The Media's
Influence on Female Body Image
Part 3 of 4
The misrepresentation isn't limited to the movie industry. At first glance, how large do Kelly Ripa's breasts appear to be on the following magazine cover?
Now see how large her breasts truly are.
Based on first impressions, you may have believed Kelly has large breasts. On the magazine cover her top and chest have been digitally modified to give the illusion of significantly larger breasts. The truly interesting fact is, this modified image is used to attract the attention of women, this is a magazine directed at women. Her "digitally enhanced breasts" are being used to sell a product to women. Is it true, as Keira states above, that American women are turned off by breasts that are smaller than a C cup? Or do large breasts simply attract a woman's attention equally as well as men? Are women equally guilty of ogling large breasts? If so, women are influenced by society just as much as men. In this instance, perhaps to an even greater extent, as breasts are symbols of womanhood.
It isn't only the size of Kelly's breasts that have been altered on magazine covers, but also her belly button, as illustrated on the three magazine covers shown above and below.
Which of the following are her actual belly button?
The two belly buttons shown on the right are her actual belly button, she has an outie. The other two are her "digital innie belly buttons," which appear on the Shape Magazine covers. So do the readers of Shape Magazine dislike outie belly buttons whereas the readers of Fitness Magazine like them? It appears the readers of Fitness Magazine are also more comfortable with and accepting of small breasts. While both magazines are altering her photographs, when you compare them side by side, Shape Magazine appears to be doing it to a much greater degree; observe the size of her smile and darkness of her tan. Do the readers of these two magazines have different tastes and expectations, or do the publishers?
In the past, if an actress didn't want to appear nude in a movie, a body double was utilized. Today, as revealed in the following images and text, nudity can be computer generated.
"Jessica Alba shocked fans last week when a nude scene from her latest film Machete leaked in the press.
"But what looked like a naked shot of the star has been found to be fake and new photographs show Alba was actually wearing underwear, which was later digitally removed.
"The Latino star told Scarlet magazine in February that she would never bare all for the cameras, saying: 'No, I'll never do a nude scene. I can act sexy and wear sexy clothes but I can't go naked.'
"So it's no surprise that the 29-year-old enlisted some help from digital experts to remove the white underwear that she's shown wearing in the original shower scene. The Sin City star continued: 'I think I was always very uncomfortable about the way my body developed, and I remember my grandmother would freak out and throw a towel over me if she saw me wearing just a bra and panties. 'I come from a very Catholic family so it wasn't seen as a good thing to flaunt yourself like that. I can handle being sexy with clothes on but not with them off.'"
"It's not the only thing that's been digitally altered. Her stomach's flatter and her boobs bigger in the 'naked' shot. Surely that's a clear indicator of which shot was 'pre' and which was 'post' digital alteration! Source
"If you look closely at the photo, you'll notice that the editors also trimmed an inch or two off Alba's already toned stomach and thighs. Film editors get paid lots of money to "touch up" famous actors, so they appear "too perfect" than they do in real life." Source
The significance of this is, in the past, even if you didn't actually see an actress' nude body, you at least got to see some ones, a real living breathing woman. Today, what you see may not even be real or physically possible. Girls and women may then be idolizing the equivalent of a cartoon character, not knowing the image is pure fantasy. Boys and men in turn may be expecting the impossible.
Video Link: Labiaplasty - Video by Hungry Beast from Hungry Beast on Vimeo.
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You might believe it would be nice to have breasts that are just like Barbie's, and choose to get breast implants. You have seen photographs of celebrities in magazines before and after their enhancement surgery, and their new look may be very appealing to you and others. Several celebrities are famous for their augmented breasts, but despite popular expectation, their careers and lives don't always benefit from their increased bust size. What we usually don't see are public examples of what happened to Tara Reid.
What is wrong with Tara's appearance in the photo of her in the white bikini top? I would say she looks very attractive, and I am sure many would agree with me; only 25% of men value large breasts, to some degree. Didn't she appear in the popular movie American Pie when she had small breasts, and obtained a celebrity status? Why would an attractive woman want and get larger breasts? What compelled her to undergo breast augmentation surgery?
In the photograph on the left the overly large cups of her top have been spaced far apart to give the illusion of greater cleavage and larger breasts. If you look closely you will see her breasts are smaller than they first appear. Note how the black bikini top is actually smaller than the white one, even though her breasts are much larger in that image. Another example of manipulation of reality. By having the surgery she may have been trying to live up to the public image the media had created of her. If a young woman wants to be as popular as her, will she be motivated to undergo augmentation surgery?
The photos shown below reveal what is hidden by her black bikini. As she has since publicly admitted, her first augmentation surgery had some undesired results, as indicated by the amount of scarring around her areola. Did her larger breasts truly make her more perfect? Until the "wardrobe malfunction" she admitted to neither the surgery or the undesired consequences. Why would she admit to being less than she is perceived to be by her fans and the media, as less than perfect?
As the following photographs reveal, less than ideal results from augmentation surgery are not as rare as plastic surgeons want us to believe. Yes, implants do make your breasts larger, but does this automatically make them better than they were before?
Is having larger breasts of greater importance than the resulting shape of your breasts, the direction that they point, the location of your nipples and areola, their sensitivity to stimulation, and the amount of scarring? Is their size, or more accurately, the size of the bra that conceals them, the only thing of importance? Has society programmed men and women to believe they should want Barbie's unnaturally large, firm, and shaped breasts? I read one woman's comment where she said she didn't want implants that gave her breasts a larger yet natural appearance, she wanted and got breasts that are unnaturally round and firm; they look as if they are made of plastic. Many if not most adult film stars have acquired breasts that look like Barbie's, as they are too large for their frame, defy gravity, and are unnaturally firm. What does this say about our society, rather than the individual women who undergo breast augmentation? What message are we sending to our children and ourselves?
