I agree with Robert. I know plenty of men who do not find the people you see in magazines and on TV attractive. They may very well concede that they have beautiful faces, or that their persona makes them seem sexy but they almost ALWAYS end with the phrase, "but she is too skinny." They have enough life experience to know models and actresses are not the norm and appreciate "real" women. Younger guys who have not had the opportunity to be up close and personal with an ACTUAL
female form are proabably more inclined to set expectations based on what they have seen in print and film. Many of them have no idea that real breasts are not usually found in the shape and size of cantelopes.
They are likely to adapt their standards once they hit the real world though.
In general, girls and women are a different story. Like Robert said, we tend to compare ourselves to one another and set unrealistic standards for ourselves. I don't know any men who thumb through a GQ and feel they must aspire to look like the men represented there. They may WISH they looked like that but once they put the magazine down they go back to being pretty content with themselves. If they were health conscious before they still are and if they weren't, well they probably still aren't (obviously there are exceptions).
In my opinion, young girls are the most at risk. Because once we form an image of our body it is very difficult to undo it. We tend to hold on to the idea we have of ourselves regardless of any physical changes. As a parent, I feel it is MY responsibilty to make sure my daughter's (and son's, for that matter) body image and self esteem remain in tact as she grows and develops. Magazines can put whatever they want on their covers - their job is to sell magazines and they've obviously found the magic formula. It would be great if they exhibited a certain amount of social responsibility by using models who represented "normal" but they don't - and they don't owe it to me to do so. Don't get me wrong, it annoys me. But I do believe the messages they send can be defused with responsible parenting.
I think it is important to recognize and accept that the media does not represent "real" life. Tabloid magazines wouldn't sell if they weren't reporting something outrageous. Theatre seats would be empty if they played movies about the day to day life of most people. It is all about extremes - and that is how it is inteded to be. Fantasy sells - we either want to imagine that someone else's life is so very awesome so that we can daydream what it is like to be them or we want to see someone fall flat on their faces so that we can feel better than them. We can't decide what we'd rather see - a celebrity get fat so that we can tsk, tsk them or one to become anorexic so that we can think, "at least that isn't
me."
It is also critical that we recognize that Hollywood standards are NOT typical. Not long ago there was a benefit for Katrina victims here in Mississippi. I had the opportunity to meet with many of the celebrities who participated. I can assure you of one thing. The female celebrities who appear "real" on TV are gaunt and frail in real life. The ones who seem healthy except for being too thin would break if you hugged them too hard. The ones who are normal, healthy weights - are the ones the general public considers fat. It isn't that we truly believe they are overweight but they ARE chunky in comparison to their counterparts - and that is visibly noticable.
We can blame the media all we want. But, when it is all said and done, it up to us to evaluate what we see and draw logical conclusions about normalcy, health, and body image. Which is exactly why you will never find me in the check out aisle buying a Teen People for my daughter that oozes concern that Mary Kate Olsen is too thin (all the while reporting every juicy detail of how she became anorexic) right under the headline, "Read how Jessica Simpson got her Dukes of Hazzard Body!" It is insane and we do not HAVE to fall for it.