Permanently Puncturing Self Esteem Not That Softly with a Hypodermic Needle

Thesis- The “Hypodermic Needle” in media is a main cause for women to have low self esteem, eating disorders, etc., which is exactly the message in “Killing Us Softly.”

The Cultivation Theory plays a part into what is the “Hypodermic Needle” by sifting the way a woman perceives herself inside and out. Images of waif-like women are burned into our heads by local, national, and global media everywhere. Girls growing up see these images of models, and their minds are cultivated to believe that that image is what is accepted. Sex sells, especially in a nation like the United States where men become bigger, better, and stronger faster.

I understand these two particular concepts because as a child, my mother was a fashion merchandiser. I grew up looking at magazines and imagining myself on the cover. As I got older, my body was always very thin so that was the least of my struggles. Many people would tell me I was too thin, but thinking back to the models I see in magazines, I thought I wasn't thin enough. I was so absorbed in magazines, especially in middle school, that I developed self-esteem issues as well as millions of other pre-teens across the globe. Now that I am almost an adult, I am smart enough to have a balanced diet and exercise to remain thin, although I can't say the current models don't make it difficult.

This is and was my favorite model as I became aware of my sexuality and my body type:

EQUALITY FOR ALL

The two documentaries' purposes were heightened when played back to back.  I completely agree with the expressed views that women are objects to society.  As much as I love magazines and advertisements, I do not agree with the exploitation and fabrication of the female body or like in "Tough Guise," the male body.  I hope that America will invest their attention realistically into advertisements.  I want to see everyday, ordinary people advertised.  A woman shouldn't look at a ad for her favorite jeans and cringe because she will never look the same as the waif-like model.  My view is basically synonymous to the women in the first documentary, except I thought she exaggerated a bit.  Although the ideas she obtained from some of the pictures were a stretch, she made an excellent point that women still have a way to go for total equality. Men on the other hand have no need for a search for equality.  They search for ways to trump other men in physique and attitude.  What opened my eyes was to see the Star Wars figurines drastically change from ordinary looking in the 1970s to ultimately not tangible in the 1990s.  I cannot stand the men in the world that only care about their appearance.  A perfect example of those men are featured in the reality show, "Jersey Shore."