Social Identities, Gender and Beauty Ideals

Social Identities, Gender and Beauty Ideals
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Social identities:
Body size
Body size is one of the social identities common in the US media representation, with the ideal women webbing slim and men with muscles and who are physically fit. There is greater attention to female body types and images that sometimes there are attempts to alter body shapes. Even though there has been a focus on a more realistic depiction of women and the danger of “fat shaming,” the media still portrays slim and model-like women as the ideal body type.
 Even as there is increased focus on buxom and curvaceous women, female desirability and attractiveness is still linked to the slim-body type. The ideal body types for both men and women are associated with physical attractiveness, but there is greater scrutiny and attention on women’s body sizes than men’s sizes. This is not a surprise as women’s bodies get evaluated and sexualized more often than men’s bodies, and body size is one way to assess whether women are desirable. The male and female body image is apparent in television and movies where characters who reflect the ideal image type tend to have positive characters and more likely to be the main characters.  
Ethnicity
Another identity in the US is ethnicity, and mainstream middle-class white society is overrepresented in the media. Those who have hyphenated identities often have dual identities reflecting their American and another identity. Even in reports, media reporters tend to victims or perpetrators of crime are identified by ethnicity. The question of who is a real American is an emotive one. Those with an American background are often seen as not American enough ethnicity is often closely tied with race and origin. For instance, the U.S. Black population is increasing, partly because of immigrants fr...