Women and the Media Essay
Not only do magazines glorify the image of a skinny woman, but also highlight that to be on a magazine cover, stretch marks, pores, wrinkles, scars, acne, and everything else that are characteristics of realistic woman are unacceptable. Take actress Gabourey Sidibeon for example: Sidibeon is widely known for her role in the award-winning film Precious, in which she portrayed an overweight dark-skinned teenage girl. The Oscar-nominated actress was then asked to appear on Elle, although Elle magazine is not as exclusive as Vogue (in which there have been only 5 black women to ever appear on a cover of Vogue,) yet it was a major achievement to have a woman over a size 16 on a magazine cover, whether black or white. When the October issue finally hit the magazine stands, there was the image of a light-skinned girl that resembled nothing close to Sidibeon’s natural skin color. The alteration of Sidibeon’s skin color demonstrates that no matter how much a woman has achieved or how many barriers she has had to overcome, If she does not meet the beauty standards, she will not be accepted for who she truly is. The media also continues to discretely promote the notion that even in today’s society, the role of a woman