What The Media Gets Wrong About Body Image

We've all heard it time and time again; the figures in magazines/ movies/ modelling aren't real.

They're altered, adjusted, and transformed to be more slender and tanned; to be, by society's definition, "more beautiful.”

Lately, more and more articles and social media posts have called out mainstream media for the lack of diverse representation in their public figures, but the problem is we're just not seeing enough results.

The majority of models on magazine covers are still size zeros while actors and actresses are still constantly being told to slim down or buff up to for their roles.

While the media as a whole has progressed in the last ten years to be more diverse, mainstream media is still dominated predominantly by thin white men and women. In fact, we've entered a new age of how we view the world, and it's largely through social media. Young girls are no longer looking up to the women in magazines; they're looking up to the young women who dominate Instagram. 'Likes', however, are a whole new way to criticise the way we look.

So, what exactly does the media get wrong about body image? It tells us that the chubby men and women are only there for comedic relief. It tells us that models like Iskra Lawrence and Ashley Graham - even if they're on the cover of Sports Illustrated - are 'plus size' even though they represent the average weight of women. It tells us that white women are more beautiful because approximately only 30 per cent of the models on New York catwalks are women of colour. It tells us that not being skinny is bad by advertisements for weight loss using words like "perfect" and "ideal body". It tells us that the more push-ups men can do, the more women they can attract. And it tells us that we need to strive for perfection because celebrities are so harshly scrutinised for being flawed.

Despite there being numerous public figures out there using their platform to discuss body image and promote body positivity, mainstream media still hasn't changed enough to represent bodies of all shapes and colours. That change will come when the fashion industry stops using the term "plus size" and when seeing more than one person of colour in leading roles in a single TV show or movie isn't regarded as edgy or controversial.

As they say, "be the change you want to see in the world." So, start spreading that body positivity and never be afraid to be yourself. There is no wrong way to have a body.

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Photo: Sports Illustrated.