Do magazines pressure today's young people?

[DamonJ]

I figured I would make a thread to here your opinions on how today's magazines mould young people into how celebrities look and how they feel about themselves. Many reports have been seen about how magazines make young people think they SHOULD be thin, or how magazines are making today's society celebrity obsessed.

Well, I am 13, and I subscribed to heat magazine not so long ago. And from reading it it doesn't make me feel that I should look or feel different about anything. I am not happy with the way I look, but I do not feel that the magazine makes me feel I should look different.

You hear about teenagers comitting suicide because they were fat and wish they looked like today's stars (most of which are talentless). I just wondered if you thought magazines pressured young people into having to look a certain way...

[Ann]

I Myself Think They Do Aswell As I've Read Some Of These Magazines Too and Some Things They Put In Them It Does Edge Todays Teenagers On How Big They Are and Some Of Them Do Put About Other Stuff Aswell As To Me Theuy Should Put In ASbout Their Favourite Celebraties On How They Are Not On How Thin Or Obese They Are As It Can Start Teenagers Thinking Things Aswell :kiss:

[~Kizwiz~]

Magazines today do have a lot to do with how people want to be, the raz mags like heat, closer star etc mock clebs for what they wear, how their hair looks and how they behave, they revel in celebs (if you can call some of them that) downfalls.

But then you have the more upmarket magazines like Company, Elle and Marie Claire that have loads and loads of pages which more often than most project the image of stick thin models and high end fashion. They have adverts for Chanel, Gucci and Dior etc so they make it expectable that we should be perfect and most importantly, thin oh and have lots of money so we can afford the things they advertise.

[Jackie]

I think some of them do some of them are quite explicit especially regarding sex.Theirs pressure all around us in the papers on the telly,but we're still seeing stick thin models in most magazines.Some teenagers are vunerable and they feel pressirised into staying thin.

[Ashleee:)]

i think they do. but only some people. i know i didnt really care about anything i read, sao i think its a personal thing, but as a whole yeah i would say they do. And there's proof, some kids admit to it.

[Matt10k]

I think the problems extend beyond magazines to the media as a whole. Films, tv, magazines etc... and even to what is deemed ‘acceptable’ in society. It's impossible not to be affected by this constant barrage of the supposed ‘ideal’ the media likes to bombard us with from all angles.

For example… One minute it's best if a woman is stick thin, the next they have to have boobs and hips otherwise, they are labelled ‘disgustingly thin’ and 'boyish'. (Must be real nice for all those naturally skinny girls out there who are being made to feel ashamed because they are naturally so thin). I’m naturally thin myself and it even annoys me!

But mainly I think these things put pressure on the young, naive and easily led people in particular who may find it hard to see where this fiction stops and reality begins. They think they should act like the people they see in magazines or on soaps little realising this isn't realistic at all. Problems arise when they can never live up to this unrealistic ideal and lets face it, how the hell can they ever live up to it, it’s so unrealistic!

And now I see an even younger generation being targeted because we now have adverts aimed at young children. Decisions that used to be made by parents now rest on the shoulders of kids (and increasingly younger ones at that). They see the ads on tv- they get bullied if they don’t have the right thing and they can never be popular if they don’t conform to the media ‘standard’.

Simple truth: the media knows how easy it is to market to young children and how parents will do anything to make sure their children are not bullied and are happy. They know exactly what they are doing when they market these big ad campaigns at children, making kids feel like outsiders if they don‘t have the latest thing.

It makes me so mad because I think it is a massive problem in this country and the insecurities and depression it can cause. The fact that nobody seems to be able to be an individual anymore, it’s so sad.

[supernoodles!]

Personally I am influenced by the pictures in glossy mags of celebs and models.You just cant avoid it,were given a picture of some one such as Victoria Beckham and the magazine says 'style icon' next to it-what are us teenage females supposed to think?Ok so one picture may not have us phased but picture after picture ,magazine after magazine and ther message starts to stick,thin is in,simple as that.
These women who are considered beautiful,talented,with a perfect body and wardrobe often have gorgeous boyfriends/husbands and are extrememly wealthy and successful this is attractive to teenage girls in particular and therefore many try to emulate them

[tinkerbell]

Magazines should be banned, people are so competitive.

[MarkWaldorf]

This whole 'media corruption' thing is just a win-lose battle. Many magazines pressure people to become really skinny because they're the only girls that get on the cover. But then there's the backlash against these things like 'size zero'. People should just be comfortable with who they are, because the only person who should control your appearance is yourself.

IMO it really is what's on the inside that counts.

[Xander]

There was/still is this issure over size zero and it mainly focuses on teenage girls. All these magazines you see have these incredibley skinny models, and it is advertising the fact that if you want to look this good you got to be skinny and beautiful.