What is so interesting about advertisements today is that nothing is a secret. Women know that photoshop is a customary procedure and commercials are digitally enhanced to make the product appear superior. Yet we still have a difficult time accepting that we will never look like the models on the billboards or have hair as silky as it is in the commercials. We should not however, blame ourselves for this false sense of hope. Particular images are ingrained into our brains, whether we want them to be or not. Specifically regarding beauty, we become accustomed to the images we see frequently. When we are exposed to something a lot, it is possible that we will take a liking to it. For example, when a popular song is playing on the radio all the time, we eventually find ourselves singing along. Despite knowing that these images aren't real, we see them all the time, and subconsciously acquire a taste for this them. Women want to be appreciated for their looks and society appreciates these images. Therefore, women continue to buy products that promise beauty and perfection, allowing the advertising companies to win.
Some companies have taken action against making women feel this way. For example, the movie referenced that back in 2006 Dove did a campaign for real beauty. It revealed to the public just how distorted images our. The original model whose photograph was taken, was virtually unrecognizable in the final advertisement. This campaign was a success, proving that women are more than ready to get rid of the artificial beauty ideals. Some other companies have recognized this, and either stopped using emaciated models or actually edited photos to make them appear larger. An article in the Guardian discusses the reaction to a nude photo of a plus size model in Glamour Magazine. "The overwhelming reaction to the tiny photograph, buried on page 194 of Glamour magazine 'shows that the world is hungry to see pictures of normal women.'" However, these photos of real women will have trouble competing with the glossy airbrushed pictures and it will take more than one company changing in order to reshape society's perspective on beauty.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/02/lizzie-miller-model-fat
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