Fall 2017 Paper 2: Out-Of-Body Image Caroline Heldma

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Essay 2 Assignment
Paper 2 Rough Draft
EAD 1
Fall 2017
Both Men and women have preconceived images of the perfect self which society and the media have played a major role in conception. In “Out-of-body Image”, Caroline Heldman delves into the elusive subject of body image and self-objectification. She opines that people with low self-objectification have a great potential to excel as compared to their high self-objectification counterparts. Although she observes that self-objectification is largely a feminine phenomenon, Ted Spikers’ article, “How men really feel about their bodies” asserts that it’s equally a male problem. Although society has incessantly objectified women, men too, have and continue to suffer the same, even though undercover. Men too, are prominently and equally concerned about their body image just as women are. Ted argues that men’s quest for improved body looks are driven by the desire for confidence, great looks and good health (72). However, according to Heldman, what feeds women’s hunger for better looks is perhaps the media and society that have idolized women with skinny looks as the ‘ideal women’. In my opinion, beauty is relative, and setting predefined standards defies the rules of nature. However, i concur with both Heldman and Spiker that self-objectification has been magnified through digital media platforms, and particularly the social media. Heldman states that, “US residents are now exposed to 3000 to 5000 advertisements a day” (64). Now, more than ever, Americans are consuming the highest numbers of media images of perfect, ideal male and female body figures through social media. Ted states that men too are affected by self-objectification even though at a lower rate compared to their female counterpart. However, unlike women, men’s bodies are not linked to their self-worth (50). Although Heldman has explored different aspects of body image, her article falls short of portraying the dangers of self-objectification. Obsession with body image can be detrimental, as it can be linked to depression and even eating disorders. Heldman suggests that the notion of ideal body image is largely controlled by the world around us. What we consume daily about body image will ultimately begin to shape our self-perception. She estimates that Americans are exposed to a colossal amount of advertisements daily than the previous generation (50). Across mainstream media, internet and social media platforms, advertisements of products that use images of what society defines as ideal women are rampant. Although this cover girl images are often times fictitious and computer enhanced for optimal impact,...