What shapes our self-image?

from Christina

This photo basically represents the things that help shape women's self-image. The first thing you probably notice when looking at this photo is the hot pink background. I chose that because pink is associated with being feminine and being a woman. We are all taught this from the time we are born. I think the background helps make sense of the things that I placed on top of it. At the very top you see the hair straightener. I chose to use this because most men find straight hair more attractive as opposed to curly hair. Women ultimately do what it takes to make men attracted to them, so if that means burning their hair to make it really straight, that's what they do. Right below that I placed the Bare Minerals make-up. This again goes into the outward appearance of women. Most women are willing to put on as much make-up as needed to make them feel beautiful and good about themselves, but also to make guys want to be with them. To the right of the make-up are the Cosmopolitan magazines. They show women what it looks like to be feminine. The show what your body should look like, tell you all the latest news on sex, and show you tips on how to keep your body in tip-top shape. Women buy into these messages and they do whatever these magazines tell them and use the pictures as their role-models. Below them I placed the books about eating disorders. Women get the ideals in their head about what they should look like and they develop eating disorders because of them. They look at the pictures in these magazines and see these women and do whatever they can do to look like the women in the pictures which are unrealistic. These books show you just how scary eating disorders are and might make women think twice about what they are doing and why they are doing it. Moving up to the top left corner you will see the Coach purse. We are lead to think that we should have to spend $200 or more on material things even if we can't afford it just to be socially acceptable. Everything today is all about the name brand items and people will go out of their way to buy them for themselves. This all contributes to how people focus on outer appearance. In the middle of the picture I placed a cell phone. People today live by their cell phones and everything they do revolves around a phone call or a text message. I personally don't know any teenage girl (or boy for that matter) that does not own a cell phone. A lot of people are judged on whether they have the newest, latest, greatest, best phone on the market which may affect how you feel about yourself. Directly below the cell phone I have the seasons of Newlyweds. Growing up, girls compare their lives to those of celebrities, and I know people thought that Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey were the ultimate couple. Watching this show made people want that perfect marriage, prefect guy, and perfect life; little did we know that their perfect life wouldn't even last 4 years. At the bottom left I placed 3 movies; Legally Blonde, 13 Going on 30, and The Perfect Man. Legally Blonde represents a woman in power. Yes, she does fall into the typical stereotypes of a woman; blonde, large breasts, always wearing pink, and chasing after the guy she wants even though he is not interested. But, this movie also shows a woman going to law school and becoming a well respected lawyer, even though she was a very beautiful girl. It is able to show girls that anything is possible. I included the movie 13 Going on 30 because it shows something that is very apparent in today's society; girls want to grow up too fast. But, I think this movie ultimately shows that girls should enjoy where they are in their lives right now and that they should not rush themselves to grow up. The last movie I included is The Perfect Man. By the title you think it is going to tell you who the prefect man is and how to find him. After watching the movie you are able to realize that there is no such thing as "the perfect man." You realize that nobody is perfect. I think that by looking at my photo you are able to realize the types of things that girls and women are comparing themselves to and the standards they are trying to measure up to. I think that these are the types of things that shape a woman's self-image.