Our media and advertising create an inaccurate and negative portrayal of men and women today. Walking down the street every morning theirs business men scurrying around on their way to work, women wearing track pants, and sneakers walking their dogs, teenagers of all different shapes and sizes on there way to school, their hair is either straight, or pulled back in a pony tail. Their faces are smiling, and happy because there confident and comfortable with themselves but opening a magazine, or turning on the TV these days is like stepping into a completely different world of dangerously thin girls, and faces that resemble that of a drug addict.

Media’s sources and advertisements all use actresses and models that present a false image to the world, it sends a message to teens that causes them to feel as though they have to be a certain weight and height, have certain facial features and clothes to be considered “Beautiful” and be a part of the normality. Their definition of a girl goes way beyond Barbie. Think skinnier waist, bigger chest, taller, and a clear perfect face. Then ask yourself how many size 16 models you see posing for Cosmopolitan.

When a teenage girl flicks through a copy of Cosmopolitan and see the bodies of starved, and gaunt models, she’s automatically going to assume that this is what “Pretty” looks like, and then this is when the little voice in the back of your head that every young girl has clicks on telling her over and over that she isn’t good enough, that she needs to change, aim to look like that blonde haired, blue eyed, unhealthily skinny girl presented on the page in front of her, and before you know there’s another one to add to the statistics of girls that are suffering from anorexia, depression, etc from a desire to be the “Perfect girl” created by the media. “I have been through this, and still am going through it. Media takes a toll on eating affects. Trust me, I'm living it. Media makes me think that’s what’s expected of me in society” As quoted by 18 year old Allison Wrigley.



When think that the average weight for a model, whose height is 5’10, is around 50-55 kilo’s. Where the average weight for average women of the same height is 70-80 kilo’s, its quite easy to imagine that this weight is unhealthy and creating a huge health risk for females
Not only are females affected by advertising, but males are also affected by the physical representation of themselves as well. Magazine ads like Calvin Klein featuring good looking guys in their underwear is enough to make males feel a little unsure about themselves. They feel pressure to have this amazing ripped body. And arms of steel, and they can also quickly descend down a track of depression and eating disorders.



The ad pictured is one of Calvin Kliens typical ads used to promote their underwear range for both men and women. The man pictured is positioned in a way so that his perfectly toned body and muscular arms are one of the first things the viewer would look at. His entire body is tanned, his shoulders and arms are muscle, but in reality the majority of men are not likely to be hiding a body of steel hence why we don’t see them walking down the street naked. It’s the same for the female picture; she’s showing of her slim, sexy body for females of the real world to envy and feel they have to compete with.





If images like these are being used in advertising everyday then how are teenagers really feeling in regards to there physical appearance?