Thousands of girls look in the mirror, feeling self-conscious about their weight. They starve themselves, constantly workout, or purge just so they can have the “perfect body.” In their eyes, a thin waist, skinny thighs, and a flat chest is the only way for them to look beautiful. But what causes this hatred of their own body? In the articles, “Our Barbie, Ourselves” by Emily Prager and “Celebrity Bodies” by Daniel Harris, both authors agree that media is the source of unrealistic body image views, but they differ on who is at fault: those viewing the media or those in the media. Both articles agree that the spread of pictures and advertisements through media is the source for body image problems in females. For instance, Barbie, commonly advertised in commercials and …show more content…
Prager believes the celebrities who gain weight or have eating disorders and sellers who create the products are at fault while Harris believes that the American people who constantly criticize celebrities are to blame for supporting the media. Specifically, Prager blames Barbie’s creator, Jack Ryan, for creating a doll with “giant breasts and high-heeled feet” (Prager). Thus, because the creator intentionally made a “hourglass” body that represents perfection, he argues Ryan and other celebrities are to blame for girls feeling like they must have the “perfect body.” On the other hand, Harris argues that the American people are to blame for constantly criticizing celebrities’ decisions. Specifically, he claims that “fat, anxious Americans create Hollywood” (Harris) by criticizing celebrities who gain weight and undergo plastic surgery; consequently, this disgust with a celebrity’s imperfections later reflects onto American girls who see the hatred that celebrities face for their flaws. Harris and Prager disagree on who is to blame for allowing negative body images to be spread into media: the famous or