Most parents are taking seriously their responsibility to raise their child well. Despite this parental effort, they are not the only ones who are raising their children. Unfortunately, the media has a huge influence on children’s minds which is impossible to avoid as the media are everywhere. Consider this campaign made by Dove which capably instigated the issue about the media has power over our children’s minds.
Adults, are likely to recognize what is good for them and what is bad, however, children are generally the most influenceable persons. Therefore, the media focus on this group as they see them as future customers, however, the media do not realize that their campaign can harm children’s lives!
This following video is another of Dove’s campaigns that shows how girls feel about the pressure on which is put on them by the media, about their appearance.
A girl just wants to be part of the group at school, however, the girl might face so many comments about her body. Most of the comments are insane, such as: “Either you too tall, too short, too skinny, too fat”.
In another video Jean Kilbourne is talking to young people about the media is misleading messages. Jean Kilbourne, since 1960, has studies is studying the connection between advertisements and public heath issues such as violence against women, eating disorders, addiction etc. Also she has launched a movement to promote media literacy.
Despite loving the media, we most likely do not realize how it influences our lived and mostly the women lives. As Jean Kilbourne said in the video: “we all grow up in the culture where women’s bodies are constantly turned into things and objects … it is the first step to justifying violence against their person … we see the same thing with racism, homophobia, terrorism… the person is dehumanized and violence then become inevitable”.
However, we do not see the message behind the advertisements. Generally we follow the media to reach an unrealistic female/male icon. Our generation is easily manipulated by the media who use our weakness to get the profit.
Besides, Dove’s campaign which first starts to present the ‘Real Beauty’, the campaign also increased Dave’s sales. On 29 July 2004, The Guardian wrote that Dove’s sales increased by 700% and Dove’s share in the lotion market increased from 1% to 6%. Meanwhile, Dove’s campaign presents the ‘Real Beauty’ and increases their sales, in 2008, Greenpeace presented that Dove is one of the main consumers of palm oil that leads to deforestation, mostly in Indonesia. On 9 January 2009, Greenpeace wrote that after their campaign, which brought massive public debate, Dove has started to act against the deforestation, however, as Greenpeace said, it is a long process.
Anyway everything has their pros and cons, the main message of this blog is to give you these 3 questions to consider:
- For how long will the media be allowed to bombard us with their unrealistic message without any public concern?
- How much time and money do we need to spend to try to reach the unrealistic media’s women icon to realize that it is an absurd battle?
- How many girls and women have to die to make our society act?
Sources:
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/jul/29/marketingandpr.advertising1
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/forests/asia-pacific/dove-palmoil-action/
Media in charge 
Feel free to write a comment here.
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Referring back to the first question you considered us to ask ourselves “For how long will the media be allowed to bombard us with their unrealistic message without any public concern?”, I ask myself the same exact question. From my point of view, there is a solution to every problem. In this particular situation, the solution may be a bit difficult mainly because the media affects us women in a negative way while it positively benefits the economy. This is a huge concern that many are afraid to speak out on mainly because its feeding these companies around the world that are starving for a positive economical change.
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that’s right, profit hunger of most companies putting the social influence of media on the side. For instead, the cigarette industry trying to influence children since they are small as they know they will be later will be bringing their profit higher.
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The media is the main reason why we have a lot of young girls with eating disorder and bullying issues and high suicide rated. The portrays this ideology that we have to look a certain way and have a certain look or skin colour or we are not pretty enough. I believe this issue is all around the world and it doesn’t seem like it’s getting any better.
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I think in this society today, with all the photo shopping, dieting and media promoting the ‘perfect woman’ it really damaging the young girls that are growing up, they are striving to look like what the media tells you to look like and this is causing girls to become ill with anorexia and bulimia, im sure it could also lead to depression and low self esteem. Things need to change but the problem is that the media is a very powerful thing to be able to change. We need the backing from celebrities that are used in the media like Kate Winslet to stand up for us but many more need to come forward. We also need to make sure the next generation of girls are educated in knowing that the media Is not representing women in the correct way.
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that is very good point, the celebrity should step up with models against any odd advertisme to push companies to present the reality. Also the education need to bring to school and adults as all society like advertisments unrealistic icon of woman/ man. Such as if a sexy woman/ man presents a product this advertisment will bring increase in sales than a ordinary woman/man.
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It is very scary to see how media affects children life and how true is it when we say that it is part of their education. Children watch TV, advertisement and believe what they see. That is how to make stereotypes worse.
very young girl are touched by the fact of having a skinny body or to look like a model and these stereotypes are present in school! They don’t have friend because she is not thin and that is horrible ! We have to put more control on it.
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defiantly the government should step in and prepare apilicy about the media and cut their freedom as they are one of institutions that teach our children. it is weird that EU care about what kind of chopping board is use in every restaurant a cross the EU but don’t care how the media presenting woman/man.
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