First and foremost, there is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ body. There is always something that everyone wants to change about themselves, there is always someone that we want to emulate, so there cannot be a ‘perfect’ body when everyone’s idea of perfect is completely different.
Secondly, the media has presented this idea of a desirable body, the ‘perfect’ body, but this has always been and always will be subject to time and what certain celebrities look like. When the Kardashians got their BBLs, the media presented a slim waist, ‘thick’ thighs, and a big bum as the ideal for women, but now the Kardashian-Jenner clan have removed their BBLs, the heroine chic body type has come back into fashion. This was prominent in the 1990s, with the likes of Victoria Beckham being presented as the ideal body type by the media.
The changing nature of this portrayed 'ideal body type' proves that there is no ideal as it is ever-changing depending on celebrity culture. However, the media does not take this into consideration and instead capitalises off it.
The media, knowingly or not, preys on our bodily insecurities and pressurises us to force our bodies to fit into the ‘ideal’ of the decade. However, the media forgets that everyone has a different body type and none of us look the same and that is completely fine, but with media negating this and placing a pressure on us to look a certain way, we forget this, and this deteriorates our relationship with our bodies.
The media, knowingly or not, preys on our bodily insecurities
It is hard to look at advertisements, magazines, television, and the rest of the media, without questioning your self-worth when what is deemed as desirable does not fit how you look. Our relationships with our bodies deteriorate and the media perpetuates this because it forgets that young people, teenagers, and adults watch and listen to the media and its views, which resonate with us and makes us question our bodies.
The consequences of this can be detrimental and our bodies, the things that are meant to protect us, can suffer, whether that is though not thinking that you are good enough because of the media, or through physically hurting yourself to fit into the mould that the media prescribes for everyone.
What I take from this is that our relationship with our bodies is subject to the media because of its pervasive nature in making you question yourself and your body. It is easy to argue that we should ignore the media, but the reality is quite the opposite. It is hard to ignore something that is so present in our current society, and it is difficult not to be harsh on ourselves and the way we look because the media does it so easily.
Our relationship with our bodies is subject to the media because of its persuasive nature
I believe that the only solution is for the media to recognise the detrimental effect it has on people’s self-worth and to acknowledge that all bodies are perfect, whilst representing this within the media, as this is the only way that we can try and accept the way our bodies look.
