The unstoppable and undeniably tumultuous force of the media is now stronger than ever. The ability to access the world is only the click of a button away. The world’s obsession with the ‘perfect image’ has been consistently at the forefront of the digital age, making pressure on young girls even more apparent. The unattainable and frivolous nature of our consumerist society has left many girls vulnerable and exposed to the fiction created through social media platforms and the snowballing effect of reality television, ultimately distorting young minds and expectations, whether concerning body image or societal expectations. This is not dismissing the idea that all these issues were non-existent before this, however suggests that the internalisation of the ideas portrayed through the media have heavily exacerbated their existence.
The life of a teenager is consistently and understandably notorious for being a stressful and unnerving time. However, this period within a young person’s life has only been further disrupted and disillusioned with the heavy emphasis upon a driven media. The constant reminder of ever-changing expectations and realities are thrust upon easily influenced young people, through their daily consumption of television and social media making it next to impossible to avoid over sensationalised ‘celebrities’ or ‘influencers.’ The staggering incline in reality television has also contributed to backlash from medical professionals, with Dr Kousoulis from the Mental Health Foundation stating that “research shows a large number of young people have said that reality television has had a sincerely negative impact on how they view their bodies, which have prompted strong links to the development of anxiety and depression.” This can further be supported by the findings of the YouGov survey, conducted on four thousand five hundred and five teenagers between the ages of thirteen and eighteen which found that “one in four people say that they worry about their body image.”
It is notable that within this superficial age, that according to the Medical News Centre that, since the boom of reality television in in 2000’s the concern of eating disorders in girls aged between thirteen and nineteen have almost tripled. Many television stars are meant to embody the quintessential beauty ideal, causing a severe drop in teenagers’ self-confidence as they subconsciously digest and internalise the images presented to them. It is increasingly more apparent that reality television has been hit with an abundance of scrutiny due to embodying these types of issues and abandoning any potential opportunity for a form of female empowerment, which should be at the forefront of a proposal to represent any type of woman in the modern world. The continuing problem with these programmes is that they are frequently portrayed as authentic , where as many of them are altered in a multitude of false pretences, purely for entertainment in order to engage a depleting audience. This causes a legion of complications, especially considering many teens have been altering their appearances and ‘beliefs’ drastically to ‘mould’ themselves into these lifestyles which more often than not are based solely on a consumers perception of an ideal.
We look towards the dawn of the modern world through the mediums of magazines and social media to find an image to model ourselves on and influence us; shaping and altering our perspectives as to what is considered ‘right’ and ‘wrong.’ Contradictory to perspectives of the fame hungry ‘socialites’ who flood our newsfeeds and timelines with their frequent and often scandalous attempts of self-promotion. The battle for the removal of these social media sensations has been in the process of construction for a long period of time, however, the emergence and uproar set in motion by body positivity activists have now begun to take the internet by storm. The astounding and revolutionary ‘I weigh’ campaign and page created by Jameela Jamil has allowed for the progressive mindset to be spread throughout the social media world, which is gradually extending itself to the young girls who need it most. Her most notable and recent action was in regard to counteracting and responding to the promotion of the Kardashians weight loss tea. Tweeting that ‘tweeting that the Kardashian’s “pockets are lined with the blood and diarrhoea of teenage girls’ She has been able to draw upon her own experiences, stating on several occasions that as someone who, as a teen, was easily influenced by celebrities, Jamil urged the ‘Kardashian collective’ to be mindful of what they are promoting and profiting from. Viewers and fans may take these promotions too far, which could lead to dangerous effects.
The secular nature of our society is constantly transpiring and adapting, fusing together different cultures, ethnicities and beliefs, which can be positively shared through online platforms. However, on e thing remains the same throughout all of this change: the need for more positive female roles is more apparent than ever an =d the ideals stemming from feminism prove that women are stronger together – helping to create the women of tomorrow, through the actions taken today.
Creative Non Fiction Writing at Reading 