Advertising is such a standard in today's society, it is almost impossible to imagine living without it. Advertising can be found in newspapers, magazines, television, Internet, billboards, and costless other ways (Moran, 2004). Women of all ages see a variety of images, which could cause a multitude of reactions, both negative and positive. The purpose of this research project is to look into the ideals women have about body image and determine if, and what affects advertising and media images have on the perceptions that have been developed over the years. One of the most effective forms of advertising is to tell people that there is something wrong with them or their lives. One of the outcomes of such a strategy is that people really do begin to believe that there is something wrong with them. When people begin to believe this, negative body image becomes a very real problem in today's society. Looking at the other side of the issue, some women find this strategy completely powerless to them and they have a positive effect and become stronger because of the advertisements. Having very thin models representing the women of the American society is all over the media and causing people to stop and look into this issue. Though not all companies are using this strategy, a majority of them have now and in the past. Are the companies who are using the more average women pushing to be more politically correct or is it just another ploy to bring in the larger market? Or will using two different body images, like Cover Girl has started to do the last couple of years, become the way to be more to win over the market? These issues are some that I hope to get answers to through my research and the research that others have already done.
Not only do women have perceived images from the media, but also what kinds of pressures do the men who also see the advertisements add to the women around them? Is the media trying to use the men's aspect of the ideal women to help them in getting sales for the products they are promoting?.
