Image Obsession
By alexisclifton on Mar 12, 2008 in trends
Throughout high school, I’ve battled my mom, dance instructors, and myself with my weight. I’m five foot nine and people expected me to weigh 125 pounds. I feel as if it’s an on going thing. Weight loss is something that is always on my mind. Whether my brothers are making jokes about me having a constant inner-tube around my waist , or girlfriends bragging about fitting into a size 2, weight is in everyday conversation and an ongoing battle.
The media today sets and advertises the ideal image. These days, everybody is
striving for it. Whether its lipo suction, weight loss pills, expensive diet programs, personal trainers, or new lipo dissolve, the ideal image is on most everybody’s mind. Weight loss commercials have taken over radio and television daily. Not only is it a fad for women of all ages, men are just as into it. Television shows promoting weight loss include The Biggest Loser and Celebrity Fit Club. Millions of people tune into these reality television programs which just ad to the fad.
Not only do people dedicate so much time to this obsession, but its quite a pricy ordeal.
A few popular weight loss programs include Weight Watchers , Jenny Craig , and Nutrisystem . These programs can cost up to $20 a week, which is very expensive. Weight loss pills cost about $60 on average for a supply, and going under the knife for lipo suction can cost thousands of dollars. The world is so stuck and obsessed with the ideal image, they will do just about anything for any price.
Where did all of this pressure originate? Magazine models, television programs, and celebrities definitely influence the world’s idea on how they are supposed to look. Model, Tyra Banks, created reality hit America’s Next Top Model, picking average girls to model and making them glamorous and of course thin. I feel that the millions of people watching these shows feel pressured to look like the models. I personally feel the tabloids and celebs new obsession with NOT eating is what people now think they are supposed to look and act like.
I have a very strong opinion about this new ideal image obsession. I find it good that people are striving for a healthier lifestyle and that people care about what they look like, but I don’t feel it’s the obese people going for this ideal image. It bothers me how this has become an obsession. Most Americans are so stuck on the tall and thin image, like I said earlier, they will do anything to achieve it. Contemporary’s society is much different from society back in the day. American’s today are concerned solely on image and what others think of them. In the past, I feel people concentrated more on important matters. People today believe that is what they are supposed to look like, and I find that very disturbing. They hope for the ideal image, and assume being tall and thin is going to make them a better, happier person.
Overall, I feel Americans today have their priorities jumbled. In the long run, being tall and thin is not the most important thing. After all of the tabloids, and different ways to help lose the weight, who knows how serious weight loss is going to be in the future.
Technorati Tags: ideal image, weight loss, models, obsession, weight watchers
alex | Jun 25, 2008 | Reply
I am a photographer and retoucher, and have been doing a lot of high-end ad work lately. While I understand “the biz”, if people had any idea what the original images look like of the top models before they go through the many stages of processing before print - it would shock them. I mean really shock them. I sit, comforted, knowing that the major high-end cosmetic models are as human as I am. Too bad the rest of the world can’t see it… but I guess that would never sell make up and skin care. Striving for this ideal image is next to impossible, because that ideal image actually doesn’t exist in the first place. Almost every model, image has their waist cinched digitally, and is slenderized. I don’t know about the rest of the world, but I would buy a product that promotes realism. Would you?
Carol Clifton | Jun 25, 2008 | Reply
Bravo…Very well stated!
I would be thrilled to see more realism in the world of advertising as it pertains to the beauty/fashion industries. Heck! A size 8 would be nice and Yes! I will be happy to support them with my dollars.
Did you see Whitney,the plus size model that won Tyra Bank’s Americas Next Top Model this past season? Are you kidding me? Take a look http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2008/05/well_well_miss_tyra_threw.html
emilyb53 | Jul 29, 2008 | Reply
America has an expected ideal image of how women and teens should look and in turn will make them happier and more successful. This ideal image is most often not a realistic goal for the general public. However, teens see that it is possible when the celebrities are shown and viewed by society as perfect. They just don’t realize that the reason they appear that way is because they spend much of their time working out, having great chefs to prepare the best meals for them and on top of that, their pictures are oftentimes retouched and fixed to make the appear better looking than they are. That is just not realistic. It is the reason for the eating disorder statistics in America for teens.
The goal of society should be to teach children and teens that they are great no matter what, rather than teaching them they should strive for an appearance that is unattainable, unhealthy and nearly impossible. There are programs and websites out there to help not only individuals going through this but also for parents and friends who can help. Some of those programs include The Body Project and Dove’s Self Esteem Fund. They provide valuable information for indidvuals to help them feel better about themselves, learn ways to better themselves, and feel as though they’re successful and happy even without having to change their appearance.