By Zem Ellica |
Illustrated by Mika Alacrito
The appreciation and aspiration for beauty is a universal sentiment. Oxford defines beauty as "the quality of giving pleasure to the senses or the mind." The natural human sense of worth anchors one of its pillars to being perceived as beautiful in the eyes of others.
With seemingly no more problems to address with their product, to whom do they sell? A brilliant solution comes into the mind of merchants: construct a problem! Many businesses see a fortunate opportunity with a large consumer base as an opportunity to make money. However, the market with a surplus of commodities accommodating every need for glamor is already saturated. Advertisement for goods in the beauty industry, such as cosmetics, skin and hair care, fragrances, styling appliances, and services, is a tight contest.
Women in a patriarchal society with heteronormative beliefs are targets of relentless attacks by merchandisers to gain profit. These sellers operate on the womenfolk's innate desire to be beautiful through photoshopped and computer-enhanced models in advertisements that have successfully fabricated futile beauty ideals. These standards define how women see themselves as deserving human beings, leading to feelings of shortcomings. Corporations then provide an outlet for fulfilling women's "gaps" through their products. This process begins and ends a few million times worldwide every day, with women mere casualties in numerous companies' ploys.
Media has long played a role in influencing people's perceptions and feelings. The unkind grasp of sexism in the beauty and advertisement industries impacts women's motivation to possess facial aesthetics. Malicious endorsements that prey on women's vulnerabilities affect self-consciousness, body satisfaction, and mood. Moreover, it treats beauty as a trend rather than an asset. Advertising appeals such as bandwagon, loaded words, and flattery strengthen women's motives to join in to be preferred, adding to the harm it causes.
The imagery of beauty, as used in a capitalistic outlook, is harmful and dangerous, primarily driven by the greed of corporations. Beauty campaigns uphold and enforce a toxic mentality unto women, especially young girls with still developing minds. Ruinous ideologies stand to prove that media, a way or tool of communication used to store and deliver information, should always be investigated for propaganda. Identifying biases embedded in even the most inconsequential of texts, visuals, and audios of commercial advertisements will significantly help prevent the infiltration of these destructive messages along with the active confrontation and defiance against capitalist corporations and their deceptions against susceptible, unsuspecting women.
The rise of marketing for products that improve perceived physical attractiveness, along with the digitization of advertisements, has allowed harmful propaganda to increase and seep into the minds of women of all ages around the globe. It is a prominent concern affecting many aspects of society where women belong. The guilt and shame women feel warranted by the unreasonable ideals set by money-grabbing businesses should be made amends for because no woman deserves to feel miserable and distressed in their image.
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