Discuss the role the media has played regarding women and beauty. Give two specific examples from your own life experiences.

What will be an ideal response?


Correct answer varies but can include a discussion of reflexivity, which creates a heightened awareness of the body. We know risks and care about fitness and health but engage in risky behaviors anyway. Reflexivity often leads to dissatisfaction with the body, especially because of the influence of peers and the media. We live in what might be called an "appearance culture"-that is, one in which appearance is of central importance to peers and in the media. That culture includes ideas about what makes an appearance "attractive," and such ideas can negatively affect people's feelings about their own appearance. This is particularly true for adolescents, especially young women. Men and women often feel pressure to have bodies that fit with stereotypes of gender. Can discuss Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth. Wolf argues that the media present the vast majority of people with an unattainable standard of beauty. The "objectifying gaze," rooted in patriarchal and Eurocentric ideals of beauty and attractiveness and expressed through media, includes a narrow standard for beauty and desirability.

Sociology

You might also like to view...

Any child born in the United States is automatically granted U.S. citizenship

a. True b. False Indicate whether the statement is true or false

Sociology

Identify and briefly describe the main terms in McAdams theory

ANSWER:

Sociology

Fans of the TV show Star Trek (known as Trekkies) meet in costume at a convention celebrating the anniversary of the show's conception. Which sociological perspective would be most likely to focus attention on this event?

A. functionalist perspective B. conflict perspective C. interactionist perspective D. global perspective

Sociology

Envy and pride may be basic to human nature, but the particular material display depends on

a. family relationships. b. automobiles. c. the state of technology. d. alienation.

Sociology