As answered by MAY's CHERISHER:
Oyinkan Ogunleye
Over time, technology continues to advance. With these advances of technology, new
forms of the media have evolved. The evolution of technology has enabled
different thoughts and attitudes to be shared with the world. Society develops
its values from the media and women tend to adapt to these values thus leading
it to invade their thoughts because of their influence from the media.
As magazines and social media displays thin women, one may feel that this presentation is the only definition of beauty. With the average woman being a size 14, not everyone is built thin, yet the media may cause one to think otherwise, leading women to do all that is possible to look like the women that the media hold on a pedestal. This dream of looking like these women may lead one to do drastic measures to achieve the dream, such as plastic surgery. Plastic surgery has become the norm and women are going under the knife without proper knowledge of how it may affect the body in the future. The media influences a woman’s mind and creates a hunger to conform.
A woman’s size is not all that is affected by the media and society. Most of the black women that are placed in the media are of a lighter complexion. There are not many examples of black women with dark skin in the media. How does that make dark-skinned women in the world feel?
They may feel as if they are not good enough because of the color of their skin. Some women end up bleaching their skin in order to conform to society’s definition of beauty, thinking that if they have a lighter skin complexion, they may be able to truly accept their beauty because this is what the media accepts. Without the realization that true self-acceptance comes from self-love, one will continue to make drastic measures to alter one’s beauty because of the media’s influence. The media is also known to display their opinion of what is important but one must remember that it is just an opinion and not a fact!
This millennium has provided women with many outlets to be judged and leads many women to compare themselves to others. At many times, the act of comparison is a reflex. It is done without even noticing. All that is spewed or felt is the onset of the feeling of being less-than. This can all be avoided if we as women truly love ourselves. Self-love allows you to accept yourself.
Why fit in when you can stand out?! It is our
uniqueness that makes us beautiful. It is more refreshing to embrace our
differences than to suppress them. You are beautiful in your own way.As magazines and social media displays thin women, one may feel that this presentation is the only definition of beauty. With the average woman being a size 14, not everyone is built thin, yet the media may cause one to think otherwise, leading women to do all that is possible to look like the women that the media hold on a pedestal. This dream of looking like these women may lead one to do drastic measures to achieve the dream, such as plastic surgery. Plastic surgery has become the norm and women are going under the knife without proper knowledge of how it may affect the body in the future. The media influences a woman’s mind and creates a hunger to conform.
A woman’s size is not all that is affected by the media and society. Most of the black women that are placed in the media are of a lighter complexion. There are not many examples of black women with dark skin in the media. How does that make dark-skinned women in the world feel?
They may feel as if they are not good enough because of the color of their skin. Some women end up bleaching their skin in order to conform to society’s definition of beauty, thinking that if they have a lighter skin complexion, they may be able to truly accept their beauty because this is what the media accepts. Without the realization that true self-acceptance comes from self-love, one will continue to make drastic measures to alter one’s beauty because of the media’s influence. The media is also known to display their opinion of what is important but one must remember that it is just an opinion and not a fact!
This millennium has provided women with many outlets to be judged and leads many women to compare themselves to others. At many times, the act of comparison is a reflex. It is done without even noticing. All that is spewed or felt is the onset of the feeling of being less-than. This can all be avoided if we as women truly love ourselves. Self-love allows you to accept yourself.
