Society's Puppet Masters

Society’s Puppet Masters

The ideal standard of beauty is found within each individual

          The world revolves around image. We have seen people fall for curvatious bodies such as: Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren. Then have the need to be supermodel thin. Now in 2012, the ideal body image is once again curvatious but with more volume this time around. Though most of these ideal bodies are fabricated by plastic surgeons. Young girls look at these women and put so much pressure on themselves trying to be just like their favourite superstar. They go to extremes trying to obtain something that is not attainable for most people. In the process they are putting their self-esteem and health in jeopardy.

         In 2004, Dove launched their "Real Beauty" campaign. This campaign focuses on bringing attention back to what a real person looks like. Dove has realized through a study that was conducted that a very small percentage of people find themselves attractive. The message that they send through their ad is to learn to love yourself and be confident with who you are. This program has the potential to educate many girls as well as young women, informing them that the media definition of beauty is unrealistic and that their beautiful just the way they are. However, it has been reported that Dove posted an audition ad that was looking for “flawless” people for an up and coming campaign they were having in 2010. This has caused many of their followers to feel like they have been tricked into believing in unrealistic standards. As well as, doubting the effectiveness of their products.

          Another campaign that was launch was the "Love My Body" campaign by Victoria’s Secret. This was a campaign to launch their new collection called Body by Victoria. When young girls compare this campaign to Dove’s campaign they are more drawn to Victoria’s Secrets image. It is hard not to fall into such stereotypes of wanting to have a body like a model. The love my Body campaign even has a flaw in the name. Instead of telling the reader’s to love their own body, they are telling reader’s to love the models bodies. Victoria’s Secrets focus has always been about beautiful models advertising the company’s undergarments. For years girls have looked to these provocative advertisements with a wanting to look just like them. But the sad reality is that even these women struggle to keep their perfect appearance. With tight deadlines it is hard for them to have children because as soon as they give birth the have an unrealistic amount of time to get back in shape. A nother truth about these models is that they are specially picked to represent this company because of their body type.

         As Society progresses the pressures of being the perfect person increases. These days girls as young as toddlers are being pressured to be perfect. The TLC television show Toddlers and Tiara’s has opened the eyes of millions of people worldwide. Some of these young girls are rumored to have already had surgical enhancements. Not only that, they are being intensely trained and drowned in makeup and hair products, with the dreams of winning beauty pageants. These children are being put into roles that they should only be subjected to if they were to choose so as an adult. The main focus should be school and developing the skills necessary to have a successful future.  At such a young age, it is damaging to their confidence because this is what they think the definition of beauty is. It is teaching them that looks are what make them successful. As these young girls mature, they will find themselves being overly critical towards their appearance and not being able to be happy with their selves.

           I can honestly say that I have been affected by the images that are said to be ideal.  When Jessica Alba’s lips and Kim Kardashian’s buttock became famous I wanted to do anything to get them. Luckily for me I am one of the many people that cannot afford to have surgical enhancements. And each year that I have gone without enhancements the more I have been able to look at my true beauty. Confidence doesn’t come at the end of a knife or through advertisements of other people; it comes from loving and respecting yourself. In all reality, there are very few campaigns or even people in the media that promote a healthy lifestyle. It is also hard to find the truth about how those people really live. We live in a world were if you have money you can fix yourself with plastic surgery.  We set our own standards and for the majority of people those standards are not real. Celebrities and the media install these standards into our heads. They are the masters and we are the puppets.