Do the Media Decide?

Miranda is 16 years old. She enjoys doing what every other girl her age likes doing. She has a typical life going to school, watching TV, going shopping with her friends, etc. But she also has ambition. She wants to be a model. Every week, she saves her pocket money to buy fashion magazines to study photos of famous models. They are her role models. Miranda’s mother, Wendy is quite unhappy about this. ‘It’s normal to have ambitions,’ she says. ‘But in Miranda’s case, it’s becoming an obsession. She doesn’t think anything else except being a model.’ According to Wendy, Miranda follows a strict diet and she works out more than normal because she wants to be thin. Wendy is worried that Miranda might get an eating disorder. ‘The media are responsible for this situation,’ her mum says. ‘All the teen magazines and the fashion bloggers tell the young people that the only thing that matters is how you look – your appearance. They promote the idea of ‘having a perfect body!’.

Are the media really responsible for situations like Miranda’s? Miranda’s sister Kelly, 19, has a different opinion; ‘I also buy lots of magazines but I don’t desire to be like the people in the magazines,’ says Kelly. ‘Magazines show you all kinds of people, not just celebrities. They are often informative and have nice pictures. That’s why I like them.’

So, who is right? Do the media decide on our appearances and our lifestyle? Are we all becoming obsessed with celebrities and their lives?