The Pressure To Be Perfect; Role Models For Girls Today

In a recent interview with Daybreak, pop icon Demi Lovato opens up about her struggles with eating disorders and the depression that sprung from it, and how it was a result of pressure of the media and entertainment that was telling her that to be perfect and successful she had to be thin and flawless.

She goes on and discusses how this is not a problem individual to her and that many girls feel this pressure from the media:

”I feel as if television and movies are now glorifying an unhealthy body image which puts a lot of pressure on young girls – and especially girls that are growing up and trying to find themselves. A lot of girls who are young are insecure, and they look to the media and what they see in magazines and everything else to see what they should look like. And I think that the film industry and the television industry should take more responsibility.”

 Demi has an excellent point. The way that Demi represents teenage girls in this interview is that they can be victimised through the media's portrayal of how young women today should be. The main way that Demi refers to teenage girls being pressurised by the media, is through the way a 'perfect' female body should be, such as in images in advertisements and magazines. As you can see above in the image from a Victorias Secret Angels Underwear photo shoot, all of the models are not only covered in make up with perfect hair, but also all have perfect, thin figures and impressive features.

 These models are then referred to as 'Victoria's Secret Angels' in the ad campaign, sending out the message to everyone that they are heavenly, they are PERFECTION.

This reference of these models being 'angels' tells impressionable teenage girls viewing the ad that, as this is what a perfect woman looks like, this is what they should strive to look like too, because nobody wants to be anything less than perfect, especially not teenage girls who already are generally pretty insecure about their bodies to begin with.

The sad thing about the message of perfection that girls receive from these 'angels' is that it is realistically almost totally unachievable to the average girl. The models are all paid to do crazy exercise routines for long periods of time each day with their personal trainers, eat small amounts of expensive, low calorie foods and are not allowed to engage in activities that could scar, bruise or flaw them in any way while they are in the spotlight. In general, these models that girls are meant to aspire to look like live lives that revolve around keeping their bodies in pristine condition, something that realistically, no average girl can afford or do all the time as well as living a balanced and enjoyable lifestyle!

On top of all of this, in basically all photoshoots these models are in, the images are dramatically modified, fixing every tiny imperfection on their faces, every spot of cellulite left over even after the insane diet and exercises, and enhancing their features to even more perfection than they are blessed with genetically!

The reason for these models needing to be represented as appearing so flawless is so that Victoria's Secret will sell more of their product, as showing the lingerie on a flawless model is sending the subliminal message to their potential customers that in wearing their underwear, they will become equally as sexy as the models. This ploy works initially, but once young women realise that this isn't the magic way to become as perfect as an Angel, it can cause even bigger consequences than them just not being happy with the lingerie they've purchased; it can cause them to be unhappy with themselves.

So what is the result of all of this portrayal of young girls for the average teenage girls of today?  When this level of  female 'perfection' that the Angels (and in fact, most models seen today) represent cannot be achieved by the average teenage girl, it can be incredibly disheartening and creates the feeling that they simply aren't good enough. The strive for a level of perfection physically can lead to an obsession for teenage girls, in the form of eating disorders, depression and even in extreme cases, girls wanting to get breast implants or plastic surgery to enhance their features to perfection.