Hello, World....

Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield

I work for a major women’s magazine. This is probably a long overdue confession but I am beginning to hate it. Perhaps I am not cut out for the whole “9 to 5” job or maybe I’m jut not that into it anymore. I know there are hundreds of girls who would kill to take my spot but honestly, I don’t care. Everyone I work with pretty much sucks and they might be the most passive aggressive group of humans I have ever met in my life. I think it is the industry that turns people this way or maybe it is just that women intrinsically are jealous of other women. Whether it be jealously of their accomplishments, looks, boyfriend or whatever else, women are jealous. I remember walking into my boss’s office one day eating a cupcake (first mistake), she looked at me and said “HOW do you eat THAT and stay so thin?!” to which I responded “Umm, I don’t know, I don’t really gain weight” (second mistake). I could then see her lips purse up and her face turn green with envy. Since then she often makes comments regarding my eating habits and looks, it is almost like she resents me for it. Don’t get me wrong, my boss is no Meryl Streep from The Devil Wears Prada, but she can be quite a handful. So why are women so jealous other women? I believe that although it is partially due to some internal craziness we all have, it is in large part due to the society we live in. In today’s world, I don’t think we could survive without media. In our daily life we often look to the media to tell us what we should be aware of and what is important. We are constantly surrounded by news of beautiful celebrities and billboards are plastered with stick thin models. In the United States alone, over 8 million people struggle from eating disorders and that number is increasingly yearly. Many suffer from body image issues and look to celebrities and models to see how they should dress and how they should look. You would think after reading this post that I hate the media, hate the fashion industry, hate the beauty industry, and hate basically anything that influences culture and society. But the kicker is, I don’t. I am still a girly girl obsessed with nail polish (literally obsessed), clothes, and all the latest beauty products. I’m just comfortable with myself and don’t feel the need to strive for what magazines and celebrities tell women is “perfect”. Although I am comfortable with myself (don’t get me wrong, I still have my insecurities), many women are not. Throughout this course of this blog I am going to explore the effects of the magazine industry as well as mass media on young women in today’s society. I am going to incorporate my own experiences with the various topics I choose to touch upon which may include exploring the effects of the fashion, beauty, advertisements, sex articles, and fitness while also looking at how we can protect ourselves against the societal norms that are pressed upon us. 

Above is a excerpt taking from a young woman's tumblr blog.  She illustrates the effects of media and society on women.