Conclusions

In my study of various forms of media, I have determined that media and popular culture plays a critical role in the views of body image amongst the American population. From commercials to television shows and movies, we are inundated with an image of beauty. While for many that image simply is not attainable, it still remains the norm and what people look to as the definition of an ideal body. 

Real Bodies?

Part Two: The Real World 

"This is the true story... of seven strangers... picked to live in a house...work together and have their lives taped... to find out what happens... when people stop being polite... and start getting real...The Real World."

Since 1992, viewers have tuned in to MTV to watch their longest running show, The Real World. The show is one of the first commercially viable reality television show and was created by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. The show just wrapped its 22nd season and MTV has signed on for four more seasons. 

The premise of the show is simple: strangers who auditioned with MTV are selected to live in a house together. They have some sort of job, but the main action is with all of the drama that ensues when these people "start getting real". 

At first the show displayed a wide assortment of body types in both the male and female cast members, however in the last couple of seasons that trend has changed. All of the cast seems to fit in perfectly with the American ideal of body and image. 

Some past casts of MTV's The Real World

Although the show does showcase a very diverse group of races, ethnicity's and sexual orientations; it seems to only focus on casting people with "ideal bodies". All of the men have well defined or overly defined muscles; the women on the show have skinny frames and ideal body types as well according to American standards. 

Conclusions: Real Bodies?

From analyzing several reality television shows including the ones showcased in the blog it is very

clear that the body images displayed in these shows are not "real" in terms of what the body of an

average person would look like. Rather these people are selected because their bodies meet the

ideals of American society as being attractive and desirable.

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2009

I recently watched the Victoria's Secret Fashion show for research purposes. What struck me while watching the show was that every single model who walked the runway had the exact same body type. They all were toned and skinny with large breasts. There was absolutely no diversity of body image in the show and it is clear that the brand is showcasing the American standard of ideal body image. 

Sitcom Body Standards: Fat Guys are Funny

The sitcom is a mainstay on American television, over the years it has changed along with America however one unique trend can be found throughout the history of the sitcom.
A trend amongst sitcoms, particularly family sitcoms, is to have an overweight male as the lead role. Ever since the Honeymooners, an overweight male has served as the main character and the main way for the sitcom to get laughs.
Also interesting is that in these sitcoms, the leading lady that plays alongside the overweight male is almost always in line with the ideals of body image in American society.
Below are some examples of shows from the past and present where an overweight male is crucial in getting the laughs in a televised sitcom.

The Honeymooners

The Honeymooners first premiered in 1955 and while the show only ran for 39 half-hour episodes, it is largely considered one of the best sitcoms of all time. Taking place in a Brooklyn apartment building, the show focuses on the lives of four people. One of which is Jackie Gleason's character, Ralph Kramden, an overweight bus driver who was essential to the shows comedic success. 

Roseanne

Roseanne first premiered in 1988 and ended in 1997. The sitcom was widely acclaimed and revolved

around the lives of the Conners, an American working class family struggling to get by. Dan Conner,

played by John Goodman, is the father figure on the program and often times the butt of the jokes

or instigator of jokes. His large size often contributes to the comedy of the program.

King of Queens

King of Queens is a sitcom that ran from 1998 until 2007 on CBS. The story revolves around Doug

and Carrie Heffernan, who live in a house with Carrie's eccentric father. Doug Heffernan is played by

Kevin James and is an overweight delivery driver. His wife Carrie is skinny and would fit into the Ameican

ideals of body image.

Family Guy

Family Guy is an animated family based sitcom that first aired on the Fox Network in 2000. The story

centers on the Griffin family, Peter and his wife Louis are the main roles. Peter Griffin is an overweight,

dopey character who is at the center of the comedy in the show.

Reebok EasyTone Shoes

In a recent ad campaign, Reebok has unveiled new footwear that is designed to help tone your legs and shape your butt. The commercial not only exemplifies the American standard of body image, it also shows how people are looking for a quick fix to achieve the "ideal" body image.

Glee- Diversity of Body Images

The new Fox sitcom Glee hit the air this fall and has instantly become a success. Part of the reason for that success is the showcasing of diversity of body types amongst the cast members. 

Although there is the traditional cheer leaders and jocks who all showcase the stereotype of body image in America- males with washboard abs and cut physiques and females with a well toned body- there are other examples of main characters with alternative body types. 

For example their is an "overweight" girl who sings and is one of the major talents in the Glee club. There is also a skinny homosexual male who at first is picked on but then finds belonging in the Glee club. The major theme of the show is that no matter who you are or what you look like, you deserve to belong to something and find happiness. 

Here is a promo from Glee that shows the diversity of body image in the show. 

Under Armor Commercial

This commercial for the brand Under Armor, showcases the stereotype for the ideal body image of males in America. 

Furthermore, the advertisement implies that if you wear their apparel, a body type similar to the men in the commercial can be achieved. 

 

Dove Campaign For Real Beauty

A recent Dove advertising campaign showcased one of the major issues facing body and image in today's popular culture. 

With the advent of photoshop and other editing tools, it is now easy for ad agencies to create their own version of true "beauty". 

The ads take a look at just how easy it is to manipulate images and video to create a completely different look of a person. 

Another one of the ads takes a look at how media can distort a women's perspective of their own body

image and end up hating different parts of themselves. It exposes these insecurities and shows how

everyone is truly beautiful in their own right.

Dolce and Gabbana Advertisements

High fashion brand Dolce and Gabbana has several commercials that showcase the American ideal of body image. 

In this advertisement both males are toned and built to an almost "perfect" degree. Their image is

almost identical in terms of body type; six pack abs, muscular physique and short well kept hair.

The woman is very slender and petite with little body fat at all, which makes her desirable to the 

two men. 

This commercial also shows people with similar toned body types. It focuses on the slender and

well built physiques of the actors to sell there time pieces.

In this final advertisement the same body type is used once again as a selling tool to make the

product more attractive and desirable.

Real Bodies?

A Look at Body Image in Reality Television

Over the past ten years, reality television has become a mainstay in American popular culture. From shows like Survivor and Dancing With the Stars to The Hills and The Real World, many Americans are either familiar with or a fan of a few of these shows. 

However in analyzing these "reality" shows and observing the types of people that appear on them, one must ask what sort of message producers and executives are sending to the general public of what "normal" body image is. 

In this post, I will look at several reality shows and through analysis of these shows as well as reaction from a variety of people to the shows with respect to body image we will be able to answer a very important question. 

What is the "reality" of body image that these shows convey?

The Hills 

The Hills is a reality television show that follows the lives of young people in Los Angeles. It first aired in 2006 and the show was based around the life of Lauren Conrad, who became famous in the reality television show Laguna Beach. The show is now in its 6th season and although Conrad has left the show, another former Laguna Beach star Kristin Cavallari has taken center stage and signed on for two more seasons. 

Watching many episodes of this reality show, it becomes clear that the body image showcased is not that of average mid-twenties Americans. Rather the men and women in the show are in shape and toned to a degree that makes them appear more like models and movie stars. 

The Cast of MTV's The Hills 

In an essay for the Genders OnLine Journal entitled Living The Hills Life, Alice Leppert and Julie Wilson discuss how MTV turned these ordinary people into an image and brand. 

"As The Hills constructs Lauren as a soap opera heroine, it simultaneously makes her a star and thus an image to aspire to for young women navigating U.S. consumer culture. Through branding Lauren's lifestyle, MTV provides the viewer who aspires to be Lauren or be like Lauren with never ending opportunities to consume as Lauren does. The articulation of Lauren's star image to a feminine fashion and consumer culture creates a prized form of female celebrity, whose value to MTV is immeasurable for its ability to marshal a young female consumer-audience. While critics commonly acknowledge what Graeme Turner describes as "the mass production of celebrity" via reality TV, MTV has retooled and refined the practice of celebrity mass production. The result is the emergence of Lauren as a reality star, whose status as soap heroine of "real life" in the Hollywood Hills makes her at once a compelling point of identification for young women and a potent new form of lifestyle brand."

According to Leppert and Wilson, Lauren Conrad is not supposed to be representative of a "real" person, only when it can be used to tie viewers closer to her brand. MTV uses all aspects of Lauren and the other cast members, including there body image, to create not accurate depictions of normal Americans but to create a brand used for revenue gaining. 

Reactions To Body Image in The Hills

"They all look like low end movie stars. All the same, with dyed hair and fake tans."

Shawn Heavlin-Martinez, 17

"They are all anorexic thin, they don't look healthy at all. Kristen looks pretty realistic and normal to me though."

Taylor Rogers, 20

"The all probably have personal trainers and diets and stuff."

Lauren Small, 19

"Woah, what are you looking at over there? She is a looker."

Mike Reed, 55

"Hip, up to date with the American standard of beauty as represented in fashion magazines and movies. They are way typical and all look a like in a way. All of them are obviously concerned with how they look."

Ali Dorri, 30 

In the next post, I will analyze two more reality television shows and the message of body image they convey. After that analysis a conclusion should become apparent.