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Does the media put pressure on your body image and should there be laws to stop this?
cee134
Posts: 33,711 Member
What do you think?
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Replies
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I think: the media does put unfair pressure on peoples idea of their own body image. However, I'm not sure a law is needed to stop this. I am very interested in what other people think and why.3
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I don't get my self-esteem from outside forces, it has to come from within. So, no, media has no bearing on how I view myself. But I also don't get my self-esteem from how I look, so there's that.
And, no, I don't think we need any more stupid laws. But I'm curious what you think the such a law would look like.8 -
How would you make a law to stop an opinion? Sounds like a slippery slope.12
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A law is not going to stop anything. Even if diet and health commercials were banned or something, you will still see it in television shows because it's become ingrained in our culture to make comments about our looks. Episodes about extreme/unrealistic diets and teens refusing to leave the house because they have a pimple make for great comedies. Ratings and money are everything unfortunately.1
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In the US I have no idea how these types of laws could be consistent with the First Amendment. We'd need to change the Constitution before we began restricting speech in this way.
And what would this even look like? Banning certain people from jobs like acting and modeling? Forcing casting directors to hire certain people? Prohibiting articles focusing on weight loss?
What kind of law are you thinking of?10 -
are you efing kidding me! who would want more freaking government intervention in their life! good lord.19
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No...I know I will never look like an underwear model...I also know about things like photography and good lighting and airbrushing and photo shop to make things look absolutely perfect...I'm only concerned with being the best me possible.
As a law goes, I can't imagine what that would even look like...like it's against the law to use lighting to make a really nice picture or something? Seems like any such law would be a major violation of the first constitutional amendment to me.4 -
Is this a serious question? How would such a law even be written or enforced? Who gets to decide what constitutes "pressure" from the media? Would we outlaw all pictures of people? Or would it only be beautiful people? Who decides what is beautiful? Would throw out TV and film in favor of radio lest we be pressured by people on TV? What if the radio personality has an unfairly pleasing voice that pressures me to talk like them? Where does it end???
We put pressure on ourselves by believing that someone is better than us simply because they are in the media.8 -
No, I don't particularly think the media puts pressure on body image. Of course people in general like to look at attractive people, so they are overrepresented in the media, which probably makes some people feel like they have impossible standards to meet, but that's really internal. I tend to find looking at people whose bodies I would like to have is more inspiring than depressing (and mostly no effect at all).
I also think that it seems people are more influenced by their social circle and surroundings than media, and I am more worried about people being obese in such high numbers than pressure to be thin.
And of course there should not be laws about this. What possible laws could there be that would be Constitutional?4 -
Not in the USA, Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of the press.3
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Yup we need a law to create more body shaming since there isn't enough of it.8
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Completely, we should have laws that follow Leviticus 26:1 and do not allow the use of images of things in heaven or earth. It would solve so many problems if we just followed that and stoned those that looked askance and did not follow the words of a judge.9
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So a constitutional amendment to say that the first amendment doesn't apply to pretty people?9
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Even the thought of regulating the media sends red flags for totalitarianism!1
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The media doesn't usually go hard enough to conjure up images that would influence what I strive for. They'd have you believe now that effeminate wankers are what men should look like. Bunch of soft *kitten* millenial garbage.10
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Short answers (only my opinion obviously): No and No.
My reasoning: The media is not a thing - its a group of disparate things. News outlets, Advertisers, Entertainment channels, Blogs, Vlogs, Social media. It doesn't move or respond to things in a concerted manner - There is not controlling entity (tin-foil-hat-brigade need not comment) and so it does not have a single agenda or aim. Trying to impose a standard on the media is likely to have some very weird effects, possibly even counter to the intended aims.
Having said that, if there are products which advertise in ways that you find offensive (or even that you feel others would find offensive), or that you worry are detrimental to the wider public's health. Vote with your pocket and refuse to buy that product. Even better, do that and then tell them that is what you did and why.2 -
Here is the US we have the First Amendment. Besides, I think we need more social pressure, not less. The beautiful at any size BS is killing people. If you're overweight then lose weight. If you don't like my opinion then ignore me or learn to take care of yourself. If that's not enough for you see then the first sentence above.10
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Yes, let's enforce by law the notion that words can cause hurtful self-realizations.
In the USA there is such a victim mentality that it's nauseating. Posting pictures of your own weight loss and fitness success somehow "shames" fatasses and is "triggering". That catfishing and being rejected for being deceptive is magically all about unrealistic body standards. And god-for-*kitten*-bid you have an opinion that's deemed hurtful to someone's carefully constructed palace where uncomfortable realities are never allowed to intrude.
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Your question seems to start from the premise that "pressure on your body image" is a bad thing.
- What exactly does "pressure on your body image" mean?
- Is it really a bad thing?
- How so?
- Is there an easy way to discern?
- Are all "pressures" bad? Can some be good?
- If some can be good, how can you tell the difference between them?
- If two pressure exist at the same time, one good and one bad, what then?
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Is there any act more abysmally stupid than putting a law in place that you cannot possibly enforce?5
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As someone who's had eating disorders and depression of varying intensities and types since I was 14, yes, I have felt pressured from "the media." I covered a wall with VS ads from catalogs once, for "inspiration." Shows like Gilmore Girls irritate me because who the *kitten* can pig out ALL THE TIME, not only not exercise but make fun of people who do, and stay rail-thin? (The actresses have been open about how strict their diets are, it's just the show.) Having an ex tell me Marisa Miller was his ideal didn't make me go "oh that's nice," it made me ask if me being shortish was ok if I worked on getting my stomach flatter. I've bought into it. Seeing thin, pretty women on TV still makes me insecure. But these are my issues, rooted in my illness, existing in a time where our culture is more tolerant and diverse with body types than ever.
Laws won't make it better. I don't even know how you'd make laws or regulations around that - only 10% of your cast/model base can be a BMI under 20? Even if I saw fewer super-slim women, even if airbrushing were outlawed, the average or heavy women would still be chosen for their proportions and "tone". And they wouldn't make me less guilty that I'm not a size 0 - that's rooted deep from things not related to the media at all. I'd probably be less frequently triggered by magazines at checkout counters, but whatever. That's about 1% of my "I'm too fat" feelings anyway.
And damn, the men and women who get themselves on TV or in magazines or whatever have worked HARD for their bodies. They deserve to be rewarded for a job well done, because looking like that is part of their job description.6 -
Yes, it places pressure. NO, I do not believe in censorship. I'm an adult. I can use my good sense to decide what to watch and read, and what not. I get Scientific American and not fashion magazines. I don't have TV service. I pick movies and shows from online, without the commercials. Censorship is always worse than the problem people thought they were going to solve with it.7
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CipherZero wrote: »Yes, let's enforce by law the notion that words can cause hurtful self-realizations.
In the USA there is such a victim mentality that it's nauseating. Posting pictures of your own weight loss and fitness success somehow "shames" fatasses and is "triggering". That catfishing and being rejected for being deceptive is magically all about unrealistic body standards. And god-for-*kitten*-bid you have an opinion that's deemed hurtful to someone's carefully constructed palace where uncomfortable realities are never allowed to intrude.
Thank you! It's time for people to stop demanding that everything be a padded cell full of kittens and puppies and flowers. Grow up, toughen up, and learn to live in the world without crumbling!3 -
Of course it puts pressure on people to achieve a certain ideal, but I don't subscribe to it. I may have when I was a teen and young adult, but the great thing about getting older is you stop caring about what others think and just do you.
Not everyone is going to like my curly/natural hair. I don't care bc I love it. My butt is never going to look like Serena Williams' but I can still admire all of the hard work that she has put into to gain that phenomenal body and cheer her on. You have to appreciate who you are and what you have.
Should there be laws? No. It's pointless. How would that even work? Plus, who really listens to the news anymore, they rarely report anything substantial.1 -
CipherZero wrote: »Yes, let's enforce by law the notion that words can cause hurtful self-realizations.
In the USA there is such a victim mentality that it's nauseating. Posting pictures of your own weight loss and fitness success somehow "shames" fatasses and is "triggering". That catfishing and being rejected for being deceptive is magically all about unrealistic body standards. And god-for-*kitten*-bid you have an opinion that's deemed hurtful to someone's carefully constructed palace where uncomfortable realities are never allowed to intrude.
Thank you! It's time for people to stop demanding that everything be a padded cell full of kittens and puppies and flowers. Grow up, toughen up, and learn to live in the world without crumbling!
If we put them in a padded cell with kittens and puppies, they'd quickly find out kittens have claws and puppies like to bite.6 -
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Short answer: No.
Long answer: Noooooooooooooooooo.7 -
Media does its thing then the way people treat each other adds to it. So many people buy magazines to see what celeb looks like rubbish or searches online.
Instead of controlling it there should be more education in schools in social education on helping self esteem, improving acceptance of others, dealing with low moods etc.
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