The Subconscious Truth of Mass Media
Written By: Amayah Meas
The internet has been thoroughly intertwined in society. Generation Z is the first group of socialites who have grown up surrounded by technology and its capabilities, which are continuing to evolve and expand today. Constant exposure to media affects the minds of its users, and it is important to be aware of its effects on young women. There is an underlying pressure (mostly from media) for girls to appeal to the desires of men in a patriarchal society. In a society ruled inherently by men, women and girls are fed unrealistic standards of ideality by mass media which subconsciously affect their cognitive development.
Beauty standards and expectations set for women have been engrained in the media for decades. The “ugly duckling” transformation has been used countless times in romantic comedies and at this point, society has outgrown this concept. This trope usually consists of “transforming” an awkward, non-conventionally attractive girl to be accepted and desirable by a man by changing her physical appearance. Some examples include She’s All That, Miss Congeniality, and Clueless, where the “ugly duckling” transforms into a beautiful swan through a process of modifying her wardrobe, plucking her eyebrows, straightening her hair, removing her glasses, et cetera. The makeover is a major plot point of the film and is framed to be aesthetically pleasing. Its accessibility motivates the young girls who watch it, giving them the idea that it is easy for them to become attractive as well by achieving these simple modifications (Le, 2021). By the end of the makeover, the male love interest suddenly realizes his feelings and falls head over heels for the girl, shown by a thunderstruck reaction. The initial intention of the transformation was to win over the boy, reinforcing the idea that girls must alter their physical appearances to appeal to boys. Since these films are targeted towards a young and still developing audience, they contribute to the prominence of the Objectification Theory: the idea that girls (more often than boys) are socialized from an early age to view their bodies from an observer perspective (Fredrickson, 1997). This self-objectification contributes to negative self- esteem, anxiety, eating disorders, body image dysmorphia, and other mental health issues. Classic chick flicks that focus on the ugly duckling transformation serve as propaganda on how young girls can “improve” their appearances for male validation.
Not only are unrealistic beauty standards portrayed in classic films, but they are also depicted in teen shows. Specifically focusing on using grown adult actors to play teenage roles contributes to the unrealistic standard of beauty set for young viewers. In classic teen dramas such as Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars, the high schoolers are played by actors who are usually in their twenties, fully developed and physically matured. Equipped with inaccurate costume design, young viewers who watch these shows are ingrained with an expectation for high schoolers to look like the actors and compare their undeveloped bodies to fully grown adults (Le, 2021). The characters always look their best and rarely ever show undesirable “flaws” in appearance such as acne, inconsistent body image, and bad hair days which are completely normal in reality. On top of the perfected physical appearances, many teen dramas also incorporate casual hook up culture. Young teen characters embrace this culture and it is framed to be normal, which also creates an expectation for viewers to participate when they are at that age. Today, it is more unlikely for a teen/high schooler to practice casual hook up culture or even have experience with sexual encounters at that age, causing them to feel behind or question their attractiveness and worth (Le, 2021). The unrealistic, glamourized presentation of high schoolers in teen dramas (played by fully developed adult actors) contributes to mental health issues, negative perceptions of body image, and social development of young viewers at a crucial age.
With Generation Z consisting of digital natives who use multiple social media platforms throughout the day, beauty standards and expectations are constantly presented as they scroll through the media. A common trend across many platforms is the “glow up,” used mostly by girls who post pictures of themselves at two different points in their life showing a drastic difference in appearance, the latter being more attractive. This is closely related to a recent trend known as “That Girl,” most common across Tik Tok, Instagram, and Pinterest. “That Girl” is specifically a girl who appears to have her whole life together: she works out, has unblemished skin, wears the cutest clothes, has a consistent sleep schedule, eats healthy, drinks her water, and ensures maximum productivity every single day. Her social media feed consists of these selected (and often edited) moments that fail to acknowledge the “downsides” of her life where she may sleep in, skip a workout, or eat an unhealthy meal, all things that are completely normal and okay to experience every once in a while. Meanwhile, it is only once a girl has reached her potential that she will finally be able to find a man who is willing to be with her. While it is true that to be in a healthy relationship with someone else requires a healthy relationship with oneself first, the placement of a male reward at the end of self-actualization once again ties male validation into the trends for women to follow. Initially, this trend was meant to serve as a motivational image to help girls work towards achieving their maximum potential. However, with such lack of transparency and strictly handpicked moments that tie to the already established (and patriarchal) beauty standards, it has been viewed as a toxic trend that looks down upon the true and realistic features of a girl's physical appearance and lifestyle.
Mass media including film, teen dramas, and social media has established unrealistic beauty and lifestyle standards for women and girls, that ultimately tie into a patriarchal society. While reinforcing patriarchal ideas of altering a girl’s physical appearance for male validation and setting impractical expectations for societal acceptance, the developing women of the future have been misguided and expected to fit biased social norms. From an early age, young girls have been fed these unrealistic ideas by the media which subconsciously affect their mindset and overall cognitive development.
References
Fredrickson, B. L. (June 1997). (PDF) objectification theory: Toward understanding women's lived experiences and mental health risks. ResearchGate. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258181826_Objectification_Theory_Toward_Un derstanding_Women's_Lived_Experiences_and_Mental_Health_Risks.
Le, M. (2021, July 18). The problem with teen dramas - youtube. Retrieved November 20, 2021, from the problem with teen dramas
Le, M. (2020, December 16). We’ve outgrown the ugly duckling transformation - youtube. Retrieved November 20, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa4bR5ZO3dM.
