Beauty

By the most general standards that might be used to judge the success of an advertising campaign, the Dove “Campaign for Real Beauty” has been a success. The marketing scheme launched in 2004 has produced what is known in the advertising industry as “buzz. ” The “Real Beauty Models” featured in the United States campaign have appeared on such popular television shows as “Oprah,” “The View,” and “The Today Show. ” In 2008, Dove reported that sales of its firming cream, a lotion intended to reduce the appearance of cellulite, increased 700 percent, while the sales of Dove’s parent company, Unilever, rose 6.7 percent (Case Study).

The campaign’s impact has surely benefitted as much from its detractors as it has from it champions. A closer look at the campaign in the context of the social forces in which it was created paints a clearer picture of what the Dove marketers were up to. A critique of images from the Dove campaign reveals how the marketers attempted to manipulate their target audience. Images of the “Real Beauty Models” first have to be understood within their cultural context.

The Dove campaign arose in a media environment that, in the analysis of many, presented an unrealistic view of female beauty often destructive of women’s self-esteem. In 2004, Dove released a survey that claimed “Only two percent of women describe themselves as beautiful” and that 75 percent of women say “they wish the media did a better job of portraying women of diverse physical attractiveness, including age, shape, and size” (Media Awareness Network).

The campaign’s ostensible goal was to give its customers what they wanted: a more realistic depiction of women in popular media. Claiming that the campaign challenged stereotypes, Dove’s marketing director, Philippe Harousseau, put it this way, “Women were ready to hear this” (Walker). But justifications of this sort for the campaign are perhaps a cynical attempt to reframe the old message, i. e. , that cellulite is ugly and women ought to buy cream to get rid of it, in the context of a feminist media critique, to sell the campaign itself.

It seems that Dove marketers were also aware that this contradiction might cause an undesirable backlash in the marketplace, and so the “Dove Self-Esteem Fund,” contributing to the Girl Scouts of America and other groups, was launched and publicized. In funding “self-esteem programs” the Dove campaign has raised the very unlikely possibility in the minds of customers and media critics that Dove marketers might actually mean what they say about self-esteem and the unhealthy media landscape (Dove website).

But the images put forth by the Dove campaign tell a slightly different story, at least when the subtext of the advertisements is the subject of interpretation. Before turning to a single image, it is important to note the differences among the images used in the campaigns launched in different countries. The American campaign focused on six models, four of whom appear to be of European descent, the remaining two presumably of African extraction.

European campaign images feature eleven or twelve women, three of whom appear to be of African descent (see American Image, European Image). The smaller group in the American campaign is likely calculated to produce a feeling of greater intimacy between the viewer and models. The American campaign features closer shots, with facial expressions more clearly visible. The smaller number of models also lends itself, no doubt, to a broader media campaign in which the models would need to appear on television shows such as “Oprah.

” This would hardly be possible with the stable of models in the European campaign. It is as though Dove’s marketers knew the American campaign would have to be more accountable to its audience, that the campaign would be more controversial and thus need better, more personal representation. It must also be noted that the six core models of the American campaign are not as heavy as those presented in the European campaign, one of the central American models being a fair-skinned blonde whose figure differs little from the unrealistic portrayal many decry.

Perhaps these subtle adjustments were made for an American media environment that would be less accepting of a group of heavier women in their underwear. Dove marketers wanted to subtly subvert the dominant media paradigm, but they did not want to risk turning the American audience off. It must also be noted that the variation in skin tone is not as great in the American campaign: it lacks the darkest color in the crayon box, while the European images do not. The possibility that Dove wanted to skirt any subversive racial or socio-political messages by avoiding too great an African presence cannot be ignored.

Both campaigns, however, fail to represent a wide range of ages. The models all appear to be in their twenties and thirties, though perhaps some of them are well-preserved and in their early forties. Presumably, many buyers of cellulite cream are in their fifties and sixties, and so this lack of diversity merely replicates the biases of the images Dove marketers sought to subvert, namely those that entice older women to buy a product in order to look younger.

A critique of an image from the European campaign reveals some of the cynical manipulations of Dove’s marketing. Though the image seems to advocate for diversity, the models wear expressions that are eerily similar. Each woman is at the climactic point of what appears to be spontaneous joy. Each seems confident, but a little surprised that her picture is being taken. None strike the poses typical of magazine models, their postures lacking the uprightness of the typical fashion waif. But the poses of a few are clearly ironic.

The third woman from the right boldly rests her hand on an out-thrust hip as if to say, “I’m pretending to be a model. ” In this sense, the women seem unnatural, posed in a calculated send-up of typical advertisements. There is also an obvious tension between the models’ nonchalant, asexual expressions and the fact that they are in very skimpy attire. If a few of the models can be said to be wearing “come hither” looks, they are doing so only with a ironic smile, with their eyes seeming to be laughing.

It is Dove’s attempt at de-sexualizing the nude, or the near-nude, as it were. It is a calculation designed to reframe cellulite cream not as a product used to appeal to the opposite sex, but to appeal to oneself alone. The image is asking its viewer to internalize notions of beauty in a deeper, more self-centered way than those with unrealistic depictions of feminine beauty. The fact that the image plays out on a two-dimensional plane seems to suggest that there is none of the typical marketing trickery going on here, that the viewer need not look too deeply.

These are just women being themselves, not selling cellulite cream. The clinical white used in the images is also meant to evoke this no-nonsense reality. Perhaps the Dove ads are most effective in getting the women in their target audience to let down their guards. With her unattainable beauty, the typical fashion magazine model evokes something of a defensive response in the viewer her image targets. While the targeted viewer might fantasize about looking like this ideal model, she is too distant to identify with her.

The Dove campaign deftly dissolves that distance and asks the viewer not only to identify with the models, but to advocate for the advertisement itself, to cheer on the social and political subtext the image so boldly conveys. But there is a subtext below the limpid surface and the facile girl-power message: buy our cream and you’ll be happy. Works Cited American Dove Campaign for Real Beauty image. http://graphics8. nytimes. com/images/blogs/themoment/posts/080610_digitalramble_dove .jpg (accessed 1 May 2010). “Case Study: Beneath the Skin. ” Brand Strategy. 8 May 2008. http://www.

accessmylibrary. com/coms2/summary_0286-34437559_ITM (accessed 1 May 2010). Dove website. “Campaign for Real Beauty” tab. http://www. dove. us/#/cfrb/selfesteem/ (accessed 1 May 2010). European Dove Campaign for Real Beauty image. http://www. culture- buzz. com/IMG/png/nivea_image_3. png (accessed 1 May 2010). Media Awareness Network. “Teachable Moments: Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty. ” http://www. media-awareness. ca/english/resources/educational/ teachable_moments/campaignrealbeauty. cfm (accessed 1 May 2010). Walker, Rob. “Social Lubricant. ” New York Times. 4 September 2005.

Make up is normally used by women but also it can be used by men as well. Of course, this applies to different ‘policies’ that every country has. Culture, civilization, tradition, customs and religion, to name just a few. For instance, men in countries like Greece do not tend to wear make up, unlike other countries in which the male population is more open-minded and cultured. France and Italy are examples of countries in which men usually wear make up. Beauty is a personal issue and subject to different tastes. However, every man yearns seduction, passion, romance, beauty and love.

For this reason, here must be a high-end make up product that will be used only from men. Market presents a lack nowadays in high end products that apply to the beauty of men and this result in the launch of a prestigious new make up devoted to the male population Fashion industry is one of the most interesting ones. Fashion houses come always with extravagant and attractive ideas in order to lure consumers. One of the most luxurious and best selling products that nearly every fashion house has to display is the make up.

Make up is used mostly by women, but not anymore. Channel is going to launch an amazing make up only for men. It will be perfect and for sure a great success story as the first make up used only by men appears to make a huge dream come true for the men around the world. Channel Home is a great make up only for male consumers around the world. Inspired by the passion for freedom of Gabrielle Channel, the Channel Makeup Creation Studio has designed Channel Home, a new spirit of makeup that is simple and flawless at the same time.

Free like a breath of fresh air and spontaneous like the perfect getaway. Each man’s intuition guides the brush as it sweeps across the face to create a personalized makeup result intensified with each sweep f the brush. Its five luminous and natural shades reveal an amazing make up result. Channel Home is recognized from its ultra-protective formula, enriched with cotton flower and white rose plant cells that become one with the skin. It is gentle on all skin types, even the most sensitive.

The make up Channel Home is going to include in its beautiful package, the glow make up foundation as well as a natural professional mini kabuki blush that promises exceptional results just like you have your own make up artist on your home. The first Channel Home ever created, reveals the healthy glow of each male ND provides a sensation of lightness, well-being and freshness. The mini kabuki blush is going to be a half-moon powder brush made of 100% natural hair which definitely makes the application look more sublime and give it a professional look as well to the face of the elegant male.

Moreover, Channel Home features an iconic Channel compact case that promises that the elegant male population will simply love it. Its big mirror, with a larger inclination angle, and its powder brush make for an easier application. Coco Channel once said ‘In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different room the others’ and this make up is exactly for those men who always try and are at the top of the world and who always seek new ways of impressing people and themselves as well. It is for those who take it for granted that real beauty comes from inside and derives from a very special individuality.

Channel Home is going to be in a beautiful package seducing every male and tempting him from the first minute with its immaculate package. This package is going to have at the top of it, the logo of Coco Channel, a fashion house that knows better than anyone else what elegance and free style mean, due to the agenda Of its founder Gabrielle Channel. As the other products of Coco Channel that are globally being sold, Channel Home make up will be put in a gorgeous white bag with black letters that will write the fashion house’s name with capital letters.

Channel Home foundation will be oval in shape, with the logo at the top and also the mini kabuki blush will bring the logo of the fashion house at the top and the name of the make up at its bottom. Packaging of all the make up products Channel Home will take place in France and they will be made there as well. Channel Home will be an exclusive product for hoses few around the world. Such exclusivity leads to a price that brings the number of two hundred Euros . If course this price might differ from a country to another one and it might be subject of different taxes and VAT that apply to the products.

As it concerns the locations that the demanding men will be able to find the ultra and brand new Channel make up, they can be found on the boutiques of Channel around the globe in big cities, renowned resorts and fashion capitals. Manhattan, London, Paris, Milan, Rome, Churchgoer 1 850 and many more. Moreover, it will be offered the possibility f distribution of the product to the place of their customers’ choice. More specifically, men will be able to order this magnificent foundation either from the official website of Channel or by contacting the most convenient to them, store in order to arrange a delivery at their home.

That, surely promises more orders of the make up and gives the possibility to its customers to have their foundation arrived at their easiness and comfort to their place. Channel is a fashion house synonymous of luxury and style. The new Channel Home make up is going to be promoted through seductive and beautiful immemorial. Those commercials will be viewed at the television and Of course through the official website of the house. The advertisement campaign will include a new fresh man beautiful and elegant that will demonstrate the product.

The plot of the campaign is going to include a man that its character is always to defy the normal nature; he is incomparable and invariably seeks new ways of transforming himself in someone better and even more unique. He is falling in love with a photographer, with whom they meet under a hot romantic late evening in Proportion, the most picturesque place in Italy. They meet at Splendid Hotel, and they share passionate moments and till the times goes by, the photographer suggests to his new lover to follow him to the beach. They kiss under the moon, and the moon says ‘CHANNEL FOREVER’.

Then they make a stroll down the amazingly gorgeous piazza at midnight. The kiss again in a more passionate way outside of the Channel boutique. The clock says that it is twelve o’clock when the street is becoming wider and wider when millions of men show up with the new Channel Home make up in their hands. The advertisement will close with a panoramic view of Proportion as seductive as it can be at midnight while the ocular men will take a bath nude at the rocky beach at night in a very provocative way kissing each other’s bodies.

The advertisement will be very provocative and sensual at the same time.. Other promotional activities will include hiring the best actors and actresses in order to display the new foundation yet at the most provocative and beautiful at the same time way. The locations that the campaign will take place, are Cannes, Staten Cap Ferret Proportion and Paris during a hot August evening. Addressing the issue of competition, fashion houses are renowned from its customers around the world for their make up.

For example the Parisian fashion house of Christian Dior haste launched a new foundation, very luxurious and with the most immaculate look than it has ever before proposed. Of course, this powder can be used both from women and men for sheer professional look just like feeling the catcalling spirit. Another example responds to La Prairie, which is getting ready to launch also a new make up that will be made of the finest ingredients that make it perfect and smooth. However, Channel Home is the first make up only for men. That means that is convenient, fresh, easy-to- wear and suitable for all type of skins of men.

The tropical monsoon climate is found in those regions where there is a complete seasonal reversal of winds. It is mainly found beyond the equatorial region between 10° and 25° North and South of the Equator. On-shore summer winds blowing from over tropical warm oceans generate the abundant precipitation, while the off-shore winds from over land make the weather dry during winter. The most clearly defined monsoon climates are located in the coastal areas of the eastern and southern Asia. For example, India, Burma, Bangladesh, Indochina, Southern China and the Philippines experience a tropical monsoon climate.

Surface relief, direction of the coast line and the extension of the monsoon into middle-latitudes cause a number of sub-types of the monsoon climate found over this most widespread continent. Rains are abundant and intense in tropical monsoon areas. But there is a distinct dry season, though very short. However, the amount of precipitation during the rainy season is so heavy that it more than gives back the absence of rainfall for a few months. Soils retain moisture to support the plant cover. In the tropical monsoon climate summer is generally the rainy season.

During the high-sun period the on-shore winds bring a lot of moisture from over the tropical warm oceans to the land. Wherever these moisture-laden winds are forced to rise, abundant precipitation results. However, the coastal regions, if backed by highlands, receive the maximum amount of precipitation. It is important that the leeward sides of the coastal ranges suffer from the rain shadow effects. During the winter monsoon period, January and February are the driest months in South-east Asia. The distribution of rainfall in the subcontinent is more uneven than elsewhere.

The rainfall decreases from east to west and from north to south in so much so that the western and north-western regions have almost semi-arid climate. The monsoon circulation in South-east Asia is characteristically governed by the migration of ITC. Because of differential heating of the continent and the adjoining oceans, there is a complete reversal of pressure gradient over the huge landmass of South-east Asia. During winter there are centers of high pressure over the continent so that there is a flow of air towards the oceanic low pressure centers.

These winds are termed ‘the winter monsoon’ in the eastern and southern Asia. In summer, the huge landmass of Asia develops low pressure centers. These centers are reinforced by the ITC which moves suddenly to the north into the Indian subcontinent. Under these conditions the sea-to-land pressure gradients are established resulting in on-shore winds in eastern and southern Asia. These winds pick up huge quantities of moisture from the warm tropical oceans. Thus, the summer monsoons blowing from southwest Asia and eastern Asia are capable of giving heavy rains wherever conditions are favourable.

As the winter approaches, the low-pressure centers are gradually replaced by the high pressure systems. The change in precipitation is what gives this climate type its name. Precipitation only falls during the summer months, usually from May-August with June and July having the heaviest rain. The whole dry season usually has less than 4 inches of rain. During the wet season, at least 25 inches will fall. Some areas of Tropical Wet and Dry in the path of monsoon winds can receive incredible amounts of rain due to seasonal winds called monsoon.

Seasonality of its precipitation is the hallmark and most well-known characteristic of the monsoon climate. Though the annual amount of precipitation is quite similar to that of the rain forest, monsoon precipitation is concentrated into the high-sun season. Maritime equatorial and maritime tropical air masses travel from the ocean on to land during the summer, where they are uplifted by either convection or convergence of air to induce condensation. The low-sun season is characterized by a short drought season when high pressure inhibits precipitation formation.

In the case of the Asian monsoon, the replacement of the thermal low with the subsidence of the Siberian High suppresses uplift. Air masses that dominate this period are dry given their continental origin or stability. A distinct dry season from October to May, when the temperature are lower, the interior of Asia is a region of high pressure. Wind blow over the land in a north east direction , carrying little or no moisture with them. These cool , dry North East Monsoon winds blows toward areas of low pressure and do not bring rain.

A wet season from June to September, when the wind change in direction, the wind blow in the region of low pressure. Winds blow across the equator and blow over the oceans, they are warmer and carry a lot of moisture. They bring alot of rain. Total rainfall can reach 600 m The grasslands of Tropical Wet and Dry support many herbivores (plant eaters) who graze in the grasses. Most of these animals usually migrate and run in large herds for safety. Examples include wildebeests, gazelles, zebras, elephants, giraffes, etc. Many carnivores (meat eaters) follow and hunt the herbivores.

Lions, cheetahs, hyenas, and large birds hunt the savannas of Africa. In the coastal regions of the tropical monsoon climate the temperatures are uniformly warm. Air temperatures show a marked annual cycle. The highest temperatures in this climate are recorded during summer just before the arrival of rains.. Average temperatures for the summer months vary from 27° to 32°C. During winter, however, the average temperature at inland stations may vary from 10° to 26. 7°C. In higher latitudes the drop in the minimum temperatures is large. During the wet seasons, there is extensive cloud cover.

This blocks most of the incoming solar radiation during the day, and traps the outgoing radiation at night. Thus, the diurnal temperature range is small. Range of temperature in the tropical monsoon climate is a bit larger than that in the equatorial climate. The annual range registers a variation ranging from 2°C to 11°C. The diurnal range in the coastal regions is less than what it is in the continental interiors. Another characteristic feature of the diurnal range of temperature is that it is considerably higher in the dry summer months than in any other part of the year.

The monsoon circulation in South-east Asia is characteristically governed by the migration of ITC. Because of differential heating of the continent and the adjoining oceans, there is a complete reversal of pressure gradient over the huge landmass of South-east Asia. During winter there are centers of high pressure over the continent so that there is an outflow of air towards the oceanic low pressure centers. These winds are termed ‘the winter monsoon’ or the ‘dry monsoon’ in the eastern and southern Asia. In summer the huge landmass of Asia develops low pressure centers.

These centers are reinforced by the ITC which moves suddenly to the north into the Indian subcontinent to 20° or 25° N latitude. Under these conditions the sea-to-land pressure gradients are established resulting in on-shore winds in eastern and southern Asia. These winds pick up huge quantities of moisture from the warm tropical oceans. Thus, the summer monsoons blowing from southwest in the southern Asia and southeast in eastern Asia are capable of giving heavy rains wherever conditions are favourable. As the winter approaches, the low-pressure centers are gradually replaced by the high pressure systems.

In fact, the so-called winter monsoons are nothing but the re-establishment of the northeast trades which are dry except in those areas where they reach after passing over the sea. Rains are abundant and intense in tropical monsoon areas. But there is a distinct dry season, though very short. However, the amount of precipitation during the rainy season is so heavy that it more than gives back the absence of rainfall for a few months. Soils retain moisture to support the plant cover. In the tropical monsoon climate summer is generally the rainy season.

During the high-sun period the on-shore winds bring a lot of moisture from over the tropical warm oceans to the land. Wherever these moisture-laden winds are forced to rise, abundant precipitation results. However, the coastal regions, if backed by highlands, receive the maximum amount of precipitation. It is important that the leeward sides of the coastal ranges suffer from the rain shadow effects. During the winter monsoon period, January and February are the driest months in South-east Asia. The distribution of rainfall in the subcontinent is more uneven than elsewhere.

The rainfall decreases from east to west and from north to south in so much so that the western and north-western regions have almost semi-arid climate. In the tropical monsoon climate, the amount and distribution of precipitation determine, to a large extent, the type of natural vegetation. Towards the equator-ward margins, where the precipitation is heavy, the tropical monsoon forest resembles the tropical rainforest. However, because of the seasonality of rainfall, species are limited in the monsoon forests. Towards the drier margins, rainforests are replaced by more sparse jungles, thorn forests and savanna grasslands.

In India, for example, there are different types of natural vegetation ranging from the tropical rain-forests of the Malabar and Assam to the deciduous forests of the areas with moderate rainfall to thorny bushes of the more arid regions with scanty rainfall. Teak is the most valuable timber, and it is found in Burma and certain other parts of India. Besides, shisham, sal, mahua, mango tree, jamun, neem, and many more species of trees are found in the deciduous forests which shed their leaves before the commencement of the long dry season in order to conserve moisture.

In fact, the deciduous trees of the monsoon forest are a fine illustration of their adaptability to a wet-dry climate in which rainy season with adequate water surplus alternates with a dry season with soil-water deficit. These forests are generally more open than the tropical rainforests. The trees are less tall and the branching starts at a lower level. Tree species may vary from 30 to 40 in a small area. Trees have thick and rough barks as moisture conserving device. Tree tops are fairly large and round. Outside India, the typical monsoon forest is found in Burma, Thailand and Cambodia.

In West Africa and in Central and South America there are large areas of deciduous monsoon forest bordering the equatorial rain forests? In more humid areas where the forest is dense, the flying and climbing species of the animal life of the equatorial forest are dominant. But in drier regions where the trees are widely spaced with grasslands, large animals constitute the animal kingdom. Some of these animals are carnivores, while others are herbivores, such as, tigers, lions, leopards, wolves and jackals, elephants, wild buffalo, rhinoceros, deer, and antelopes.

Honors English IV December 11, 2009 The theme of “A Poison Tree” by William Blake is about wrath and anger. If one were angry with a friend, that wrath would eventually subside; if one were angry with a foe, however, and if left unchecked or left to simmer that anger would not subside and would grow. His poem offers insight into what anger does if one “watered it in fears, / Night and morning with [their] tears; / and sunned it with smiles, / and with soft deceitful wiles” (547 l. -10 Wood). The poem is appropriate for Songs of Experience and not Songs of Innocence because it portrays something that children do not do: seethe with anger for a long period of time. Children forgive and forget easily, adults do not. Adults tend to hold grudges and seethe with anger until something interrupts it or changes it, but children have simpler minds and thus simpler aspects of anger that may not last a long time.

The themes and images of “Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802” by William Wordsworth classifies him as a typical Romantic poet of his time. Wordsworth shows only the beauty of London and uses simple language to get his point across. The major theme of the poem is nature, and he only shows the beauty of the landscape, not the destitution and filth that truly was London during the Industrial Revolution.

Wordsworth transfigures the truth with his imagination, saying that everything was “all bright and glittering in the smokeless air” (560 l. 8 Wood) when really the city was ridden with pollution and smog. Wordsworth also shows and absolute sense of awe for the beauty of what he is seeing, and turns away everything that is “ugly” about it. Wordsworth sees only the beauty of looking from a bridge in the morning and turns away all the bad things related to the people of the area, a characteristic of a Romantic.

How to put on makeup Many women in the world use make-up for many different reasons. Here is a fast method for women and girls who have never put on makeup. If you are interested in a more casual look this would be the perfect method to use. The method consists of putting on eyeliner, mascara, eyebrow pencil, eyeshadow, bronzer, lip stick, lip gloss and body sparkles. First off, put liquid eyeliner directly on top of eyelashes right where the eyelid and eyelash meet. Then after you do that, put a 1/2-inch line of liquid eyeliner on outer sides of eyelids to make your eyes look fuller and wider.

After that make sure the lines are equal. Next apply mascara to upper and lower eyelashes, but make sure you don’t put too much cause your eyelashes might end up clumpy. Also make sure you applied enough eyeliner and mascara so your eyes look wide and bold. Then, apply a matching eyebrow pencil to eyebrow to make them look sharper and more elegant. After you complete that step, then take a dark brown eyeshadow and place it right above the eyeliner with an eyeshadow brush. Make sure you do not cover up the eyeliner with the eyeshadow.

After that, take the eyeshadow brush and add a light pink eyeshadow directly beneath your eyebrow. Once you have done that take a small blending brush and blend both of the eyeshadow together. It should make a pinkish brownish color once completely blended. Make sure your eyebrows and eyeshadow look even and match the color scheme. Lastly, get a bronzer that matches your skin tone and lightly brush it over your cheekbones with a medium sized buffer brush so your cheeks look shinier than the rest of your face. Next apply a reddish pinkish lipstick to your lips.

Making them bright and elegant. Then add a sparkly pink or red lip gloss to make the final touches on your makeup. Make sure that you do not have too much bronzer on. Finally, dab an even amount of body glitter all over your body. In conclusion, many women and girls use makeup for many different reasons. The method above is great for a casual look. This method is also great for women and girls who have never put on makeup. list of the things you will need to put on your make up consists of, eyeliner, mascara,eyebrow pencil, eyeshadow, bronzer, lip stick, lip gloss and body sparkles.

The following paper will present a counterargument to the idea that body image is shaped by attitudes in the media.  Part of this counterargument will rely on the fact that thinness is cultural problem and not a media problem as will be examined using the peer reviewed article Ingrassia & Springen wrote The body of the beholder,  which examines attitudes of race in regards to body thinness and how Caucasian women are more strict on their bodies while African American women, due to culture, perceive their normal bodies to be normal.

The other argument being presented in this paper will be on how models do not warp young girls’ minds to the ideas of thinness but rather it is an individual perspective that allows women to feel as though they are not thin enough.  Thus the paper’s main idea will be that media does not present a too thin body but rather it is in the perception of the culture that does this.

Part A

Body image in the media is used to represent a product and to sell that product, like coca-cola or something else.  The media giants choose thin models not as them saying to how women should look but rather as a way to how they want their product to appear to the audience; thus, the scope of this problem comes from teenagers, girls, who buy into the marketing media of supermodel thinness, and then become anorexic to fit this ideal.

The idea of thinness is misconstrued on the idea that women’s bodies are too thin and thus those too thin bodies present to the advertising world what their body should look like, but this is not true.  Thinness is in the eye of the beholder, “When individuals evaluate their appearance, they can either concur or disagree with other evaluators.  If dissensus occurs its direction can be either self enhancing or self-denigrating” (Levinson 1986; 330).

Women and men are sensible enough to know what is too thin to be realistic; often times media transform their model’s bodies and digitally improve or reduce the model’s body thus presenting a false image.  This is not done in order to tell young girls that their bodies should be thin but in keeping in mind with the best possible way to present the product of the advertisement, therefore the problem is affecting a mass amount of people, especially in the western society since marketing is targeting these countries.  The fact that such images are digitally ‘improved’ in one way or another is no secret and therefore the good reason that such images produce too thin body ideals does not hold against the argument that they indeed do,

I mean we can alter that body shape definitely…I mean the computer can pretty much do anything.  You can alter it…they don’t tend to …but its kind of up to the model editor…You make ‘em…sort of squish them together to make them look thinner (Milkie 2002; 851).

Another argument against the too thin body image presented in the media is that this is more of a cultural attitude.  In The body of the beholder the authors stress that more often than not Caucasian women have poor images of themselves while African American women do not; this is due to culture and not to media; in other words, the body image is in the eyes of the beholder and not in the eyes of the media, “Quite commonly researchers restrict samples to white subjects or ignore race as an independent variable in their designs.  However, existing anecdotal and case studies report that blacks assign positive qualities of well-being and power to heavy-women” (Levinson et al. 1986; 331).

Part B
Culture teaches that thinness is the ultimate ideal; but whose culture?  The argument of this paper now becomes mingled with the fact that American culture is imitating African American culture in dress, song, and literature.  Rap, Hip-Hop and Gansta Rap are all becoming the values by which the culture focuses its appearance right down to cars, jewelry, clothing, and body image.  It is now considered normal to have grills on one’s teeth, to wear ‘bling’ and to copy in whatever capacity possible the African American culture and nowhere is this seen more often than in suburban neighborhoods as rap sales are more than half sold to young white audiences.

With this new found cultural thing alive in the American culture the other argument evolves into one that also mirrors the body image of African American women which is voluptuous

The minority respondents, in sharp contrast, did not emulate these images nor compare themselves as negatively with the models.  Even though most of the black girls occasionally read the mainstream publications, they considered the images less relevant, belonging to ‘white girls’ culture and not part of a reference group toward which they oriented themselves…The black girls indicated that they did not relate to the images and did not wish to emulate the rigid white beauty ideal (Milkie 1999; 200).

African American women present to culture their body image as counter to waiflike, with curves and in fact African American women are more content with their body image than white women and this goes against the media portraying real, curvy women.  Adolescence will impersonate whatever they see as ‘cool’ or popular and right now there are two conflicting things that arise; the ideal of the waiflike woman, and the ideal of the more voluptuous woman as seen in African American culture.

An adolescent will turn to whatever is deemed as cool in their social clique.  This leads to the fact that since American culture has included into its ‘cool’ factor the images of African American women that soon the idea of thinness will be counter culture and African American women’s standards will be the normal standard, “…there’s growing evidence that black and white girls view their bodies in dramatically different ways.

The latest finding come in a study to be published in the journal Human Organization this spring by a team of black and white researchers at the University of Arizona.  While 90 percent of the white junior-high and high school girls studied voiced dissatisfaction with their weight, 70 percent of African-American teens were satisfied with their bodies” (Ingrassia & Springen 1995; 66).

This study goes on to state that even when overweight black teenagers were interviewed they still viewed themselves and described themselves as happy.  This source of size in fact is somewhat of a source of pride, the study further emphasized other different facets by which white and black girls viewed themselves, “Asked to describe women as they age, two thirds of the black teens said they get more beautiful, and many cited their mothers as examples.  White girls responded that their mothers may have been beautiful—back in their youth.  Says anthropologist Mimi Nichter, one of ht study’s coauthors, ‘In white culture, the window of beauty is so small’ (Ingrassia & Springen 1995; 66).

Part C
Thus, the problems of thinness arrive from the culturally dishonest.  Black and white girls are exposed to the same media but their sense of self identity as seen in that media is quite different as the above statements have proven.  Thus, the ideals of beauty are the main contributors of what is considered to be normal.  White girls see 5 foot 7 inches and between 100 to 110 pounds to be normal while African American girls describe their ideal size as exhibiting full hips, thick thighs, and basically in the words of Sir Mix-A lot ‘baby got back’ (Ingrassia & Springen 1995; 66).  These African American teens also described ideal beauty has having the right attitude.

…African American mothers must teach their daughters how to negotiate between two often confliction cultures: Black and white and must prepare daughters to cope with the racial and sexual dangers in the realities of the world that Black women must confront…Black mothers also play an important role in mitigating the dominant culture’s devaluing messages by providing more positive messages and alternatives to the white middle class ideal to their daughters to offset the negative reflections they see of themselves in the eye of the dominant culture (Lovejoy 2001: 253).

This study only further exemplifies the argument in this paper that it is not the media that perpetuates the cult of thinness but rather this false ideal is found in the fact that perception is the ingredient in thinness.  Culture is the curse from which thinness arises,

Underlying the beauty gap are 200 years of cultural differences. “In white, middleclass America, part of the great American Dream of making it is to be able to make yourself over,” says Nichter. “In the black community, there is the reality that you might not move up the ladder as easily. As one girl put it, you have to be realistic-if you think negatively about yourself, you won’t get anywhere.” It’s no accident that Barbie has long embodied a white adolescent ideal-in the early days, she came with her own scale (set at 110) and her own diet guide (“How to Lose Weight: Don’t Eat”).

Even in this post-feminist era, Barbie’s tight-is-right message is stronger than ever. Before kindergarten, researchers say, white girls know that Daddy eats and Mommy diets. By high school, many have split the world into physical haves and have-nots, rivals across the beauty line. “It’s not that you hate them [perfect girls],” says Sarah Immel, a junior at Evanston Township High School north of Chicago. “It’s that you’re kind of jealous that they have it so easy, that they’re so perfect-looking.” (Ingrassia & Springen 1995; 66).

Thus, the black ideal can be argued to be less limiting, and less focused on something that is unrealistic.  Since white culture stresses the make-over then black culture stresses self respect and being happy with ‘you’.  In Ingrassia & Springen’s article they quote Tyra Banks, a supermodel who had said that in high school she was the envy of her white friends when she would repeatedly say that she wanted thighs like her black girlfriends; the split of culture is clearly found in this fact.

The media centers on selling a product through presentation of an ideal body.  However, the media world is being taken over by Black culture from BET to Fox.  The ideals are changing with regards to body image.  The strongest signal that is competing for body image is peer pressure.  Since groups of teens are influential with their friends the black community is able to reiterate their ideals of body image to their friends and since they do not emulate the waiflike figures of supermodels so common in culturally white media (which is diminishing) they are more able to disregard the unrealistic image presented to them in advertisements.

White girls however are suffering from their own culture and the reiteration of this culture not only through media at times but through the concept that has been taught to them that their mothers are always on a diet.  White culture has taught these girls more than the media has that their daddies eat and their mothers are on diets (Ingrassia & Springen 1995; 66).

Ingrassia & Springen further emphasize that white culture teaches that it is okay and even normal to have an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia, but in black culture these are even more of a phenomenon as black girls do not succumb to this masochism since their culture does not present it as a strong factor to be considered normal, “Black teens don’t usually go to such extremes. Anorexia and bulimia are relatively minor problems among African-American girls.

And though 51 percent of the black teens in the study said they’d dieted in the last year, follow-up interviews showed that far fewer were on sustained weight-and-exercise programs. Indeed, 64 percent of the black girls thought it was better to be “a little” overweight than underweight. And while they agreed that “very overweight” girls should diet, they defined that as someone who “takes up two seats on the bus.””  (Ingrassia & Springen 1995; 66).

Ingrassia & Springen state in their study that 90% of white girls have some dissatisfaction with their bodies and that 62% of them are on a diet within the past year.  The study further states that 70% of black girls are happy with their body image and 64% say that it is better to be a little overweight than a little underweight (Ingrassia & Springen 1995; 66).

This paper has stated that the media’s norms are changing with the introduction and focus on black culture that presents different body images.  The paper further stated that media was not the only device by which white girls receive their dissatisfied approach to their own bodies but with their mother’s influence of dieting thinness became an ideal.  It is with the changing cultural norms of switching focus from white culture to black culture that new media images will begin to filter into society as is exemplified through programs on television such as Queen Latifah whose body image though overweight by white culture standards is considered to be beautiful with black cultures.  Thus, the focus of a more voluptuous body, with curves, and a larger ‘booty’ is becoming the American standard.

Bibliography

Dittmar, Helga & Sarah Howard.  (December 2004).  Professional hazards? The impact          of models’ body size on advertising effectiveness and women’s body-focused          anxiety in professions that do and do not emphasize the cultural ideal of       thinness. British Journal Of Social Psychology, 43(4), 477-497.

Dohnt, Hayley & Marika Tiggemann.  (September 2006).  The contribution of peer and            media influences to the development of body satisfaction and self-esteem in     young girls: a prospective study.  Developmental Psychology, 42(5), 929-936.

Ingrassia, Michele; Springen, Karen.  (24 April 1995).   The body of the beholder.        Newsweek,   Vol. 125 Issue 17, p66.

Levinson, Richard et al.  (Dec. 1986).  Social Location, Significant Others and Body    Image Among Adolescents.  Social Psychology Quarterly.  Vol. 49, No. 4,            pp330-337.

Lovejoy, Meg.  (April 2001).  Disturbances in the Social Body:  Differences in Body       Image And Eating Problems Among African American and White Women.       Gender and Society.  Vol. 15.  No. 2. pp239-261.

Milkie, Melissa.  (December 2002).  Contested Images of Femininity: An Analysis of

Cultural Gatekeepers’ Struggles with the ‘Real Girl’ Critique.  Gender and

Society.  Vol. 16, No. 6.  pp839-859.

Milkie, Melissa A.  (June 1999).  Social Comparisons, Reflected Appraisals, and Mass           Media:The Impact of Pervasive Beauty Images on Black and White Girls’ Self Concepts. Social Psychology Quarterly.  Vol. 62, No. 2.  pp190-210.

American culture encompasses today’s traditions, ideals, customs, beliefs, values, and innovations. In Marge Piercys poem entitled “Barbie Doll”, the title emphasizes the theme of the poem which is that girls are ultimately influenced by society’s limited definitions of feminine behavior and beauty. In this poem Piercy conveys the cultural and societal expectations that American culture places on children these days, especially young girls.

The image that Piercy tries to portray in this poem is not supposed to be wrong in any way but in reality it is incorrect to what according to the American society is the “perfect women”. As a child, the girl in the poem was presented dolls that did pee-pee, miniature GE stoves, irons, and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy. By providing and using solid examples that many Americans would be familiar with, and even using the brand name of General Electric, Marge Piercy allows the story to relate to images of the reader’s past.

In these examples, though, are the ultimate causes of the girl’s lack of self-satisfaction: perfect bodies, perfect faces, and the perfect look. It is to no surprise that Piercy names the poem “Barbie Doll” the typical example of fake perfection. Further into the poem Piercy goes to greater extent to show the consequence of dissatisfaction with one’s self. Despite the fact that she was healthy, tested intelligent, possessed strong arms and back, had an abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity, traits that would seem “perfect” to any human being, she was still unaccepted by society.

The girl attempts to please everyone at first, but soon “Her good nature wore out. ” The people around her were the main cause. In the stanza that immediately follows, Piercy shows the main idea of the poem. The young women whom is now lying dead in a casket wearing a pretty dress and fake makeup now looks “beautiful” to the people around her. The society is now happy. “Doesn’t she look pretty? Everyone said”. Her beauty is no longer significant now that she cannot live to express it. The society in which the young girl lived in drove her to her death.

Laced in irony, it is finally stated by the author that the girl has achieved acceptance, but not on the quality of her character or her being but through the unwilling compromise to culture. Piercy shows through her poem “Barbie Doll” the dangers of false standards and the consequences of their application. It is not that we should all be held to a single, high standard, but rather that we should each be judged according to our own quality and values. When reading this poem I realized that wanting to fit in and be perfect isn’t cool, it’s a waste of a perfect life.