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Does the media put pressure on your body image and should there be laws to stop this?

cee134
cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
What do you think?
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Replies

  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    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.
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    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.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    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.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited September 2016
    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?
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    Not in the USA, Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of the press.
  • Coachjr29
    Coachjr29 Posts: 81 Member
    Even the thought of regulating the media sends red flags for totalitarianism!
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    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.
  • dr_soda
    dr_soda Posts: 57 Member
    Your question seems to start from the premise that "pressure on your body image" is a bad thing.
    1. What exactly does "pressure on your body image" mean?
    2. Is it really a bad thing?
      • How so?
      • Is there an easy way to discern?
    3. 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?
    Let's start there.