Media and the American Girl

The media has traditionally portrayed girls and women as society’s ideal. This occurs most frequently in advertising, where extra thin and beautiful models are supposed to represent the norm of American society’s idea of beauty. This misrepresentation of the American girl has a detrimental effect on them, specifically, encouraging them to try to replicate these "ideal" beauties. Although this still happens in advertising, it used to also happen in other forms of media, such as television shows, magazine articles, and movies. Recently, however, this type of portrayal has become less commonplace as the entertainment industry and other forms of media shift their focus away from magnificent beauties to focusing on the average American girl.

News stories often feature disturbing articles about girls with eating disorders. Psychologists attribute this type of detrimental behavior to the outside influences such as advertisements. The glamorous cosmetics and fashion ads appealing to women generally feature anatomically-abnormal females that show society’s view of "the ideal woman." This portrayal gives girls a greater sense of self-consciousness, fearing that they are too fat and causing them to diet excessively in order to look like those deficient models. Additionally, advertising agencies often alter photographs of models with the aid of a computer, giving the image that they are perfect, without any scars, blemishes, wrinkles, or stretch marks. This also gives the average American girl a false sense of beauty, believing that being perfect is normal and having anything else is a sign of ugliness. Although some Americans know this to be false, this type of advertising has an unmistakably negative effect of the American girl.

Other forms of media used to be much the same way. In television, shows like Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, and soap operas feature vivacious and beautiful young women, supposedly representing "mainstream America." Much like advertising, however, even though we know not everyone in America looks like Heather Locklear, it still gives the false impression that American women should look like her. Recently, television has featured more "average" girls, allowing American girls to be able to identify with them better. Examples include shows like My So-Called Life and Daria. These shows follow the lives of average teenage women who seem like girls you might be able to find at your school. They aren’t glamorous or idealized, so that teenage girls can identify with these characters better. These shows have a more positive effect of American girls by letting them see other girls that are going through the same problems with friends, family, school, boys, and their own bodies.

The introduction of the internet as a source of information and entertainment has proved beneficial for the American girl. Numerous sites are dedicated to the support of them, and these sites allow girls to discover themselves and get a better perspective of their situation. The internet is also much more interactive than the other forms of media discussed earlier: movies, television, and advertising. It allows for girls to ask questions and chat with other girls who might be going through the same problems. This increased interactivity gives girls a place to turn to when they might feel like there is no where else to go. It also gives girls a greater sense of community. They can meet other girls from far away and form lasting friendships with them. For the most part, the internet is a positive influence on the American girl, and hopefully will continue to be through the next millennium.