Materialism in our culture
Anwar El-Sadat put it best, when he said "Most people seek after what they do not possess and are thus enslaved by the very things they want to acquire". Our society is one which puts much value on material possessions. We see examples of this daily, people driving around in expensive cars, wearing expensive clothing, apparently to because they feel such things are a display of status. They make the mistake of believing wealth is synonymous with status. Our status in society is not governed by what we have, but who we are, and what we do.
Another view on materialism suggests that women feel more pressured into being materialists than do men. This is a factor fueled constantly and perpetually by the media. In magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Vogue, the reader(predominately a woman) is presented with articles that outline how to 'get that perfect guy' or 'how to find out if he's really into you', and other such articles.
21st Century Materialism
21st Century Materialism
21st Century MaterialismParallel to such articles are the beautiful models and actresses on the cover and advertisements toting slim, fit, and 'sexy'. The impression women get from all of this is that to be successful in gaining popularity and the attention of men, is that they must look like the people in these ads; skinny, with 'perfect' bodies. The result of this is profound. There are more eating disorders among women now then there ever have been. In a recent study, conducted by the national eating disorder information centre, at any given time, 70% of women have an eating disorder, or are dieting.
This is clearly an issue which is not going away, and many people offer solutions. Some are half-witted, and some present some validity. The one which seems to make most sense to this writer...