Media and body image Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Media and body image - Research Paper Example In that regard, people have become victims of the media sources like magazines because they police and construct ideas on standards from fashion to everything in life. From an evaluation of the pictures and articles in the vogue magazine, it is clear that the media polices and constructs certain body images for both men and women; these body images are deliberate because audiences need something to feed on, to keep on reading the magazines, and the magazines themselves deliver just that. It is apparent that media treats the male and female body images differently, in addition to treating body images of heavy people and thin people differently. Evidently, all these body images pass across some subtle yet firm messages that reflect gendered societal views about both men and women; in that case, media constructs truths about life, thus, it is the most powerful influence on how both men and women often view themselves. There are clear indications that the Vogue magazine applies different standards in its portrayal of the body images for both males and females from the manner in which it portrays them differently. On a wider scope, the body images of b oth men and women in this magazine depict the sexes in stereotypical ways that constrain the readers’ perceptions of the limitless human possibilities. For instance, the body image of males in the vogue magazine depicts them as lively, powerful, daring, sexually aggressive and most importantly, they are depicted as being deeply involved and playing extremely important roles in human relationships (Horowitz). This magazine imposes this body image as the universal standard for males and as a result, it is consistent with the cultural views of males in society; however, the actual reality in the wider population is different. Truth of the matter is there are all sorts of imperfections in the body image of males in the