Today and Yesterday: Beauty/Media's Influence by https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o Merissa Scalia GNED-1427 April 8, 2019 en-us 2019-04-08 11:57:52 UTC 2023-10-14 18:30:20 UTC hello@padlet.com Introduction merissa_scalia https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349445038 I have chosen concepts of beauty/the media’s influence because no matter what decade you grew up in, as a woman, there is always going to be expectations of how you are supposed to dress, put on makeup, and how your body is supposed to look. Beauty and the media have impacted my daily life. Growing up in a society where the media controls how you are supposed to look, is tough. Fads come and go, and I have felt the pressure to follow these trends. 
I have interviewed my mom, Maria, because about 20 years ago, she was a young adult, just like me. My mom is currently 48 and was about my age during the 1980’s. She is someone I looked up to while growing up for help about beauty. She has seen how beauty and the media’s impact on it has changed in the last 20 years and knows how negative it can be. 
]]> 2019-04-08 12:00:12 UTC https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349445038 Yesterday merissa_scalia https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349446134 Interviewee: My mother (48) was a teenager/young adult in the 80’s]]> 2019-04-08 12:03:50 UTC https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349446134 Interview Q & A's merissa_scalia https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349446497 What were the main beauty ideals when you were growing up?
-      Heavy makeup, polo shirts, preppy look, rocker look
-      Average weight 
-      Big hair, Lots of hair spray, perms
-      Aerobics 
-      A lot of girls dressed like Madonna 
-      Followed popstar trends 
 
When did you start wearing makeup? Why?
-      Grade 8
-      Add colour to face and to fit in
-      I felt like I had to wear it
 
How did celebrities/models look?
-      They were more natural 
-      Fuller eyebrows 
 
Did magazine covers portray women the same and/or differently than they do today?
-      Differently
-      No use of Photoshop because of lack of technology 
-      Average body types on magazine covers
 
Was plastic surgery popular?
-      Not really
 
How did boys impact how you looked?
-      Yes, wanted to look nice for boys. 
-      Did not judge for makeup but not dressing a certain way 
-      Did not like when girls did not wear makeup
 
Did you feel pressured to ‘look’ a certain way in order to fit society’s beauty ideals?
-      To dress a certain way
-      Very judgemental on how you were dressed
-      Liked fashion because wanted to fit in 
-      Being overweight was not seen a beautiful 
 
Do you see a big different in beauty standards today?
-      Yes, more pressure today.
-      Body has to be thinner
-      Never seen a size zero before
-      Makeup is more complex now
]]> 2019-04-08 12:05:06 UTC https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349446497 The 1980's merissa_scalia https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349447356 The 80’s were a time where women were able to express themselves and their style freely.The 1980's woman was a fresh faced "all Americangirl" with a wholesome figure.(Idealist Style, 2014) According to my mom, if you weren’t wearing makeup and dressing a certain way, you did not fit in well. Average body types were popular back then but Supermodels were beginning to make a statement. (Idealist Style, 2014) Models such as Cindy Crawford, Brooke Shields, and Naomi Campbell all made their name known in the 80’s. ]]> 2019-04-08 12:07:46 UTC https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349447356 The 1980's Continued. merissa_scalia https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349447465 The standards of beauty in the 80’s was not as extreme as they are today. Fitness and being fit were starting to make an appearance. Jane Fonda’s classic workout videos and aerobics were popular amongst the young women in the 80’s. (Idealist Style, 2014) Being a little muscular was acceptable and more and more women began to work out. “Even then, being overweight was not socially acceptable”, my mom had stated. You had to dress a certain way in order to fit in and my mom had to be interested in fashion so that she could fit in. ]]> 2019-04-08 12:08:04 UTC https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349447465 Today merissa_scalia https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349449071 Today’s society runs on the media’s beauty standards. Social media has a major impact on women and girls today. Women are more likely than men to use social media to view others. (Hogue and Mills, 2019)  As women, we have grown up in a society where we are forced to compare ourselves to other women. This can lead to a detrimental outcome. On social media, young adult women present idealized images of themselves. Consequently, women on social media likely see idealized images of their peers and compare themselves with these idealized images. (Hogue and Mills, 2019) 
Instagram models are the new "supermodels" of today. Like my mom mentioned, supermodels in the 1980's were becoming popular and influenced women. Instagram models are becoming that equivalent. However, they do not contain realistic body types. They have been known to use Photoshop, some thing that did not exist in the 1980's, in order to make themselves appear "better looking" or "flawless". David G. Schlundt, associate professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University, explained that because people tend to be hypercritical when it comes to their own images, social media can lead to heightened insecurities. "What other people see as unique or interesting features, we see as flaws in our appearance," he explained. (Fleming, 2017) As it was in the 80's, being overweight is still not fully acceptable, however, all shapes and sizes are becoming more often represented in the media. ]]> 2019-04-08 12:12:39 UTC https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349449071 Impact on my Life merissa_scalia https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349454102 There is a lot of pressure on women to look a certain way. We have to alter our appearances just so we can fit the standard of beauty that has been set for us. Wearing makeup, dying our hair, or even getting plastic surgery has all become a social norm for women. Instead of allowing us to be comfortable with who we are, we are forced to alter our natural beauty. 
My life today compared to my mom's, is somewhat similar, but different. There are still models paving the way of how women are supposed to look but there are also plus size supermodels. Curvier models, such as Ashley Graham, are being coming onto the scene. Today, I still want to dress, look, and act like Instagram models. However, I have learned that these models use images that are altered so that it is impossible to look anything like them. 
Social media has been the number one thing in my life that has caused body image issues. I see beautiful models on Instagram and I cannot help but feel overwhelmed.
I believe that in the future, in order to lessen women’s insecurities when it comes to unattainable beauty standards, that women of all shapes, sizes, and colours, should not put other women down, but bring them up. Photoshop should not be used to alter a women and there should be a more diverse representation of women in the media. I believe that the media and social media are the number one reason why women today struggle to see their real beauty. High profile celebrities, such as the Kardashian’s, have made it hard for women with less curvy body types to feel as though they fit in, while many celebrities make it hard for curvier women to feel accepted. I feel as though we are on a path where diversity is beginning to be used. We can try to eliminate beauty in the media, but it will never truly go away.
]]> 2019-04-08 12:26:21 UTC https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349454102 merissa_scalia https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349456322 Kim Kardashian has had a major impact on beauty and social media.
https://www.eonline.com/news/965081/kim-kardashian-denies-rumors-that-she-s-kiki-from-drake-s-in-my-feelings]]> 2019-04-08 12:31:31 UTC https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349456322 merissa_scalia https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349456978 Ashley Graham is changing how the media and its perception of beauty is seen.
https://www.facebook.com/theashleygraham/]]> 2019-04-08 12:33:03 UTC https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349456978 Works Cited merissa_scalia https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349457454 “BEAUTY IDEAL OVER THE DECADES Part 5 : THE 80's.” IDEALIST STYLE, www.idealiststyle.com/blog/beauty-ideal-over-the-decades-part-5-the-80s.
 
“Women: Representations in Advertising.” AdAge, 15 Sept. 2003, adage.com/article/adage-encyclopedia/women-representations-advertising/98938.

Fleming, Olivia, et al. “'Why Don't I Look Like Her?': How Instagram Is Ruining Our Self Esteem.” Cosmopolitan, 7 Oct. 2017, www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/a8601466/why-dont-i-look-like-her-how-instagram-is-ruining-our-self-esteem/.

“The Effects of Active Social Media Engagement with Peers on Body Image in Young Women.” Body Image, Elsevier, 12 Nov. 2018, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S174014451730517X.
 
 
]]> 2019-04-08 12:34:09 UTC https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349457454 Brooke Shields was one of the supermodels in the 80's, whose image was commonly copied by young women. merissa_scalia https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349459202 https://weheartit.com/entry/274618818]]> 2019-04-08 12:38:14 UTC https://padlet.com/merissa_scalia/pczjkopenc9o/wish/349459202