Self Image: Activity 2

Activity 2: Blog Entry
Find images in the media, which have been used to represent attractive and unattractive aspects of the human face. Examine and record carefully the photographic techniques used to accentuate both these qualities, drawing up a list that relates to the images you have found.

• List the physical characteristics that we have come to admire in both the male and female face and write 100 words in response to the following questions: 

1. Do you believe that media images or public opinion are responsible for the characteristics of beauty becoming universal stereotypes? 
2. Do you believe people admiring media images of glamorous models can do any harm?

My Response

• Media images and the public opinions that come with them have changed what people view as beautiful. Below are two images: 

The image on top is of New York City on a typical day in the winter. The Image on top is the stereotypical picture of New York City and all it's beauty at night. The bottom one gets everyone's attention and makes a lot of people believe that the city looks like that once you're in, but it really doesn't (as shown in the top image). I chose to use a picture of a city instead of people because all the people used in media are pretty, it's their job. The typical person used for magazines, commercials, and any other media usually has defined facial features, a perfect body, and a million dollar smile, but not everybody looks like that. The same can be said for these pictures of New York, one looks pretty and gets people to go check it out but the city really looks like the other image.

• My answer to the question of whether people admiring media images of glamorous models can do any harm, is a very simple "Yes", but it won't stay simple for very long. Beauty is open for interpretation, Matte vs Shiny, Beach Ball vs Hourglass, Young vs Old, everybody has their own preference, but when the same thing is constantly covered and displayed by the media it becomes the standard. People will begin to believe that these models are everyday people that can be found at the McDonald's which isn't the case. The level of harm varies of course, will a girl get turned down because she doesn't look like Kim Kardashian? I hope not, but maybe. Will a guy say yes but wish he had Scarlett Johansson instead? Kinda very likely, depends on the age of the guy I guess. The same can probably be said about women, but I have no idea how they think so I won't speak for them. So in a nutshell, idolizing models isn't a completely bad thing, but don't let it affect your expectations or else it will do more harm.