Often it seems that one would think that the opportunity to sit back with their feet up on the couch while thumbing through a fashion magazine would be relaxing. I beg to differ It is with that thought that my anxieties rise and I"d rather have my fingernails plucked off! All of my adult life I have never found an ounce of comfort while reading or viewing this material. Instead, I find myself with doubt and questioning my own beauty, style and whether I am sexy enough. I admit that these feelings do stem from possible insecurities I have held most of my life, however the images that the advertisements and fashion models repeatedly reflect are unrealistic in my opinion. In order to proceed with this assignment, I really had to bite the bullet and purchase these magazines that I have consistently seen at the check-stands and actually read them. Might I add that this was a chore for me! .
The first images that I recall were that of a young lady in her 20's bearing a deep tan, tons of makeup, blond, straight hair, thin and wearing a provocative outfit which consisted of a shimmering, low-cut tank top and skin tight leather pants. What was the ad for, one might ask? Nail polish. I did not even mention the position she was in standing with her legs spread and slightly bent while leaning over and showing some cleavage. Sure, her hands were delicately laid on her thighs as she bent over showing a fleck of nail color. That said, I did not want to run out at that moment and buy the product hoping that I would immediately look like her. I feel this sums up my next adventures spent when I continued on .
Most, if not all, were women in the advertisements whether it was for nail polish, clothing, lotion, cigarettes, underwear, or perfume. There was definitely a trend where most were in their 20's or younger, Caucasian and/or light skinned and had flawless, thin bodies. Much to my surprise, I observed that the majority of the women were not necessarily large busted or had tone and/or athletic builds.