“Only 4% of Women Worldwide Consider Themselves Beautiful”

This post is in response to: "Credibility, Gender and the Media" - http://christianityandpopularculture.blogspot.ca/2012/03/credibility-gender-and-media.html

The issue of gender and women’s credibility is one that needs serious consideration. As you have mentioned, young girls are being bombarded with negative stereotypes. Women are lacking in “credible” positions like news castors or politicians, and when they are in the media, women are often stereotyped as dumb, superficial, annoying, and dependent. Furthermore, the media places great importance on their appearance and the “perfect body”. Essentially, the media tells girls they will simply never be good enough. The only chance people will ever take them seriously is if they are beautiful, but how many girls actually consider themselves beautiful?

In a new global survey by Dove, they found that by age fourteen, 55% of girls are critical about their appearance: “By the time they are 29, this number increases to 96%. After the age of 14 girls increasingly become their own worst beauty critic. While only 10% of girls 10-14 put pressure on themselves to be beautiful, this number climbs to 59% of women 18-64.”   (http://www.dove.ca/en/Article/Surprising-Self-Esteem-Statistics.aspx)

As a result of the media’s portrayal of women, girls are having self-esteem issues. These self-esteem issues are creating a negative impact on their overall health. Many girls and women alike suffer from eating disorders. These diseases would be the extreme result of low self-esteem, however it is extremely hard to come across even one girl who is not self-conscious about some part of their body. This is an issue that speaks to a large majority of the world.

However, I have seen some effort by clothing companies like Levi’s, in promoting natural figures. Levi’s has put forward a new wave of women’s jeans called Curve ID, that fit more than just the ‘size-zero’ body. The Levi’s Curve ID slogans include: “Jeans for Us,” “All Asses Were Not Created Equal,” and “Hotness Comes in All Shapes and Sizes.” The issue still remains that Levi’s’ main advertisements feature thin models, but the door has become somewhat open to fuller-figured girls.