How The Media Shapes Our Self-Image?

Education & Learning, Health & Welfare, Social & Youth development,

We all live in a world that is defined by the standard of beauty one holds in a cup. But what about the beauty that one doesn’t look at in the mirror every morning? All those hatreds towards ourselves end at the tunnel where no one is looking at themselves. The way Media Shapes Our Self-Image can be injurious to mental health. Every day there is a new style, body type, and beauty standards that we are clinging to. However, there is always a blank space for self-love that one keeps dreaming of.

Global Report: How the Media Shapes Our Self-Image?

Social media and self-image are problems worldwide. Every young adult suffers from non-configurative image issues. Reportedly, the perception of media is rapidly shaping identity.

Over 70 percent of girls aged 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities, such as attending school, when they feel bad about their looks.
About 20 percent of teens will experience depression before they reach adulthood.
Teen girls that have a negative view of themselves are 4 times more likely to take part in activities with boys that they’ve ended up regretting later.
38 percent of boys in middle school and high school reported using protein supplements and nearly 6 percent admitted to experimenting with steroids.
75 percent of girls with low self-esteem reported engaging in negative activities like cutting, bullying, smoking, drinking, or disordered eating.

Media Shapes Our Self-Image: Stereotyping Image

Media Shapes our self-image by creating a structure of stereotyping the way we speak, look, walk and dress. Nevertheless, the crisis of categorization grew rapidly during the 70s and 80s in film cultures. However, after 2018, we see a new debate on gender equality, adding LGBT+ people to the scene. It was from that time that identity, image, and body shapes started being pre-conceived. Even though we talk about body positivity now, the impacts of the past will be hard to forget.

Voice:

So, I was looking for refreshments from my studies and switched to Instagram. Nevertheless, I saw comments of people calling that guy “Meetha” [TW: Slang used to demean sections of the LGBT+ community]. Their judgments cloud the way he was speaking. The media and film culture that has added the Voice to the spectrum of Gender identities is injurious and suffocating.

Let’s get back to the story of Boy. Yes, he was from Bihar. So, coming to Bihar, the Languages spoken here are Maithili, Bhojpuri, and Maghi. Maithili, I know, is one of the softest and sweetly spoken languages. So is Bangla, as both of them align somehow because of historical background. Reportedly, every language, whether Gujarati, Marathi, or Odia, have a different flavour. One should not favour harassment based on language.

Way of talking always puts on the classic debate. Having read lots of articles, theories, and acceptance speeches. We can conclude that only a few people can buy non-judgemental opinions. But, yes, we should search for those [ifs] in the crowd who spread positivity by not judging people based on their Voice or Way of talking.

Walks:

Not much to talk about on the matter that has been a colonized mindset. What is the feminine walk? What is the masculine walk? If only I could have understood the assignment. Nevertheless, maybe, I could have lived a less compromised life as a child in the public sphere. Reluctantly, I have a bitter taste of judgement on the way I used to walk from fellow family members. Reportedly, numerous people have suffered from the judgement as an adult, older people, and children. Interestingly, people forgot the words “Confidence” and “Life”. Honestly, living life with confidence is the moment and time.

Body:

Yes, honey, we feel your mental breakdown. Here, we come across the table, How Media Shapes Our Self-Image? Indeed the body structure ratio is blooming. Reportedly, the number of advertisements coming forward on the proper portion of the waist, eyes, nose, face, chest, hips and hands. Eventually, youths travel in a dilemma and struggle to achieve such standards. Respectively, the debate on Body dysmorphic disorder becomes essential.

Clothes:

Clothes have never been gendered. But, they were modelled into gendered identities. Nevertheless, the arc has been in the limelight when people discuss and make themselves self-aware. Notably, if we look at the beauty, then only we might have learnt that heels were men’s favourites. Preferably, skirts were a showstopper for people. Exclusively, skirts were worn by both men and women from ancient history.

Resources

History of Heels: https://bit.ly/3OysRJC

History Of Skirts: https://cbsn.ws/2JZ0bLr, https://bit.ly/3i9H8jX

Media Shapes Our Self-Image: Behavioural Risks

Reportedly, the media identities and social status has contributed to several psychological disorders, mental health risks, and physical health risks such as:

Depression
Anxiety
Jealousy
Loneliness or feeling of isolation
Self-harm
Poor body image
Eating disorders such as anorexia
Disrupted sleep

Body Positivity and Raising Low self-esteem

We know that the idea of life is to be fit and healthy. Moreover, the idea is to remain healthy through positive thoughts and work. Of course, yoga and exercise are to keep us motivated, positive, and refreshed. Certainly not for picking up shoes for some set beauty standards. We know that there are different body types, and we need to embrace ourselves. As every mirror has its individual persona.

The way the world has filmed stereotypical degrees of Walks, Looks, and dresses always raises the concern of lower self-esteem. Respectively, learning our minds from the rise of the canopy can be difficult. But the truth is no one cares when you are older or go back home from college. It is the distinctive reality that we are left with ourselves. To learn body positivity and raise low self-esteem begins with making relationships with yourselves. Reportedly, the average to half of the population live happily and do best in careers when keeping themselves a priority.

Resources: https://bit.ly/3GIGOmg, https://bit.ly/3AK1Q09