Self-Image final project

Arianny Espinal, Self-Image 2017

          Whether you are out with friends or even at home, a person’s self-image is one of the most important things. People’s image affects the way in which we apprehend ourselves and each other. Society affects their self-images. We have an image of the perfect body which affects how we look at ourselves. Self- image isn’t something a person is born with. Self- image are numbers of self-impressions that are built up over a period. A group of elements influences these impressions. I believe three of the most influential elements are self- esteem, significant others, and the media. Most young Americans have problems with their self- image because of the media. Self- esteem is the part of self-image that involves evaluations of one’s self- worth. Most people have a distorted view of their self- image. Self- esteem plays a huge factor in this. Depending on your outlook on life a person can have high or low self- esteem. Most people with low self- esteem judge themselves against unreasonable standards. They try to live up to societies expectations. Conforming to what society says is right, making it difficult to find one’s self as an individual.
          For my project, I used an image of what media considers “the perfect body”.  I used many words that are used every day to describe women. We are often being called beautiful, ugly, fat, sexy, etc. We are also often told how to act, how to look, simply how to be someone we are not. No matter how many compliments we receive we will always be insecure about ourselves because there will always be the negative comments which affect us the most. 

          My project was inspired by Jon Berger because of his understanding of the male gaze. Because of the objective portrayal of women in the media and advertisement, some women view themselves as objects and start feeling less attractive. People’s opinions can affect how a woman views her appearance. Media portrays the ideal body image. The people most often portrayed and affected by these messages are young women. Females can feel pressure to live up to these ideals which are most often unattainable. Companies such as Revlon, Cover Girl, Maybelline, L’Oreal insist that girls must look a certain way if they want to be anything. They take no responsibility for the negative image that they portray. The worse self-image a woman has, the more beauty products she will buy to try and “improve” her looks. And there is no better way to make her think she is ugly than to subject her to thousands of unrealistic, airbrushed pictures of models to compare herself to.