Media Hinders Feminism

In today’s society women have come very far to get to where we are. We have come too far to continue to allow the media to tear us down again and again, telling us we need to be focusing on our bodies, and being sexual beings to men, rather than what is really important like our education or being in the workforce.

Many television shows and movies objectify women and teach people that it’s okay to do so. The television show “How I Met Your Mother” offends through main character Barney Stinson, played by Neil Patrick Harris, who sees women as “just a body,” and to use to fulfill desires on a daily basis.

The movie “50 Shades of Grey” similarly degrades women and girls. Throughout the movie, Christian Grey constantly degrades Anastasia Steele by controlling all of her actions, not allowing her to do things her way- it’s his way or no way at all. He abuses her throughout the movie but convinces her that he cares and that’s why he acts this way.

Both of these examples are models for women to emulate for their own relationships because they teach women that it is all about men all the time, and that what they want is unimportant. It also teaches women and girls that we are only here to please men,

Magazines set an unrealistic body image for women of all ages and the effect of this can be seen in the prevalence of eating disorders. Among America women and girls According to National Eating Disorders Association, “National surveys estimate that 20 million women and 10 million men in America will have an eating disorder at some point in their lives.” Many modeling agencies have been under fire for telling their clients that they would be more “profitable” if they lost some more weight. A friend of mine, Olivia Camper, was told by the big modeling company, Modelogic, that is she lost ten to fifteen pounds she would be a lot more profitable. They see skinny as the only qualifier to what makes you beautiful.  In reality the girls on the cover don’t look like that in real life either. They are photo shopped and air brushed because the media doesn’t want us to see imperfections.

Social media has the same sort of effect that magazines have on women. Promoting and reinforcing unrealistic body images. Flooding its audience with pictures and videos of girls who are photo shopped to be smaller than they may be.

As a woman, I believe that we need to stop taking the images and thoughts that media puts in our head and thinking it’s okay to look like that and be treated like we’re just another body.