Media Critic, George Gerbner observes that what we see on TV and in Essay

Media Critic, George Gerbner observes that what we see on TV and in magazines eventually becomes our standard of reality and de - Essay Example Many peoples lives are sedentary and feature little exercise. As several researchers have indicated, in strident tones: â€Å"According to the American Obesity Association, 65% of adults and 30% of children are overweight, and 30% of adults and 15% of children meet the criteria for obesity. Rarely playing outdoors, children spend their days chatting online or watching TV while snacking on nutritionally empty foods. The average child spends 4 hours per day watching TV, and only 1 hour per day completing homework† (Derenne and Beresin, 1). These health problems are causing a crisis in body image perspectives. Because people are living such unhealthy lives, they see the gap between their own bodies and bodies they see in entertainment products, and this may result in depression or other disorders. The entertainment industry unwittingly encourages this by refusing to feature people with â€Å"normal† or â€Å"average† bodies and by promoting unfortunate stereotypes. These issues can affect both men and women, but it appears that more magazines target women's insecurities and can have a big impact on them (Grogan, 108). Films do a great deal to shape our ideas of body image. One example would be the American film, the Nutty Professor starring Eddie Murphy. In this film, the Klump family is shown to be hugely obese. Each member of the family has bad hygiene and appears foolish; they are in the film to be laughed at. This is typical of the portrayal of overweight people in contemporary films: they are comedic subjects to be mocked. Rather than show them as people with a full range of feeling and complex motivations, the entertainment industry reduces them to silly stereotypes. This occurs in many films. Is it any wonder that overweight people see these images and internalize the negative energy surrounding them? It is not hard to see how people can develop eating disorders or low self esteem from the constant bombardment of such images. The altern ative can be true for music videos. Music videos are famous for their sexually idealized representations of both sexes, but especially of women. In many videos, half-naked women cavort around luxury sports cars. Men sing about their bodies as if they were mere objects. The most desirous women are those who are thin, have large breasts, and wear lots of make up. They wear clothes that reveal their body. To young people watching these images, the shows of wealth and power suggest that these things are attracted to these kinds of bodies. These bodies, viewers are told, are to be emulated, as they are the key to gaining access to this privileged world. While this is true for many kinds of music videos, there are some videos by artists such as Pink and Christina Aguilera which try to counteract the messages of most music videos. These rare videos tell viewers that they are special just they way they are and that they do not need to change in order to fit into a stereotype. It is evident that music videos largely portray unattainable body images, but that some videos do tell a different story, one of innate rather than physical value. Many television shows have similar body image issues as music videos and films. Attractiveness is everything. The comedian Chris Farley was routinely mocked for being overweight on Saturday Night Live. He eventually died from a drug overdose. Clearly, his life was very unhealthy.