Vocal Voices

For years and years and decades and years adverts and magazines have been produced by women, written by women and only directed at women. Their articles are mainly about these shoes, these handbags, these dresses, lipsticks, exercises, make ups, diets, hairstyles, and on and on and on. They go on about how to feel good, look good, look marvellous, look dashing, look beautiful - because you're worth it. And they are full of (often photoshopped) pictures of theee most beautiful women on the planet with promises that if you do the right things you too will be gorgeous - here's how.

Women and young girls have been objectified and sexualised for donkey's years without hardly a peep - mums even bought in to the hype to help out.

Now, all of a sudden, it's the fault of social media and there is an avalanche of 'reasons' as to how and why SM is hurting the girls. OK, I'm, in, lets ban all the twitface posts and influencers and things, but let's also take the 'professional' mags off the shelves at the same time, eh?

There has been pressure on women to follow fashions in clothing and beauty since time immemorial! Bugger all to do with social media, IMO

Kaz wrote:There has been pressure on women to follow fashions in clothing and beauty since time immemorial! Bugger all to do with social media, IMO

Precisely!

It was on C4, about weight, and it was all social media this and influencers that, and I sat there thinking to myself: Maybe C4 should check out a few of its adverts between programmes.

It was almost nuclear war between me and the ex v Becks regarding what clothes, jewellery and make up she was allowed, and at what age. Unfortunately a lot of young girls are now being brought up by parents who themselves had no boundaries and they too are part of the problem.

More like let's blame social media so politicians can get more power and influence over sm.
It's been happening for a while now.

Agree Crommers, governments hate SM (when not using it), because it has more reach than they do.

On the other hand, whilst peer pressure, pressure sales and "conformity" have been there forever, SM takes this to a level it has never been at. Whilst you might pick up a magazine or paper and see the adverts, or whilst you might be under some form of compulsion at school or with friends, the advent of the computer and tablet/phone, with SM there 24x7, right in your own bedroom, the pressure remains.

So there are some questions to be answered. But, for me, it comes down to personal, or parenting, control.

SM is here to stay and will remain uncontrollable, just as millions of people are uncontrollable. Society needs to adjust and compensate.