https://www.thewrap.com/lili-reinhart-cosmo-philippines-photoshop-riverdale/
The movie MissRepresentation mentioned that the media only shows women based on their external appearance. Similar to the character of the midriff, girls are taught that they must transition to adulthood even before they've reached adolescence. Young girls are taught to be "mature" (i.e. sexy) and young boys are taught to value girls solely based on their aesthetic appeal. This portrayal of females in the media is damaging to everyone because teenagers are learning, from a very young age, just one way to be, one stereotype to emulate. A huge part of the sex narrative of modern media revolves around a certain body type, which, for most females, is not the reality. Therefore, magazines and models send a message that women are not beautiful naturally, that they must change themselves to meet that beauty standard.
This image of the ideal American girl contains, for the most part, the following: hourglass figure with a curvyesque chest and hips flaring into a slender and toned waist. Magazines use Photoshop to enhance these features and sometimes drastically change the model's body to make it more "acceptable."
One striking example of this occurred a couple of months ago, when Riverdale stars Lili Reinhart (Betty) and Camila Mendes (Veronica) posed for Cosmo Philippines. When the magazine hit stores, both Reinhart and Mendes were shocked -- and appalled -- to find out that their stomachs had been drastically Photoshopped to make them look skinnier.
On her Instagram story, Reinhart noted the day (International Women's Day) and how, while so much progress has been made, women are still valued just based on what they look like. She stated "Camila and I have worked incredibly hard to feel confident and comfortable in the bodies that we have." She did the photoshoot to feel good about herself, not to be changed. The media doesn't value women for what they look like. It values women for what it thinks they should look like.
The hyper sexualization of females in the media (especially in visual forms) can lead to depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, and eating disorders. But we are so much more than our imperfections or perceived flaws. In the words of Christina Aguilera,
"I am beautiful in every single way."
The movie MissRepresentation mentioned that the media only shows women based on their external appearance. Similar to the character of the midriff, girls are taught that they must transition to adulthood even before they've reached adolescence. Young girls are taught to be "mature" (i.e. sexy) and young boys are taught to value girls solely based on their aesthetic appeal. This portrayal of females in the media is damaging to everyone because teenagers are learning, from a very young age, just one way to be, one stereotype to emulate. A huge part of the sex narrative of modern media revolves around a certain body type, which, for most females, is not the reality. Therefore, magazines and models send a message that women are not beautiful naturally, that they must change themselves to meet that beauty standard.
This image of the ideal American girl contains, for the most part, the following: hourglass figure with a curvyesque chest and hips flaring into a slender and toned waist. Magazines use Photoshop to enhance these features and sometimes drastically change the model's body to make it more "acceptable."
One striking example of this occurred a couple of months ago, when Riverdale stars Lili Reinhart (Betty) and Camila Mendes (Veronica) posed for Cosmo Philippines. When the magazine hit stores, both Reinhart and Mendes were shocked -- and appalled -- to find out that their stomachs had been drastically Photoshopped to make them look skinnier.
On her Instagram story, Reinhart noted the day (International Women's Day) and how, while so much progress has been made, women are still valued just based on what they look like. She stated "Camila and I have worked incredibly hard to feel confident and comfortable in the bodies that we have." She did the photoshoot to feel good about herself, not to be changed. The media doesn't value women for what they look like. It values women for what it thinks they should look like.
The hyper sexualization of females in the media (especially in visual forms) can lead to depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, and eating disorders. But we are so much more than our imperfections or perceived flaws. In the words of Christina Aguilera,
"I am beautiful in every single way."
Sofia, thank you for your views and statements on this topic. For the last hundred plus years, the media/public eye has redefined what beautiful means. Nowadays, magazines, movies, and music have turned beauty into a goal only reachable via plastic surgery. But like you said, that's just not the case. The media shows off women as objects of sex; their bodies are their most meaningful quality. However women, and humans in general for that matter, mean much more than just their appearance. Beauty is found just as much on the inside, in one's character, as it is on the outside. Everyone is beautiful in their own way, and deserves to be treated that way.
ReplyDeleteI thought that it was courageous for Lili Reinhart and Camila Mendes to make sure that the world knows that the pictures of them in Cosmopolitan Philippines were edited and they aren't that skinny and toned in real life. They both posted about it on their Instagram stories to reach out to the young girls that are fans of Riverdale, encouraging their audience to not compare themselves to these pictures because they are photoshopped. Both actresses expressed disgust at this and said that they have worked really hard to feel confident in their own skin and this type of editing is a step back in the media. I think it is really important for celebrities that have had their photos edited in magazines to let their fan base know and discourage them from comparing themselves to altered pictures.
ReplyDeleteI think that it was impactful for Camila Mendes and Lili Reinhart to tell everyone that their pictures were edited because it shows the unobtainable beauty standards that women face inn our society. This is horrible to me, as women are often valued only at their appearance, yet if models, supposedly the "most beautiful" are not good enough as to where their bodies are not edited than who is?
ReplyDeleteDo you think that the hyper-sexualized portrayal of women in the media can be abolished after all these years of gender roles and stereotypes?
ReplyDelete