Body Image Analysis: Media Influence, Self-Perception, and Acceptance

This essay provides a reflection on body image, analyzing the influence of societal perceptions, media, and self-acceptance. It discusses how unrealistic beauty standards promoted by social media and advertisements lead individuals to undervalue their own beauty and become self-critical. The essay explores the helpfulness of advertisements like the Dove Beauty Videos, highlighting their potential to boost self-esteem while also acknowledging criticisms regarding their portrayal of women. It emphasizes the importance of self-acceptance and suggests that fostering a healthy body image involves recognizing beauty in strength and embracing oneself as one is. The essay concludes by advocating for individuals to challenge negative thoughts and cultivate a positive perception of their own bodies, promoting a healthier and more accepting society overall. Desklib offers a range of study tools and solved assignments for students.

Running head: VIEWS ON BODY IMAGE 1
Views on body image
Name
Institution

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Views on body image
Body image can be referred as the perception that individuals have about their thoughts,
feelings, and physical thought that results from different viewpoints. The emotions are
sometimes negative or positive, and it can also be both, but the surroundings have a significant
influence on individual perceptions. Various issues may arise due to body image and society also
promotes utopian body ideals. People usually find themselves comparing themselves with
unrealistic standards causing suffering among them. The videos presented in this paper presents
different ideas about our body image. The article will give different opinions on body image and
a recommendation on what people should do to adopt a healthy body image.
Reaction to the videos
These videos are informative on the issues on body image and give views on how the
society sees us besides how we view ourselves. According to these videos, self-esteem is
challenging to gain by ourselves and sometimes people need to be boosted so that they can feel
accepted in society. According to the videos, most people are bombarded by different
unattainable beauty standards in social media, advertisements, and magazines. People, therefore,
undervalue their beauty when they see people who are beautiful than them, and they prefer to get
such beauty. The videos show that most people are the wort criticizers of themselves.
The opinion of the society
According to the videos, it is evident that people are the ones who criticize themselves.
One of the videos carries out some interviews on how people view others, and they have
different opinions. The body talk shows that building self-esteem among people starts by dealing

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with and understanding feelings about weight, shape and physical appearance. Sometimes we,
therefore, have different perceptions about ourselves which leads to personal criticisms.
Are these advertisements helpful?
The advertisements are helpful because most women who viewed the videos even
referred their friends. But I would think that the use of EDs to change body shape has nothing to
do with body image, it is concerned with self-image (“Dove Real Beauty Sketches,” 2013.
People can do a lot to improve their shape, but their personality does not change. The video can
also be criticized because the sketches look somehow sadder than the real women. The women
can end up feeling less esteemed than they were before the shoot.
Self-acceptance
According to these videos, most people do not accept who they are and always seek for
ways to change themselves. Some will find ways to improve their bodies through the use of
things such as makeup. Most people, therefore, do not think they are beautiful because they
compare themselves with other beautiful images on TVs and movies “Fabricating Beauty,”
2007). They, therefore, look for ways in which they can change their looks, but they cannot
change their personalities.
How to encourage a healthy body image
Our ideas have different effects on our body image and usually forces us to act
accordingly. Most of the things that make influence the thoughts of body image is the lack of
knowledge on what beauty is, comparing ourselves with others and lack of acceptance. People

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should take beauty as being strong and accepting themselves. People should also admit that they
are beautiful the way they are and this will create a healthy body image among themselves.

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References
“Dove Real Beauty Sketches | Mothers & Daughters.” (2013, May 15). Retrieved November 22, 2018,
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpaOjMXyJGk
“Fabricating Beauty – BodyTalk.” (2007, September 14). Retrieved November 22, 2018, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31k78poEexo

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