The Image of Women in Society

Paper Summary:

The paper explores the image society has of women through an examination of a child's toy (the Kim Possible Doll), advertising images for Skechers and the television show "The Closer." The paper discusses how the external image of youth, beauty and especially being thin is projected as a virtual necessity. The paper looks at the harmful effects this has on the self-image of girls and young women trying to emulate what they believe is the ideal.

Outline:
Introduction
Kim Possible Doll
Skechers Models
The Closer
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The prevailing doll image offered to young girls for many years has been the Barbie Doll, the image of an extremely thin young woman, with an emphasis on thin-ness, beauty, perfect hair, and perfect makeup. This is only one source of this sort of image, and many of the images from popular culture reinforce this idea.
"Meta G. Carstarphen and Susan C. Zavoina write specifically about the experience of adolescent girls and note how these girls are influenced by images of girls their age in magazines like Seventeen and Teen, among other sources, and the authors note first that advertising is directed at young people because they represent an important target market, if one that is particularly vulnerable: "A time of awkwardness and opportunity, adolescence represents a critical time of identity formation for both boys and girls" (Carstarphen and Zavoina 94)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Carstarphen, Meta G. and Susan C. Zavoina. Sexual Rhetoric: Media Perspectives on Sexuality, Gender, and Identity. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1999.
• "Christina Aguilera is naughty in Skechers ad campaign." Adland (28 July 2004). December 18, 2006. http://commercial-archive.com/112043.php.
• "'The Closer' Star Kyra Sedgwick Comes Clean." TVTattler (12 June 2006). December 18, 2006. http://television.aol.com/tv-celebrity-interviews/kyra-sedgwick.
• Cumano, Dale L. and J. Kevin Thompson. "Body Image and Body Shape Ideals in Magazines: Exposure, Awareness, and Internalization." Sex Roles: A Journal of Research 37(9 10)(1997), 701.
• Disney's Kim Possible (2006). December 18, 2006. http://psc.disney.go.com/disneychannel/kimpossible/.

More papers on The Image of Women in Society:

• Research Paper # 3038 : "The Representation of Women in the Media"
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• Comparison Essay # 16586 : "The Role and Image of Women"

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