INFLUENCE OF MEDIA ON PEOPLE'S FALSE PERCEPTIONS OF BEAUTY

I abhor ads nowadays; they do not show what they are really supposed to show. Advertisements may be a creative way of selling products and have been successful in that facet; but their negative effects on people are inexcusable. Nothing is wrong with the ads themselves, but there is something mistaken to how they deliver the message. They tend to exaggerate or distort the message of what the product really wants to achieve. For example the conditioner I have been using ever since I was a kid. It really works and makes your hair softer, and I know that is what it intends to say; but the ad says if you opt to be beautiful, you have to use it. That gives a new meaning to what a simple message wants to relay. It is an illogical and dismal excuse. Whitening products are another example. Being morena is something one should be proud of and I am proud to be one; it is the natural color of Filipinos. How about the ads that say, height matters: if you are tall, you are attractive, so you are more popular. Well, maybe it depends on your profession; if you are a varsity player, maybe it matters; but varsity players even need not be tall. A lot of small players can penetrate inside the court better than their tall teammates.
I remember a time when I was so busy writing my novel. I was so absorbed with the chapter I was writing, when I heard the tagline of a certain commercial: “Thin is in,” it said. I had to look up from what I was doing to make sure I heard it right… and I did. I was appalled. What is this, another typecast of what is beautiful or not? The commercial was not even a beauty product but a food! It is dispiriting “healthy” people who might be watching at that moment. This advertisement lacks value. The people behind it lack sensitivity. These types of advertisements isolate people. Those with model-thin bodies have always been preferred. People “more blessed” with their body sizes are always put on the sidelines. It leads to lower self-esteem. Consequently, these people tend to have crash diets, take diet pills, and starve, which leads to more serious health problems. I know because I have been there once. I was a victim, and I still am. Partly, I owe media why I dieted; but I also owe them why I almost lost everything: my health, maybe even my life.
Beautiful hair, skin, body, and a towering height may be contributing factors to one’s overall personality, but there are also other factors that are as important. However, we still pay less attention to them. Outer beauty always comes first, and it is unavoidable especially for first impressions. We should always put in mind, however, that we are all beautiful in our own ways; whether you are chinita and I am morena; whether you are tall and I am petite. These kinds of messages are what I am looking for in an advertisement; an ad, which shows value, not just an ad made for the sake of promotion. Sensitivity of the advertisers to the audiences’ needs is one of the most important aspects that should be considered.
Advertisements shown in media help us improve ourselves, but this improvement is limited only on the physical aspect - to look presentable. If we are talking about the most used meaning of beauty, we could refer to media advertisements. Media help us define what beauty really is, however, it is just platonic beauty. What is more important is real beauty; the one we alone can define, because we are the ones who know ourselves; our capabilities and characters. Total acceptance is what is really important, because ones we accept ourselves, we will not care about how others think about us.