International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

Visual portrayals of women in the media tend to emphasize idealized standards of thinness and beauty that are beyond the reach of most women. The systematic analysis of the body type of fashion models ( Silverstein et al. 1986 ) provide convincing evidence that women portrayed in glamorous roles in the popular media are thinner than the average woman. Moreover, these studies report that the normative standards of thinness have increased in the last few decades. The increasing glamorization of thinness in the media is in stark contrast to epidemiological evidence, which points to an overweight and obesity epidemic in the population. Critics argue that the idealized thinness and digitally enhanced beauty portrayed in the media are beyond the reach of most women (→  Feminist and Gender Studies ). Idealized portrayals of women can be traced to the Renaissance artists and Venus sculptures by the Greeks. The interesting difference, however, is that these portrayals were not intended to serve as models of attractiveness for the average woman. Venus represented ethereal beauty, depicting godly standards, which women were not urged to imitate. In contrast, in →  Popular Culture , the fashion model is presented as someone to emulate, whose thinness and attractiveness can be achieved through discipline, diet, exercise, and the consumption of fashion and beauty products. Exposure to the thin ... log in or subscribe to read full text