The Value Paradox

In my opinion, one of the biggest value paradoxes in the US is dealing with weight. The US has the highest obesity rate in the world, along with many health related issues. Almost everything in the US involves weight. There are advertisements everywhere for weight loss programs, diets, fitness centers, etc. No one is happy with their weight and the way they look. Magazines show models that are extremely skinny and beautiful, which causes many health issues such as bulimia and anorexia. Many people, females especially, start comparing themselves to the bodies of models and actresses. Famous people have all the resources to be skinny, unlike many of us common citizens. They can afford famous personal trainers that MAKE them work out and get skinny. I have even heard stories about trainers locking their fridges so they cannot access the food. Our world has been molded around the ideas that girls have to be skinny to be beautiful and this is so not true.

Statistics show that "up to 24 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder) in the U.S". A recent article in Business Week called "A Media-Borne Illness", states that "A report by the Media Awareness Network states that "over three-quarters of the female characters in TV situation comedies are underweight, and only one in 20 are above average in size. Heavier actresses tend to receive negative comments from male characters about their bodies ("How about wearing a sack?"), and 80% of these negative comments are followed by canned audience laughter." We are a fat-obsessed society. Magazines look posting articles like "who wore it best", to bash other actresses that may be a little fatter than others. They are constantly picking out their flaws.

Dove's Campaign

The models used in US advertising do not reflect the average US citizen; they are the ideal image. The models are often criticized as being underweight, which generates a second paradox. US advertisements exclusively use the thin, tall, pretty models. This is what molded our brains into thinking all models and females must look at. There are rarely any plus size models in magazines such as Victoria's secret, which makes sizes that the average person can wear. Recently, Dove has created a skin care campaign with females of all sizes and ethnicity in their undergarments.  This is representing that females should feel beautiful in their skin, no matter their size. I am glad that big companies are trying to bring the images of models back to what the average woman looks like. When I was looking through the Cosmopolitan from Ireland, I came across a few ads that the models were not stick skinny. This made me wonder if the US were the ones that created this image that other countries soon followed. Lately, many models from other countries come over to the US to achieve their dreams and get their career started. Are we the creators of this?

In Ireland is known to be friendly, open minded and big drinkers. After visiting, I think all these points are accurate. Irish people were so friendly to us at the pubs and social events. They enjoyed engaging in conversations about America and how it compared to Ireland. They were all very accepting of us and helped answer our questions. Many Irish were proud of their culture and their countries accomplishments. They are big fans of Guinness and Jameson, which were created in Ireland. They went wild when Ireland made it into the Eurocup, since Ireland is a very small country. Just these little things make me realize that there are nice, genuine people in the world.