We Are Society

Imagine a world without any kind of media. A world where we don't see the "perfect" person on a daily basis. A world without billboards, magazines, or Internet. The only people available for comparison are real; they aren't photo shopped or edited. Real people with real problems and real bodies. Would any one of us be considered wrong? Condemnation is solely relative. It is proven that a person's initial response to seeing someone is criticizing him or her. Immediately after viewing a person, whether on the Internet, a magazine, or on a billboard, that person is instantly compared to either someone close to you, or yourself. This automatic way of perceiving others has been embedded in the heads of people across the world for generations. The society we live in today displays a type of alternate reality through media that creates a pretentious image of what a "perfect" person should be like.

Media has rewritten the story of reality; a parody of sorts. Even common things that have been around longer than anyone can remember have been parodied. Take westerners for example. What is a cowboy? Is it a rugged fellow with great abs and "stern, humorless looks" as the media indicates on Marlboro ads? Or is he "a man who possesses resilience, patience, and an instinct for survival" as "About Men" depicts based on history (Ehrlich). Our views on common characters are altered based on what a perfect image of those characters may have been thought to be. While society can claim cowboys to be "macho" and good looking, "ranchers still tip their hats and say, ‘Howdy, ma'am' instead of shaking hands." (Ehrlich)

One of the main tactics used by advertisers is the use of women. This strategy is extremely effective due to the way a perfect image has been etched into our minds. Women are attracted to viewing other women because of jealousy and comparison; men find women appealing