The Perception of Ideal Body Through Media

Ever since our existence on Earth, we humans have been attempting to grasp the fickle concept of what the perfect human body is like. It is not just limited to how we appear physically but rather how our bodies are read according to their nature in social contexts. What we perceive as the ideal human body has changed immensely over the centuries and has been greatly influenced by external factors, such as the media. Laying out standards, the media puts individuals under great pressure to fit in, not only to achieve success in careers but also to establish social privilege and connections. We tend to hold so much importance on the ideals established by media to society that it influences the way in which how others and we perceive ourselves to be. Consequently, I will be focusing on judgements other individuals and I come to regarding certain characteristics of my body, by what means ideal body judgements develop through media, and how specific groups in society benefit socially and professionally by adapting to the imposed concept of the ideal body.

Raised in a fairly traditional Sikh family, I was always taught to consider and value the opinions of others, so hearing the phrase “What will people think? ” became something I grew accustomed to hearing. Taught to hold much importance in the judgements of others, approval for the way in which I present myself became a priority. Following societal expectations regarding how I present my body and masking who I truly am, unfortunately, became something I felt inclined to do in order to feel content in society. Reflecting on my body, I recognize myself as a shy individual who constantly indulges in the latest beauty trends, thus holding much pride and significance in my physical appearance. Accordingly, those around me would agree that in most cases I always look “presentable”, although based on my body language and how I move in different social context, they do notice that I lack confidence, which is unfortunately true. In many cases, I find myself saying that I am not good enough considering I do not meet the societal expectations when it comes to the ideal body. Nonetheless, I am an agent in my own life, and I have the ability and freedom to make my own choices, choices that include how I dress and the way I move my body in the social context. However, media, the structure in my life, constricts my power to act. The freedom to portray my body how I wish is influenced by ideals imposed about the perfect human body and the significance of approval from others. Granting all this, society and I fail to realize that instead of accepting the structure for what it is and what it imposes, we are capable of changing the structure by establishing that we must be content with ourselves and not base our judgements upon ideals tied to us by society.

In addition, when looking at such perceptions of the ideal body through media a common question we as thinking beings ask is, how did this all begin? Well, what counts as the normal body has been around for centuries and changed a great deal. The issue with this is that individuals, including myself, have all developed our own interpretations of what the ideal male or female should look like, which is why we as a population are prone to stick to preconceived ideas correlating to social norms considering we may not all agree with each other. For instance, Marilyn Monroe was looked upon from the 1940’s to 50’s when it came to the perfect body. Presently, for females, the perfect body consists of an athletic build, perfect facial features, and flawless hair; we have attached meaning to the terminology of the “ideal” or “perfect” body. When we compare what the perfect body in today’s century, a toned physique, to the era of Marilyn Monroe, a more full-figure, it is easy to recognize the presence of social construction, considering that the concept of the perfect body has changed. Through social media platforms, Instagram specifically, altered selfies and full body images have misrepresented the understanding of what a healthy body should look like for males and females, intersecting with the symbolic dimension. The symbolic dimension in the media has made it increasingly difficult for individuals to maintain the constantly changing, perceived minimum beauty standards by creating stereotypes of feminine and masculine attributes. In other words, the media has developed a lens that impacts the way we look out into the world, a paradigm that guides our actions in the way that we present our bodies.

In the social and professional context, the body is seen as a point of entrance when it comes to opportunities and privileges. The sociological imagination predetermines positions we take on by social, economic and political forces, and the body is where the activation of the sociological imagination occurs. To analyze, the sociological imagination benefits specific groups by assessing the positions these individuals occupy socially and economically. It serves as an advantage for them in their careers and relationships with society according to their ability to adapt to the norms of the ideal body, thus intersecting with the institutional dimension of oppression. The institutional dimension of oppression focuses on how school, businesses, workplace, and government agencies claim equal access of equal opportunities for all, when in reality it is clear that distinct groups of individuals benefit more than others. For instance, it has been observed that individuals with a lean physique, males, in particular, are more inclined to secure a job of higher-ranking, additionally; they are likely to be more socially privileged and receive significantly more social opportunities. In today’s society, the body is a key instrument in determining the success of individuals throughout their career and social life.

Taking everything into account, the media and society associate the human body with the physical appearance, when it is not limited to just that but rather what we do with our bodies, and how our bodies are interpreted. Although, we as individuals prefer not to disturb the structure, allowing social factors such as media to not only limit our choices but restricting the freedom to choose regarding our bodies. We value the ideals media establishes to society so much so that it begins to influence the way in which we see ourselves and how we want others to see us. With these ideals imposed by media to society, it becomes easy to blame society seeing that society does not have a face to it, but we fail to comprehend that we are society and that our words and actions create society. Having said all that, despite our efforts in keeping up with societal expectation with regard to the human body to please others, we will never truly be content with ourselves or feel a sense of belonging in society until we focus on our own growth and who we personally would like to achieve to be.