Presentation: Body Image Ideals in Fashion Editorials VS New Media

Apneet Kaur, Kelso Lee Kennedy, Marianne Leslie

Starting with the modernization of women’s magazines in the 1960’s, body image became a topic of especially high interest. Helen Gurley Brown, a pioneer for sexual revolution, used Cosmopolitan Magazine as a tool for women’s empowerment. However, as the years progressed it became a poor interpretation of the “ideal woman.” Cover models and celebrities were styled in scantily-clad clothing and highly photoshopped to give the illusion of a “perfect body.” After a great influx in consumer sales, Cosmopolitan never looked back. Soon after, other magazines took suit and retouching is now part of the everyday publishing process.


Women are portrayed as creatures with a singular body in the media. If you don’t fit into the narrow definition of how a woman should look, advertising will sell you products so you can achieve that beauty ideal. Photoshop, makeup and body placement send harmful messages that the masses consume. However, the “women” in these advertisements and editorials are not real people. They are sexualized, objectified, fetishized, and retouched. This creates an impossible level of ideal beauty. It disillusions people from reality when they internalize unrealistic image of beauty standards. Issues with body image stem from the media we consume.

Young people are the most influenced by body image ideals and try to imitate these standards. The messages from the photoshoot Privacy Settings by W Magazine reached its 1.4 million readership. These misogynistic messages represented in the photoshoot mislead the audience into thinking that being naked and objectified is liberating. What about the people who aren't supermodels, or can't afford cosmetic surgery to alter their appearance? Those who cannot afford cosmetic surgery to attempt to reach these beauty standards suffer and turn to self loathing, eating disorders, self mutilation and multiple forms of depression. Mannequins are the representation of an ideal body shape in the retail space. They serve as reference for our bodies. Instead of using their influence to make the consumers feel comfortable with their bodies, the fashion world is responsible for making people feel like they are not good enough.

Digital influencers have gained power and democratized the fashion industry to include women of color and of all shapes and sizes. These bloggers have massive followings and are showing it’s perfectly acceptable to be who you are. These independent publishers are important because you no longer need to be an editor of a magazine to reach an audience. Digital publishers are an important part of the fashion landscape because they are essentially dismantling the entire print industry that is very exclusive and highly edited and unrealistic.

The rise of weblogs have allowed alternate voices and stories to be heard and shared. By being able to reach an audience directly and talk about things major fashion magazines like Vogue would not, these bloggers empower themselves and their fans. Our generation turns to Google when we want to solve problems, YouTube when we want to learn a recipe, and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook when we want the news. This interconnectivity allows niche topics a place for discussion and we can see ourselves represented in this new form of media. It is up to each of us alone to curate our online feeds to create a safe space.

Works Cited:

<sub>1 How Cosmo Changed the World

2 W Magazine Media Kit</sub>