In 2016, the mayor of London banned a dietary and weight loss advertisement that had run on various media platforms from the United States to the UK (American Broadcasting Company, 2016). In London, the advertisement was presented on buses and trains and it contained a lady dressed in a yellow bikini with the caption “Are you beach body ready?” the ad portrayed and unrealistic body image for many young women across the world and many people in London voiced their complaints against it, terming it unrealistic and calling for its removal (American Broadcasting Company, 2016). The mayor instructed the involved ad companies to bring it down and instructed that they would not allow such ads to run in its media platforms in the near future.
The advertisement provided a certain level of beauty or social acceptance that made me feel pressured to achieve such an image just to fit into a society with immense demands for how an individual looks. I do not look like the model used in the advertisement and she looks good and beautiful. The advertisement makes me feel less good looking as I cannot measure to the level of the model used. To a certain extent, it elicits particular pressure in me to lose some weight just to fit in the image she is portraying and feel good about how I look. Currently I would not feel comfortable wearing any swim wear as I have parts of me that I feel people do not have to see unlike the model who is willing to show herself to the world.
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As it is the advertisement could make a child or an adolescent feel that they need to emulate the model’s image and size thus resorting to eating disorders to achieve this look (Dakanalis & Riva, 2013). Eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa will force a child or adolescent to engage in maladaptive eating habits just to lose weight and look like the model who is appreciated by society through her image being advertised on various media platforms (Keel & Forney, 2013). Such are the images portrayed by media across the world, making young individuals develop negative self-images while trying to achieve society’s description of looking good or being beautiful. They often view weight loss as the only option thus resorting to eating disorders that risk their overall well-being.
References
American Broadcasting Company. (2016). Body-Shaming Ads Banned in London. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouCYRhC6SIg
Dakanalis, A., & Riva, G. (2013). Mass media, body image and eating disturbances: The underlying mechanism through the lens of the objectification theory. Body image: Gender differences, sociocultural influences and health implications , 217-36.
Keel, P. K., & Forney, K. J. (2013). Psychosocial risk factors for eating disorders. International Journal of Eating Disorders , 46 (5), 433-439.
