Thursday 2 May 2013

Body image in the media


Being a huge Britney fan, I pretty much check every publication everyday to see what they're saying about her and what's going on in her life. So when I read this article by the Daily Mail, I was outraged. They attacked Britney Spears' cellulite. They said: "The star displayed her unsightly orange peel thighs as she arrived at the gym." The headline was referred to Britney's shorts as "unflattering" as if she shouldn't be wearing them because in bad light, she gets a little bit of cellulite. First of all, there's nothing wrong with cellulite. I can guarantee that every single woman out there has it. Secondly, Britney is a mother of two. Cellulite pretty much comes along with motherhood and just because she's a huge star, it doesn't make her exempt. She's a normal woman. Now obviously I wasn't happy because saying bad things about Britney is something I just don't understand but the thing that worried me the most is the message they the publication was sending out to young girls. This isn't the first time that the Daily Mail have attacked Britney's body either. 

Back in 2009 - to name just one example, there have been many - in this article the publication referred to Britney as "Bulky Spears" and then proceeded to say: "As Britney returns to the stage after five years is she a bigger star than ever?" The pictures above are the pictures that they displayed with the article to show how "fat" Britney had become. They said: "She may have just been trying to find the right costume to flatter what is a rather fuller figure these days." In those images above, there is no fuller figure. And in my opinion, in 2009 Britney's body was at its best. By saying that Britney is fat and "bigger" and then showing images of her being a little skinny minnie is awful. What sort of a message does that send out to insecure young girls? I've never been one to agree with the people who say that the media are held responsible for insecurities but witnessing things like this is pretty distressing. They could have easily have changed the focus of the cellulite article by saying, "Hey, look! Even Britney Spears gets a little cellulite when the sun is not at its most flattering angle." But instead, the article was posted in a negative light by saying that cellulite is wrong. The media has a responsibility of being the public's watchdog. They're there to inform us on what's happening in the world. They're not there to put insecurities into our brain and I think that they should be a little bit more responsible when it comes to this. Back in 2011, Britney allowed the media to publish two un-airbrushed photos of her from her Candies photoshoot "in order to highlight the pressure exerted on women to look perfect." You can see these photos here. The media should follow in her footsteps.
What are your thoughts on the media's articles about body image? Do you think the Daily Mail were wrong in these two articles?
 xxx
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