entertainment industry
The concept of beauty has become a controversial topic in the entertainment sector, becoming a popular debate topic. The question of what beauty is varies with different countries. Many societies believe that beauty is subjective; for an individual to be regarded as beautiful depends on the person perceiving him. The beauty standards incorporate outstanding features such as having a slender body, narrow shoulders, asymmetrical face, and high waist. Since the dawn of time, our societies have been obsessed with beauty. This fixation is incredibly destructive to a person’s self-esteem and body image. Imperfections such as excess body fat and having scars on the body are scorned by many media departments, including the entertainment industry. Beauty is something that nearly every youth wants to achieve. Therefore, the standards of beauty set by the entertainment industry negatively impact the lives of the children, especially when they have to try anything necessary to fit in the Industry.
The entertainment industry has created unrealistic standards in the lives of young people. Issues of eating disorders, steroid use, and plastic surgery have significantly increased among teenagers trying to attain beauty standards. This is because the beauty ideal emphasizes body thinness. The entertainment field sends numerous mixed messages about being a beautiful girl. Women acting in this Industry are assigned different roles with one thing in common, having a thin body. Although women’s average weight has increased, most women actors in the entertainment industry have remained slender. This finding makes the teenagers intending to become actresses try all their means to lose weight. Some of the common ways they are likely to engage are through exercising or changing their diets. Poor eating disorders may lead to cases of starvation among the youths. The entertainment industry standards of beauty put teenagers at the risks associated with cosmetics use. Cosmetics can be destructive to a person’s body, especially if they have sensitive skin. For instance, the use of colored contacts damages someone’s eyes. Teenagers have been looking to Botox injections and plastic surgery to improve their physical looks. These options have proven to have harmful side effects that are considered deadly in some cases. In cases where teenagers cannot achieve the desired body image, they have problems with self-confidence (Afful et al., pg454). Youths should be aware that self-confidence must begin from within and not from their outward physical appearances. The beauty standards in the entertainment industry have made teenagers lack confidence in their body images as they struggle to get validation on has a perfect body shape.
Teenagers suffer from psychological stress trying to comply with the standards of beauty outlined by the entertainment industry. For the youths struggling with low self-esteem, self-satisfaction, and feelings of success towards achieving the desired weight, they suffer from feelings of anxiety and deprecation if the sense of accomplishment does not occur. Most teenagers suffer from bullying from their fellows who have succeeded in obtaining validation of having a perfect body image. Feelings of stress and low confidence can lead to cases of depression and poor eating habits. This psychological stress causes mental disorders such as Anorexia and Bulimia caused by a variety of mental conditions. Teenagers who have those mental conditions either overeat or starve, to make them fit. They usually adhere to strict diets that, in most cases, do not meet the dietary requirements. Psychological stress causes harm to an individual’s general wellbeing, sometimes leading to suicidal thoughts when not addressed (Levine et al., pg39)
The pressure to achieving the ideal form of beauty by the entertainment industry has affected young people. This has resulted in an influx of insecurity and self-confidence, and low esteem among the young people leading to the rise of eating disorders and mental conditions (Santarossa et al., pg3). Removing the Industry would not be the best way to solve these issues, but changing the young people’s mindsets and the industries’ perception of what physical beauty entails. There is a need to change the beauty standards. The rules on how to be pretty should be revised to accommodate all body shapes and sexual orientations. It is difficult to explain the concept of beauty based on a specific idea. The definition should show its diversity. The beauty standards should allow people to feel comfortable with their body structure. This can help teenagers be satisfied with their bodies instead of looking up for validation from the celebrities they idolize in the entertainment industry.
In conclusion, the entertainment industry sets higher beauty standards for both men and women. The beauty standards have a stronger influence on young people’s self-esteem, affect their psychological well-being, and lead to poor eating disorders. Young people taint their self-images with those of the unrealistic supermodels in the films.