Beauty

Description:
A picture of a billboard in down town Regina.

Sociological Interpretation:

Mass Communication is defined as “ various modes of communication ( all print and electronic forms from radio to the Internet) that are produced and presented in an effort to communicate some message to mass audiences.” Knuttila Text, page 299. The picture shown above is an advertisement for a procedure called “awake liposuction”. The image used in the promotion is of a woman from behind in a sexually suggestive pose.

Many women in today’s society look towards the media for a proper definition of beauty. But what is considered beauty? What is considered beautiful? Is a large billboard of a woman’s behind considered beautiful, or tasteless? Furthermore, who has the authority to define beauty?

The media uses forms of mass communication (such as radio, television, internet, magazines, news papers and billboards) to promote what they view as beautiful. They use these images to promote different view on how we as a society should look, act and behave. Media has set such a high standard on what is said to be beautiful because they want you to purchase products in which are said to make this un achievable beauty possible. If we as a society buy into these products, we are only furthering the cynical cycle that the media has produced.

“In 20001, 99.2 per cent of Canadian homes had a colour television...” and “Canadians over two years of age watched an average of 21.6 hours of television per week in 2003.”Knuittila text, page 277. Out of that 99.2, how many do you think were young girls? It is proven that young children are more susceptible to knowledge than adults (Critical Period Hypothesis). It has also been proven that key figures in a child’s life (Closest Human Contacts) are key to a child’s social development, personality, and behavioural traits. If a child is watching approximately 21.6 hours of television a week, there view of their ”key figure” may be morphed. Their mothers, fathers, aunts or uncles may no longer be whom they look up to, but instead may be the super model on channel six, or the movie star that they so closely follow.

The media is well aware of the amount of television view by children, and they take these statistics and use them to their advantage. By instilling a false sense of beauty, or self worth, that child may grow up to view themselves or others inadequate to the standards of society set by the media. By instilling these thoughts of how beauty should be perceived, they are trying to guarantee that in later years, these influenced children will purchase their products.

As a society, we pay into these false advertisements of promised beauty. Sub-consciously we pay attention to new trends, fashions, and other ways of viewing this beauty. The only way for us to separate ourselves from these mass media influenced world is to stop consuming their products, and to believe only our own ideas of beauty, and what it is that makes us beautiful.