Commercials and their affects on Teenagers

Commercials are built around what we want our society to become. Television advertisers use viewer lack of self esteem to their advantage. One way they do this is by promoting their products using women who are all too often "perfect," and plots that contain so much sex they are unrealistic. Thus, society's perception becomes clouded, setting a standard of unreal women with unhealthy sexuality. The danger of advertising like this is that it is glorified to make this behavior and look the standard that our society judges women by. Worse yet, these commercials that set a standard contribute to unhealthy practices, such as eating disorders and sexual fixation.

How often do we turn on the television and see a beautiful woman dancing through rose petals falling from the sky, who is wearing a size 3? 95% of American women who watch these commercials overestimate their body size. Approximately, seven million women of this 95% are affected by eating disorders. Eating disorders affect people between the ages of 13-18, but recent studies report both disorders have been found in children as young as six. Eating disorders are psychological disorders which affect an eating habit. The most common form of eating disorders are anorexia-nervosa, most commonly labeled as anorexia that is characterized by self starvation to avoid obesity. One who suffers from anorexia believes that they are overweight, even when the body becomes grossly malnourished. Another common form of an eating disorder is bulimia. Bulimia is distinguished by massive food binges followed by self-induced vomiting or use of laxatives to avoid weight gain.

Young women in their pre teens and teens take influences from their surroundings to create their identity. Surroundings that push Viagra pills during commercial breaks must have appalling affects on developing identity. In a culture where Miller Lite can...