The Media and how it shapes our views

The idea of this past reading was how the media has shaped how we view ourselves and our society. It is human nature to use the views of others to define our own views, at least in an early stage of development. Later on we may oppose these views, conform to or try and ignore these views. However, they always play their role.

When I was young I was obssessed with heros, well... I still sort of am. My first obsession was popeye, I used to eat cans of spinach while sitting in front of the television when I got home from kindergarten and my parents encouraged this because I was eating healthy. Throughout school I struggled to a degree with not being a bigger guy and when I was in high school and undergraduate college at purdue I got heavily involved with weight lifting and body building. Many people can not believe that the pictures of me at this age are actually of me, and that's because it required so much work just to pack on a few pounds of muscle, I am genetically not a large guy and if I am not in the gym for 3 hours a day I will wither away to my present size. In desperate moments I considered using steroids but thankfully I have a cousin who tried some and looks like a freak so it was never really an option for me. But, if anything can be said about this experience it is that I fully understand the negative affects the media can have on self image.

For many, like me, the consequences are not that serious. It is more of a right of passage we are all forced to walk through in a society which has no formal right of passage. We must struggle with our identity and how the media portarays people like us and decide what type of person we truely wish to be. Should we give into the pressures the media gives and become "masculine men" and "feminine women" and all that entials through the medias aka societies mind. Or do we break free and define ourselves through our own lens. Unfortunately many people never make it to the stage of self definition and they mold their lives off of this "ideal" image. Even worse still are those who are completely emotionally or physically destroyed by the unrealistic or misrepresentations the media portrays as ideal. I couldn't count how many girls I have known who have struggled through at least a minor eating disorder. (not that any eating disorder could ever be deemed truely "minor")

When it comes to racial stereotypes and the idea that there needs to be black princesses and white servents and all of that stuff I personally think that people who make a big deal about this and point out the lack of diversity are actually causing people to notice that all the princesses are white and servents are black. And when I really think about that, its not even true. I can think of so many examples where this is not the case. And the idea that we should adopt a person of every background for everyrole is just making an issue out of nothing. But, it doesn't really affect me too much so I will just continue to roll my eyes and shrug when someone ggets all bothered over cinderella being white and try not to point out that princess jasmine is persian and ciderella was also a white servent so what do they want? oh well, if it does bother someone then all my sympathy to them, but I believe that there was no malicous intention when they decided to color a girl one way or another and harm can only be taken if it is continually pointed out and we live in a world of diversity and there are tons of examples of that within the media when it comes to ethnicity. Beauty and gender roles are another matter, but I think they are slowly getting better. And its not like making a bunch of princesses fat would really help, thats not healthy either! The focus should be on helping children define themselves and being able to look objectively at the media.