Working topic
This paper will be focused on the most influential entity of today’s world – the media – and the way it affects the general public. In particular, the working topic is the influence of the image of women promoted by the media on the females’ decision to undertake cosmetic surgery.
Brief introduction
Personally I believe that this topic is on the front burner currently, as the media becomes more and more popular with the course of time. The development of the Internet makes it easy to access so that everyone receives an opportunity to keep abreast. Trying to attract as many people as possible, the media improves photos of models to make them look better. Both the scientists and the general public often argue that perceiving this image, lots of women persuade themselves that they are not good enough, and they do need to improve their bodies. Of course, many of them realize that the photos are photoshopped, but it does not make them change their minds. The most critical thing in this perspective is that little girls perceive the concept of beauty based on such images (Raising Children Network, 2015).
As a result, they tend to do everything to reach the ideal they once saw in the media and undertake cosmetic surgeries. However, a range of recent researches proved that the likelihood of such interventions has nothing to do with the media. The scientists differentiate the likelihood and benefits of such radical measures and state that the media’s effect can be seen only when considering the second factor (Brown, Furnham, Glanville, & Swami, 2007). The opposition to the views on this issue interested me so that I decided to choose it.
Research Question
With the help of this research I hope to answer such a question:
Does the image of women promoted by the media cause them to undertake cosmetic surgery?
Research Method
In order to obtain the needed information, I will conduct a literature review. I will analyze several studies related to this topic and look for the opinion of the general public through the Internet. I will also try to find interviews with people who undertook cosmetic surgery to find out their opinion. Thus, I will use the articles from the US National Library of Medicine and information from the websites, such as raisingchildren.net.au and ourbodiesourselves.org.
Sources
I have already identified several sources relevant to my topic. For example, the article presented by Furnham and Levitas (2012) points out what motivates people to refer to a cosmetic surgeon. The scientists conducted research that consists of theoretical and practical parts. They compared the findings of their colleagues and made their own conclusions that proved that the media reveals the benefits of cosmetic surgery and makes it attractive to women in this way. The article provided by Raising Children Network (2015) also focuses on the way the media affects individuals. It emphasized that indirect influence made through advertising, videos and other content stays in people’s minds and impacts their decisions. I will use these sources to explain how the media affects women’s decision to undertake cosmetic surgery and to what extent.
Planning
I will spend about two hours a day on this assignment so that it will not interfere with other courses. I will start by searching for literature and making notes (1 week). Then I will assess the information and write it down (3 days). I will interview several people (3 days) and compare their answers with the theoretical material (2 days). Finally, I will sum everything up and make a conclusion (3 days). I will reread the paper to make sure that it is ready and correct it if necessary (1-2 days).
References
Brown, A., Furnham, A., Glanville, L. & Swami, V. (2007). Factors that affect the likelihood of undergoing cosmetic surgery. Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 27(5), 501-8.
Furnham, A., & Levitas, J. (2012). Factors that motivate people to undergo cosmetic surgery. The Canadian Journal of Plastic Surgery, 20(4), e47–e50.
Raising Children Network. (2015). Media influence on teenagers. Web.
