Another source which talks about Advertisement and Consumer’s self esteem issue is The Balance Careers.
According to Paul Suggett, the author of this article, Body Image and Advertisement has for the past 20-30 years experienced some strong correlation between these two elements .
Body Image Statistics
Here are some statistics from Joel Miller’s article on media and body image that may be shocking to read:
- On average, most models weigh 23% less than the average woman. Twenty years ago, this difference was a mere 8%.
- Problems with eating disorders have increased over 400% since 1970.
- Only 5% of US women fit the body type popularly portrayed in today’s advertising.
- 69% percent of girls concurred that models found in magazines had a major influence on their concept of what a perfect body shape should look like.
So what can be done?
As stated by The Balance Careers, we can see some brands fighting for the real beauty, they could try hard as much they can, but giant brands and advertisers will not change if the public remains voting for it with their money. Until the public will respond more positively and accept images of real people, very little is going to change. What might help is that people can put pressure on brands to represent us in more realistic ways, especially by calling it out on social media. Of course, we should do whatever we can to educate children and young adults that advertising is not a reflection of what we should be but a convenient fantasy designed to sell something.
The Impact of Body Image Advertising
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/the-impact-of-advertising-on-body-image-4151839