Although not audibly, the media
speaks to us. The media whispers in our ears as we pass by billboards. It says “not
good enough. Not smart enough. Not tall enough. Not skinny enough. Not light
enough. Not manly enough. Not unique
enough. You are not enough.”
We don’t
realize that the media is poisoning our minds with thoughts of inadequacy.
Young girls look in the mirror and think, I would be pretty if_______. You fill
in the blank. I know I did as a young girl. I let the media tell me that
because my body type was bad because it was different. It took me years to realize that the media was
lying to me. But finally one day at a particularly difficult softball practice
I realized that my body had purpose. My body was created to be
strong, and it was. Realizing that was
the turning point for me. I switched from hating myself, to seeing that I had
worth because I was created that way.
The
media is so influential. Not only does the media influence the mind of young
girls, but it affects boys as well. The media tell boys that the only way to be
a man is to me tough and strong. Big boys don’t cry. But with so much power the
media could have such a powerful positive influence. However, the media chooses
to project unrealistic expectations of people. The Target ad shown in class for
instance, shows biologically impossible standards of women. The woman in the
photo had such a wide “thigh-gap” due to photo-shop that she literally was
missing half of her vagina. What that does is set a standard that cannot be met
by anyone, including the models that are supposed to portray that body image.
Bottom
line? We need to diversify the media. More races and ethnicities, varying
sizes, and heights. More than anything, we need to stop photo-shopping models
to have bodies that are literally biologically impossible. We need change, and
we need it now.
