The Power of Beauty Lies in Education

The messages displayed through advertisements are clearly powerful. The media plays a major role in influencing all individuals, Jean Kilbourne gives various examples, "Advertisement is an over $130 billion a year industry and affects all of us throughout our lives". The media is in our everyday lives, everywhere we look their is some form of media being displayed. I believe that the problem begins in early childhood. The media is helping parents raise their children, regardless of the family structure. Children learn from their environment and others which also have a great influence within their actions.

Certain communities have greater advantages/disadvantages then others. The children that are mostly exposed to negativities are victims because the advertisements that surrounds them never tend to be positive "But the ads sell a great deal more than products. They sell values, images and concepts of success and worth, love and sexuality, popularity and normalcy. They tell us who we should be. Sometimes they sell addictions." how ironic is this? But sadly it is reality. This is when insecurity begins, sexism, racism, what is acceptable and unacceptable, ideas are embezzle about what is "true" beauty. Kilbourne touches on many points on how the media impacts people's lives, especially adolescents.

Children are innocent and communication is crucial. Young girls and women are one of the biggest target and this would be one way to fight these demons that haunt so many including adults overall. Solutions to this madness would be to start targeting children at an early age.

For starters a great place to begin in aside from the home would be within the school system. A requirement within the school system should be a strategic plan that includes motivational speakers throughout the year that would address the importance of self worth and education. These speak outs should occur during assembly's and parent teacher conferences. This would be a way to help certain parents become much more engage. Equal distribution of funding and school supplies. This would help less disadvantage children become academically stronger and encourage them to become independent and critical thinkers. This should be implemented all the way through middle and high school.

Children growing up in low income communities are facing much more disadvantages therefore it is key for them to be taught from early childhood the importance of education the outcome would be tremendous, this creates options and opportunities.

How do we explain to our society that being different is OK? A solution to help target the teens would be with effective television specials. Network such as BET and MTV should air educational debates, because these networks caters to the young adolescents. Magazines should be forced to have a range of articles and pictures that focuses on education and self worth. A variety of different young girls should be portrayed and indicate how everyone is beautiful, and to also eliminate the emphasis on being slim. Eating disorders is a huge problem among young girls and women. Education is a way of raising awareness and reconstructing ideas and values.

Low income neighborhoods should only have ads that post messages about the importance of education and going to college. The same should apply within the subways and buss ads.

Networks need to air educational commercials that emphasizes on school. All public schools need to implement a school uniform and consequence should apply to violators of the school dress code. For the parents that can not afford to make purchases then the state would need to implement funding. If there is money for war then there needs to be funding for the children. This should be enforced all the way until high school graduation. This would also eliminate competition and popularity contest,"Most teenagers are sensitive to peer pressure and find it difficult to resist or even question the dominant cultural messages perpetuated and reinforced by the media." Positivity equals to great results. All public school should have a fitness room. Better quality meals need to be served in all public schools. A full range of after school programs need to be established with all communities and school districts.

Racism and sexism has an extensive history within our society and only through education, changes, opportunities and awareness would lead the way on creating a pathway that is still blocked for many that have been robbed of their rights. Women have so many battles to tackle, "All "beautiful" women in advertisements (including minority women), regardless of product or audience, conform to this norm. Women are constantly exhorted to emulate this ideal, to feel ashamed and guilty if they fail, and to feel that their desirability and lovability are contingent upon physical perfection." Perfection those not exist and educating girls and women will help them in becoming empower. It will also help them shy away from this notion of being "sex objects" and allowed them expose themselves in a pleasing and positive image.

Many women have been oppress for many decades. The pressure they have felt is partly due to the expectation displayed by the media in addition to the lack of resource and independence. She is expected to do it all and be flawless as mentioned by Kilbourne. Generally women tend to their husbands and children setting themselves last.

I can not stress it enough but to reinforce that through constant positive communication would be the most accurate and effective way in influencing and mobilizing individuals especially young girls and women. I believe that communication, knowledge and education go hand in hand. Resource needs to be available to all social groups. Once individuals have been expose to a solid foundation then the layers would fall into place. It begins at early childhood in my opinion.



Alexa Perez
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