It is unfortunate that the media influences American society to the point that it defines the “ideal woman”. One reason media is so influential is that advertising is a 130 billion dollar a year industry. The average American watches thirty hours

From the early 1930’s to the 1950’s the film industry began to play a leading role in portraying the ideal woman and so defining women’s fashion. The ideal woman’s figure emphasized busts, legs, and the full curvaceous form typical of Marilyn Monroe. In the 1950’s magazines, training bras and girdles became common. This was Marilyn Monroe’s era and she epitomized beauty standards. The focus shifted to a feminine figure with large breasts. The famous Barbie doll was introduces in 1959 with her long legs, big breasts, no hips and tiny waist. During the same era, in 1959 the US Federal Drug Administration introduced Phentermine, which is an appetite suppressant that increases the body’s metabolism to help speed weight loss.

These advertising stereotypes were successful, not because they created these images, but because they resonated with innate human psychological preferences which had evolved over hundreds of thousands of years and were suited to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. This is not to say these stereotypes are “right”, but to explain their influence.

The images of beauty everywhere are not the average man or woman. Few ordinary people can aspire to look like the images of the exceptional beauties the media presents us with. The models, actors, and actresses are selected from the thousands who apply. They are statistically exceptional in their appearance. Their professional stylists and makeup artists spend hours doing their hair and makeup. They spend hours in the gym. However, in films, soaps, and sitcoms they are often placed in ordinary situations so that we all feel that they are our competition. As Cindy Crawford once said, “Even I don’t wake up looking like Cindy Crawford”.

In the 1970s the ‘toned look’ of the fit body became popular in contrast to the former thin ideal, and this trend continued into the 1980’s with exercise tapes promoting fitness. In 1971 there was the first serious look at images of females in advertising and four main stereotypes were found. The first was that a woman’s place is in the home. The second was that women do not make important decisions or do important things. Thirdl

Some topics in this essay:
Britney Spears, Beauty Women, Wolf Instead, Beauty Worlds, Drug Administration, Cindy Crawford”, Elle Mcpherson, Beauty Pageant, , Marilyn Monroe’s, american woman, average american, average american woman, body types, marilyn monroe, images beauty, women feel, appeals basic, dollar industry, fashion model, american society,