Females and the Role of Media

    The three articles that I chose to examine the role of media are all similar. They all connect media to the manipulation and exploitation of women and children. The media today advertises using beautiful, young, skinny women who are sexy and desirable. Many females strive to reach this ‘perfection’ themselves. They purchase products that are popular or that will make them look or feel younger. These women are buying into the advertising scam. The same goes for young children. Commercials during programs send messages to kids about what toys or foods they need to have in order to be cool and happy. The idea is that these kids will push their parents to buy the products for them. The media constantly works to push every individual into a situation where they feel with that a certain product that they will become better or prettier or cooler people.
    The difference between the articles lies in the targeted demographics. Media targets certain gender and age groups when creating ads. In two of the three articles this demographic were females. Young and old, girls and women are constantly bombarded with images of the ideal women or the idea of sexuality. Not only have ads created these images, celebrities also play into these roles. The example of Britney Spears is used to show how different images will sell.
    The article that is different from the two female related articles focuses on children. Media even targets children in hopes that they will become consumers at a young age.
    I feel that the topic of females in media is very large. Ads everywhere constantly show beautiful women in provocative situations promoting products. I am concerned with how young girls interpret this image. Girls can be easily influenced. What messages are they receiving when they see images of women baring it all? We need to be conscious of how the media’s ads and campaigns messages are being portrayed. I believe that the media needs to focus more on the ‘real women’, not the ‘ultimate women’.
    I chose this topic because I feel it is very relevant in today’s society. Being female myself, I am aware of the ads and commercials that are being presented to women. They all combine to create a message and idea that ‘the way you are is not that great so purchase this product and you’ll get better’. I feel that the value of the person needs to be stressed in order to make sure that females around the world realize that they are perfect just the way they are.
    Overall these three articles provide examples of how the media is able to become part of our lives and our thinking. They surround us, providing constant information of how to improve ourselves. I believe that if the media focused more on accepting oneself rather than trying to become the next Barbie, more females would realize that independence and uniqueness are important and that you should always be true to yourself.