Women and the Media Essay

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The 1920s were a revolutionizing decade in which women flourished from housewives to being independent when the 19th amendment was finally passed and endorsed by congress. The 20s produced a new generation of women who were at liberty to get bob length haircuts, smoke Camels, and skip the housewife role if they chose to do so. It seemed as if the United States finally live up to its name as “the land of the free,” where women were allowed to vote, followed by a significant increase in the number of college degrees earned by women and women advancing in the workforce. Decades later, instead of women struggling for equal rights, a new mentality has been set upon women that is yet another barrier within gender in our society. According to …show more content…
Weight-discrimination the media is contributing to why women constantly feel obsessed about maintaining a certain weight and look.
Not only do magazines glorify the image of a skinny woman, but also highlight that to be on a magazine cover, stretch marks, pores, wrinkles, scars, acne, and everything else that are characteristics of realistic woman are unacceptable. Take actress Gabourey Sidibeon for example: Sidibeon is widely known for her role in the award-winning film Precious, in which she portrayed an overweight dark-skinned teenage girl. The Oscar-nominated actress was then asked to appear on Elle, although Elle magazine is not as exclusive as Vogue (in which there have been only 5 black women to ever appear on a cover of Vogue,) yet it was a major achievement to have a woman over a size 16 on a magazine cover, whether black or white. When the October issue finally hit the magazine stands, there was the image of a light-skinned girl that resembled nothing close to Sidibeon’s natural skin color. The alteration of Sidibeon’s skin color demonstrates that no matter how much a woman has achieved or how many barriers she has had to overcome, If she does not meet the beauty standards, she will not be accepted for who she truly is. The media also continues to discretely promote the notion that even in today’s society, the role of a woman

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