The document analyzes advertisements in Cosmopolitan, Shape, and Men's Health magazines over three weeks. The analysis finds that ads predominantly focus on weight loss, fitness goals, and celebrity/model influences. Specifically, 40% of ads relate to weight loss, fitness, and body image, while 25% are fashion/retail ads and 20% discuss plastic surgery. Both male and female magazines emphasize beauty through thinness and attractiveness. The constant focus on a singular definition of beauty promotes low self-esteem and influences people to conform to unrealistic appearance standards.

2.  Throughout generations amplified beauty ads in
magazines have forced men and women to feel
the need to renew their bodies and faces.
 Through research and content analysis I will
discover the true and in depth reasons towards
how we as a nation have allowed such negativity
towards our defined self esteem and self worth.
 The evolution of the definition of beautiful is ever so
changing because of the goals and intents of
media and communicational exploits in magazines

3.  A study of voluntary cosmetic surgeries in 1996 showed that about 696, 904 Americans underwent some type of
implantation or removal of body tissue (5). These popular surgeries are no longer just being seen in Hollywood
because they are now being done by the ordinary “housewife.”
 We judge one another as if we are looking for faults. Media and publications on television and the internet have
taught us that we should want to look like models or celebrities. Nancy Etcoff explains this dilemma she notes
that their bodies are met to be exciting and pleasing to the public eye.
 The twentieth century has taken a new turn on commercial and production advertisements. During the
nineteenth century a women’s natural body was accepted, but today the cosmetic advancements have
proved that the technological enhanced body image is becoming more popular (Schuller, 1).
 According to a 1998 Kellogg’s survey of 500 women over the age of 18 represented that about 62% feel that
they don’t live up to society’s view of the “ideal women” (Special K, 1).
 Historically men and women, (women specifically) are forced to be beautiful and presentable. But society’s
definition of presentable may be very different that that person’s outlook of how they should look. These people
all have expectations to live up to. Those expectations are negative, and display why beauty shouldn’t be
mixed with perspectives. Special K Opinion Corporation states, “A leading factor for women in determining ideal
body size and shape is how supermodels are portrayed in television advertising (69 percent) or fashion
magazines” (Special K, 1).
 Research also shows that men who work out excessively and follow strict eating patterns do not participate in
that specified lifestyle by choice. They are instead influenced highly by “macho” ads in magazines displaying
the ideal male body. This in turn increases body dissatisfaction by men (Meehan, 5).
 Research has showed that the young airbrushed perfect body of females in magazines seem to be directly
correlated with depression, eating disorders, and extremely low self esteem (Media Issues, 1).
 This “unattainable body” not only decreases attainability for readers but also ensures profits for diet ad industries
because they know pressures of purchased weight loss items will increase immediately after reading the
magazine (Media Issues, 2).
 One out of every four college female students use unhealthy means of weight loss by abusing laxatives, self
induced vomiting, or anorexia (Media Issues, 1).
 Body image advertisements enable social pressures to be seen in the attitudes of men and women when
deciding to conform to social standards of the ultimate body (Meehan, 2).

4. Although my research discovers ads towards the
negative impact of the social standards of external
beauty, they fail to cover the exact tactics towards
why such magazine sectors choose to high light these
topics. As a society we eat the media right up and
almost all chose to believe the ads and exploits of
what’s on the magazine stand. If we stopped
believing in what is being shown to us in magazines or
on the television screen would the goals of defined
internal or external beauty shift differently?

15. I assume to find that the influence of
beauty ads highly affect youth and adults
alike in today’s beautified goals of fitness,
facial advancements, and the ultimate
body. Also that even though we enable
such productivity in the media world of
beauty and aesthetics, we have the ability
to redefine it.

16.  I hope to find out how the evolution of
beauty actually affects readers world
wide. I specifically focused on
Cosmopolitan, Shape, and Men’s Health
Magazines.
 My hypothesis is that the content and
advertisements in these magazines (as
well as others) increase bodily
augmentations and extreme weight loss
or fitness goals.

17.  I believe this research is worth it because it
will explain the internal emotional battles
many of us fight each day as well as the
external pressures of why exactly we feel
the need to look or act a certain way.
 These pressures go hand and hand with
personality adjustments based on
expectations from society and even
confused identities of current generations.

18.  Beauty is personal.
 Beauty is feeling good enough.
 Beauty is looking in the mirror and loving
your body for what is it not what you
hope it could be.
 Beauty is loving yourself, all of it.
 Beauty is hopeful.
 Beauty is you.
 And beauty is ME.

19.  I determined my samples of analysis by
basing them off of what’s popular in
today’s media light and the magazines
people enjoy reading. I have a subscription
to Cosmo, my brother reads Men’s Health
monthly, and my sister subscribes to Shape.
 UNIT OF ANALYSIS= Looking through
magazines for a period of three weeks.
Throughout this period of time I chose 10
ads that spoke the most to my studies.

20. Raw Data Coding Label Category
J’adore perfume Actress showing desirable mood of how that scent makes Sex appeal / perfect body
advertisement with her feel which in turn increases profits of readers wanting
actress Charlize Theron the same feeling
Shape Magazine with Bikini perfect body shown by Kardashian forces this issue to Stardom and fashion mogul Kim K used to increase sales/
famous curvy Kim be a great sell with slogans such as “flat abs” and “slimmer celebrity influence
Kardashian sporting by next week”. This label of coding allows beauty to be
the cover received just by taking a glimpse at the cover page.
46 celebrity bodies These exploits of famous stars that show off their bodies at Famous influence/ beatified world of the ultimate beach
that consist of the best the beach and judged and criticized causing the public body
and worst beach eye to compare their bodies to the spectrum of hotness
bodies
Men’s Calvin Klein ad This underwear model displays his perfect body in the 6 pack abs dream body/ sex appeal
displays ideas of the magazine which in turn increases possibilities of sales of the
dreamt attractive underwear as well as other body perked items of weight
body for males loss and increased body muscle in the same issue
Shirtless model The magazine hopes to convince the reader to want to Fashion/ beauty
wearing voluptuous buy the jeans in hopes of rocking them just like she does.
jeans But if there are self-doubts of looking like she does, readers
will resort to weight loss tactics in order to get there.
Picture of the scale This common ad in my readings displayed pressures of Weight loss/ being satisfied with number = having self
with nervous feet of caring what the number of the scale reads. Although confidence
what the weight is beauty shouldn’t be defined by weight, hair, or face, it
being read to be seems to be the defined and determined factor in judging
one’s self worth.
Man’s picture of Although women seem to be the only one’s focused on Self-worth/ plastic surgery
before and after making themselves prettier by going under the knife, my
plastic surgery studies beg to differ. This picture is showing the man’s
positive results, which enhances the reader’s desire for such
procedures.
Ad about “zapping the Here in this ad the matters of being beautiful can be done Body Images/ weight loss/ confidence booster
fat’ and losing weight without surgery. In this article they showed the reader ways
without expensive to be skinny without cosmetic needs. These ads showcase
surgery the length magazines will go to high light the importance of
being beautiful externally.
Ad about stuffing one’s This self-explanatory ad shows the frustration of “bad foods” Health tips/ ANTI junk food/tips to receiving the body you
face with treats and that get in the way of a diet. But instead of enforcing the want
feeling guilty for it OK of treats once and awhile, they display such acts as
negative.
Plastic Surgery junkie This shows the pressures of how exactly some models reach Negative impact of the actuality of being perfect/ sex
ad the goal of looking the way they look. These procedures appeal
are normally the answer to a flat stomach, uplifted face, or
perfect legs.

21.  Throughout my three week study I came to the realization
that male and female based pressures in the media through
internal and external beauty are even.
 The tone of my coding was ultimately sex appeal, weight loss,
celebrity influences, and plastic surgery.
 25% retail/ fashion, 20% plastic surgery, 40% weight loss/
fitness/ and 15% perfumes or cosmetics
 The most highly seen ad in my opinion and based off of my
findings was weight loss. These ads were seen almost on
every page of all three magazines. These were usually in the
form of fitness goals, dream bodies, diet habits, and celebrity
models showcasing the body female or males wish for.

22. We define our beauty by ads in magazines or on the
television because we allow them to effect us in that
way. But because of this constant singular definition
of beauty we chose no other way but to let it control
who we are because it’s what we absorb through the
popular media. Advertisement affect both genders
by controlling personal perceptions of body image
which simultaneously affect internal emotions through
self-esteem. These ads influence the general
population of men and woman alike which allow
goals of beauty and perfection to overshadow
confidence and objectives of finding oneself in this
self pertained fixated society.

23.  Etcoff, Nancy (1999). Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty. New York: First
Anchor Books. Ed. A Division of Random House Inc.
 Meehan, Michelle. A Campaign for Male Beauty. The Influence of Advertisement on the Male Body. 2009. Illinois
Wesleyan University. 3 April 2012. <http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1129&context
=psych_honproj>.
 Media Awareness Network. Beauty and Body Image in the Media. Media Issues. 20 Mar 2012. Media Awareness
Network. <http://www.mediaawareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_
girls/women_beauty.cfm>.
 Press Clippings and Media Coverage. (2010, November 1). New Kellogg's(R)
Special K(R) Cereal Campaign Speaks Honestly About Body Image; Tells Women That Confidence, Not Dress.
Kellogg US. 6 (10). Retrieved from http://www.about-face.org/r/press/kellog020298.shtml
 Schuller, Kyla. (2001). Facial Uplift: Plastic Surgery, Cosmetics and the Retailing of
Whiteness Work of Maria Christina Mena. Journal of Modern Literature, 32(4)
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