Beg to Differ? I Think Not!

Some readers may argue that because Life & Style Weekly claims to be more geared towards a lifestyle magazine that focuses on celebrity beauty, health and trends, it only makes sense that it focuses so much on body image, but even its sister magazine, InTouch Weekly, which is under the same publisher is guilty of focusing so harshly on looks. InTouch Weekly, which is supposedly aimed more at celebrity news, still degrades and picks apart women’s images on the front covers of their weekly issues. Topics concerning weight gain, body image, among the few, pop up frequently. It is almost hard for society not to feast their eyes on these covers which shout to the world “look at this women who has gained X amount of weight”, “check out this star who can’t feed herself properly” or “guess who went under the knife again”! If such seemingly beautiful role models can’t be accepted for who they are before makeup, after weight gain, or a bit bony, how can the young girls who look up to these celebs without creating connotations about their own characteristics?

               Consider these InTouch Weekly covers where (coincidence or not?) Kim Kardashian is once again called out for her pregnancy weight gain. For Pete’s Sake, she was pregnant! One cover implies she was dumped due to her weight gain, another saying she had a 4,200-calorie diet and the third claims she desperately went on a liquid diet! InTouch Weekly and Life & Style Weekly have covers upon covers that portray women in this way, it just so happens that recently many of their covers are of Kim Kardashian because her appearance has been such a huge topic. It is important to keep in mind though that degrading magazine covers can be found of many different celebrities and public figures all with the same downfall of picking apart a woman’s appearance.

A quote from www.nationaleatingdisorders.org website makes a great point through which it says, “Mass media provides a significantly influential context for people to learn about body ideals and the value placed on being attractive.” Life & Style Weekly is a piece of media with the power to extend “body ideals” and “the value placed on being attracted” on countless people. It goes on to say even, “…the second most common source of such images is the advertisements in teen magazines directed at adolescent girls.” This quote, which is referring to degrading images of women, is a powerful point that shows how much effect this kind of media can have on people, in specific adolescent girls.

The photos, images and claims made on the front cover of Life & Style Weekly, as well at its sister mag, InTouch Weekly, creates a high expectation and standard of women’s appearance in society to the eyes of women themselves and men. From weight gain, to weight loss, to beauty achieved through caked on makeup, the emphasis of what it takes to achieve standards of beauty according Life & Style Weekly’s magazine covers is unfair, out of focus and a dangerous influence to society.