How does the media shape our perceptions of beauty?

Does what we see in magazines and movies dicate what society deems beautiful? Is that the intended effect?How does the media shape our perceptions of beauty?
I've always been perplexed about who is defining the term ';beautiful';. We are bombarded with images of skinny, pretty women and are made to feel inferior. These images come across mostly from magazines, actors and actresses we see (starving themselves to a size 0 lollipop body). It is starting to get better, like in the Dove ads we see. It is up to us to change the perception of what is beautiful and not.How does the media shape our perceptions of beauty?
Lanani,


First, I like your questions.


I wish I could just blame it on the media. That would excuse a lot of us from what I suspect is actually collusion. I remember a million years ago, whenI was young, there were these old bald-headed guys with visors writing ';our music'; and making ';our movies.'; But you know, they would've dropped the whole thing if we hadn't lapped it up with such glee. I don't believe any generation is that much worse or better than the another. So I'm thinking this may be a corny, classical case of supply meeting demand. These media folks follow a kind of trial-and-error approach. If they think crap will sell, they make crap.
';How does the media shape our perceptions of beauty?';





By brainwashing: an overload of the senses.


By constantly denegrating that which is different.


By constantly hyping that which they want us to believe and accept.





';Does what we see in magazines and movies dicate what society deems beautiful? Is that the intended effect?';





in commercials and on TV - day in and day out. There's little way around falling for what we're constantly bombarded with ... unless we ';dare to think for ourselves'; - which many have not learned to do for fear of being ostracized from accepted society.





a sad and pitiful commentary, eh?