Body Image In The Media

Oh tell me about it...I weigh 189.5, perfect healthy body weight. I'm getting skinnier according to people, but I'm sorry, I still have a gut and well....slight moobs lol, and in this gay eat gay world (see what I did there? ) if I want a boyfriend...it seems almost like I have to go get liposuction and then steroids to bulk up to what is "hot" to guys. It's ridiculous. I mean personally I'd like that simply because it attracts me, and I'd like to be able to say, man I look good, but I feel like I shouldn't have to have that body to attract someone I'm not only attracted to their personality but them as well...(I'll admit I kinda want a guy who looks like Ryan Reynolds for example but that chance with how I look now is slim...:S)

 

You pretty much summed up how I feel.

 

^ Heh I'm both glad and sad that I'm not the only one...

 

I am also annoyed by unrealistic depictions of body image. I constantly run into women in various classes who think that only women are pressured into looking a certain way. I would say that both genders are highly pressured to look certain ways, and both face unrealistic expectations.

I think most of us face insecurities in our appearance at one point or another (I know I still do). This may sound cynical, but I am fairly sure that the media knows this and exploits it - people are much more likely to buy something if it offers the chance to be more secure about themselves. I know I've probably spent a fair amount on skincare and shaving stuff just to attain a certain image.

I think it would be hypocritical of me to say you shouldn't care about your appearance and that it doesn't matter at all, because I would say it does to a certain degree for most people. But if you're happy with who are and how you look, then you shouldn't have to change yourself. Maybe I'm being too idealistic, but good relationships usually seem to mean more than simply how hot your partner is.

 

I dont know if men are as pressured as women to look good, but we certainly cannot say we are not pressured at all. Thankfully, I am a person who is more pressure to look good by others around me than by a media made by people I do not know and do not care about the way I feel. There are many very attractive guys in my school (even though they are all straight as far as I know :-( ), and when I see then and think about how hot they are, I feel like I cannot compare to them with my lack of muscles and quite strange facial features. Of course, I can help myself by taking better care of my appearance, but as you all know, it takes time. I will never take steroids, and since I am not a sporty person, it really is pain in the ass to work out every day and then to control everything I eat in order for the exercises to have any effect. Sure, I would like to meet someone who cares and desires me the way I look right now, but then I would be hypocritical, because I DO care about appearance and should expect others to view the same thing in me. Even if I got a boyfriend whos like a greek god, I would sort of feel inferior compared to him in the looks department. If I managed to look as good as him, though... it would be heaven.

Did what I just say make any sense? lol

---------- Post added 25th Aug 2012 at 09:50 PM ----------

And by the way, what the OP said about "loser" characters looking good anyway happens to women as well. Just look at Carrie and many other high school movies and sitcoms. The nerdy girl is never really unnatractive, just a good looking actress who wears glasess and no make-up, with baggy clothing, and is treated like an ugly duckling when in real life she would be far from it. But of course, ugly people are not worthy of being portrayed on TV. At least this is what the people who sell the media to us seem to think.

 

The pressure for guys to looks good is something fairly new (maybe 20-30 year) so a lot of people aren't as concerned by it, but it is definitely an issue.

The trick is to to give into the whole game and understand what is going on. Its of course not easy to ignore the messages, but it is possible by surrounding yourself with the right kind of people.

Don't let them get to you

 

They do, but we still have standards....I know this is going to be so ridiculously shallow Praetor, but no matter how great his personality is...I'm not sure I'm going to date someone who looks like Quasimodo...I know how harsh that is because I loved Quasimodo....in Disney....which isn't really ugly in all honesty. But still, do you understand what I'm saying. Yes personality is important, you want a great guy who treats you right, but you're not going to be just attracted to their personality, you have to have some form of physical attraction.

---------- Post added 25th Aug 2012 at 10:57 PM ----------

America Ferrara as Ugly Betty anyone? lol

 

Well, I think its not very concerned because boys are conditioned from birth to never care about the way they feel about things, and never to complain. So even a guy feels like crap when he sees an add, he probably will never talk to his friends or family about it, while a girl who feels bad about her appearance will get her group of friends to discuss the issue, and maybe even create a feminist organization.

This is also one of the reasons why women live longer than men.

 

I talk to my friends about it.

Also Ginger, you did make sense with what you said. Personally though, for me I wouldn't care. To me if you allow yourself to feel inferior to the man when he is making sure you know how much he loves you for who you are, and the right type of man will make sure of that, then maybe you should look at your own self and what your problem is with yourself. Trust me, as you saw I'm not the most confident in my last post, but still if a boyfriend who looks amazing tells me I deserve him, or just makes me realize I am beautiful to him....I'd believe him. I know though for some it doesn't work the same way for everyone. So honestly I do also understand where you're coming from.

 

Revan: To elaborate a bit on what I meant, appearance is definitely a factor in a relationship, but it is not the core, limiting factor which decides whether a relationship works or not. I'd be lying to say I don't have "preferences", most people do. But even if the person in question is a perfect looking person who is exactly what I like, I'm not going to even bother with the person if their personality is non-existent or if they are dumb as a post.

 

I agree that both men and women face pressure to look a certain way, as depicted by the media.

It is absolutely ridiculous how TV portrays appearance. The "ugly" are usually just dressed oddly, yet have perfect skin and are physically fit. The "pretty" seem to have very tidy hair that is styled in every single appearance, which is just implausible (looks the same during the day, when waking up, for a sports game, etc).

That's why I like comedy shows, which seem to feature more people who look unconventional. I think of Bill Murray, Jonah Hill, Jack McBrayer, Heather Matarazzo, Roseanne Barr, and Kathy Griffin as successful actors who each look visibly unique.

Personally, I've had bad complexion since adolescence and I never see that on TV. Thank goodness for people like Bill Murray who admit to having skin issues in the past yet manage to succeed in a visual medium.

 

yes, it's beyond sad and it's even sadder that people feel the need to believe that crap.

 

Body image is something I struggled with for almost my entire life. Its only in the last few years that I felt better about how I look. What made it difficult for me when I was still in the closet is that the only gay guys I knew about were the perfect ones in the media and on TV. And I hated my body, thinking I would have to find a way to look like them before coming out. I had no idea gay guys could just be normal.

I think for some people, those images are very powerful and can dramatically affect their happiness. Especially those in the closet.

 

True. But I obviously just meant, you're not going to go after someone either with an amazing personality but is like a 1 on the attraction scale...

 

*cough* The Big Bang Theory *cough*

The guys in that show (no offence) aren't very attractive, but still do really well. Perhaps perceptions are starting to change?

 

Perhaps...yes. Leonard's kinda cute though.

 

Yeah, but not in an overwhelming way like Zac Efron (♥) or something. :eusa_danc

 

outside of the cartoon xman character, none of the bodies you showed are that hard to get if you really want to put the time and effort it.

you have to, however, do it for the right reasons. If you are doing it because you want to feel better about yourself, or live a healthier, longer life, that is a good reason to do it.

if you just want people to be attracted to you just for your body, thats kind of a bad reason to do it.