Part I.
PERIODICAL ANALYSIS PAPER
DUE DATE: 11:30am, Thursday 19th February, 2015.
STUDENT'S NAME: Leah Rea
TITLE OF ARTICLE: ‘The Effects of Cosmetic Surgery Reality Shows on Women’s Beliefs of Beauty Privileges, Perceptions of Cosmetic Surgery, and Desires for Cosmetic Enhancements’
DATE OF ARTICLE: Summer 2014 (Vol. 16, Issue 1)
AUTHOR(s) OF ARTICLE: Shu-Yueh Lee (University of Wisconsin Oshkosh)
JOURNAL USED: American Communication Journal
PAGE NUMBERS: (in the American Communication Journal) pg 1-14
Part II.
SUMMARY OF ARTICLE: ‘Beauty’ and its definition are controversial. What one considers beautiful may be different to another. Whilst subjective, society may however be collectively influenced in its popular definition of what constitutes ‘beauty’ through influential mediums such as the media i.e. in the form of reality television programmes. It could be argued that the social definition and construct of ‘beauty’ ultimately derives from the perception crafted by such influential mediums. The message from these television programmes is communicated to the viewer in such a way as to reinforce beauty norms and subtly raise the suggestion that the viewer can transform their appearance into the ideal. Considering the consequential impact of the viewing of reality television programmes which focus on cosmetic surgery, Lee’s article ‘The Effects of Cosmetic Surgery Reality Shows on Women’s Beliefs of Beauty Privileges, Perceptions of Cosmetic Surgery, and Desires for Cosmetic Enhancements’ sought to undertake an experimental study into whether these programmes influence women to consider cosmetic surgery by persuasion, emphasising perceived benefits of these procedures and thereby manipulating the women’s perception of beauty norms.
Lee considers how these reality television programmes are portrayed as an effective means to improve the quality of life of the patient undergoing the surgery; the programmes are essentially ‘fairealty tales’ (pg 2) that chronicle the transformation from the unhappy, unattractive individual suffering in both career and personal lives due to their appearance to confident and attractive, successful in both their career and personal life following their cosmetic surgery. By exploiting the effects of ‘priming’ – the activation of stored knowledge to make snap decisions – in the relationship between media message and perceived body image, the media’s use of attractive images e.g. in cosmetic reality television programmes can activate thoughts and emotions pertaining to the viewer in relation to their own body image, usually with negative results which cause the viewer to consider ways to obtain the ‘perfect’ appearance as communicated by the media. Following this theory, Lee undertook an experimental study to determine whether cosmetic surgery reality television programmes increase the desire of the viewer to consider cosmetic surgery.
In this study, 295 test subjects were divided into three groups, comprising of one experimental group and two control groups. The experimental group watched a 25 minute video containing scenes from cosmetic surgery reality television programmes such as Extreme Makeover. The control groups however watched 25 minute videos that contained non-cosmetic surgery reality television programme scenes, such as America’s Got Talent. The results showed that the perceived benefits of cosmetic procedures and the beliefs of beauty privileges in society increased with the amount of exposure to cosmetic surgery reality television programmes. As such, the judgments of the subjects in the experimental group exposed to cosmetic surgery reality television programmes reflected the messages conveyed by these programmes. The experimental group subjects were more likely to undergo cosmetic surgery as a result, believing that the perceived benefits of undergoing such a procedure outweighed the risks involved. The ‘priming’ effect was therefore exploited as these subjects underwent an emotional trigger as they analysed the relationship between the articulated message from the cosmetic surgery reality television programmes and their own perceptions of body image. As their emotions were triggered, their thoughts were influenced by the media message of their definition of ‘beauty’, resulting in the acceptance of this message and the desire to undergo cosmetic surgery and reap the perceived benefits of same.
Lee acknowledges there are limitations to be considered in relation to this study, for example there was a lack of demographic diversity as of the 295 test subjects, 86.7% were white and 8.8% were African American. This lack of accurate social representation is further evidenced by the fact that the sample was comprised entirely of college students. In addition, the cosmetic surgery scenes watched by the experimental groups were intensified due to their 25 minute duration which may be the determining factor for the result of the increased desire to consider cosmetic surgery.
Part III.
1) Selected complementary comparative articles:
Title: ‘The Normalisation of Cosmetic Surgery in Women’s Magazines from 1960 to 1989’
Authors: Shu-Yueh Lee, Naeemah Clark.
Source: Journal of Magazine and New Media Research
Date: Vol. 15, No. 1 Spring 2014
This is considered to be a good critical choice as a comparative article due to the fact that it considers the normalisation of cosmetic surgery as portrayed in popular media, targeted at women, over nearly three decades. It also compliments the research undertaken by Lee in the previously discussed article by suggesting that increased, repetitive exposure to cosmetic surgery through persuasive language over a prolonged period of time will result in an increase of the desire to consider undertaking such procedures due to the constant emphasis on the perceived benefits to be gained. The key theme which is present in both this article and the previously discussed article is that beauty is essential for a woman to successfully participate in society. Failure to be beautiful results in the failure to be recognised in society due to the media-constructed ‘reality’ that influences the societal perception of beauty.
Having selected three popular magazines, Lee and Clark examine how the normalisation and societal acceptance of cosmetic surgery occurred through the careful, constant repetition of the same message: that being that cosmetic surgery was an effective and efficient means for any woman to achieve her desired success, whether romantic, financial or personal through improving her appearance to match the perception of ‘beauty’ in her era. This is because the articles in these selected magazines which discussed cosmetic surgery subtly suggested that beauty was essential for any woman hoping to achieve success and therefore played on the fears of women by suggesting that by not considering such a means of improving their appearance, they could not hope to succeed, whether in their personal lives or in their chosen profession. It is evident through the research undertaken by Lee and Clark that by exploiting these fears on an emotional basis, the articles were able to influence the thoughts of the female readers and therefore ensure the creation of the perception of beauty, how it could be attained as well as the perceived benefits to be derived from undergoing cosmetic procedures. Similarly to the research undertaken by Lee in ‘The Effects of Cosmetic Surgery Reality Shows on Women’s Beliefs of Beauty Privileges, Perceptions of Cosmetic Surgery, and Desires for Cosmetic Enhancements’, it is evident that the media sought to create a new reality for the female audience through the constant refrain of beauty was the pathway to success and in order to succeed you must be beautiful according to the perception of society; women who therefore refused to bow to pressure and undertake such procedures were trapped in a ‘beauty backlash’. As Lee and Clark suggest, the successful creation of this ‘reality’ was achieved through the repetition of the communication of the media message over the years, it ‘did not happen overnight’ (pg 1).
In order to demonstrate the role of the media in reinforcing beauty norms and therefore promoting cosmetic surgery via thought manipulation and influencing perception, Lee and Clark undertook discourse analysis to analysis the themes and dominant images/messages of cosmetic surgery articles. This was the selected method as it focuses ‘not only on what is said, but also how it is said’ (pg 5) which is a key theme of PR and mass communication. This demonstrates the understanding of PR altruism in that it is not what is being communicated to the public, but how it is communicated that matters, whether in terms of persuasive language or emotive, visual imagery.
The result of their research demonstrated that increased exposure to the idea of cosmetic surgery through persuasive language and visual imagery resulted in the perceived belief that cosmetic surgery was effective and efficient, readily accessible to the average woman. In addition, they determined that there was a repetitive theme of objectification and dehumanisation of the female body as a means to manipulate the thought process of the reader to critique their own appearance and therefore desire a transformation – obviously to be sought via cosmetic surgery. Again, the exploitation of fear to influence behaviour is evident. There was also a recurrent theme of emphasising that a truly liberated woman would consider cosmetic surgery for their own self-improvement and not for another’s pleasure i.e. husband; this aptly demonstrates how the magazines, by remaining abreast of current popular trends, continued to promote cosmetic surgery to women, in this case by capitalising on the then-increasingly popular trend of female independence.
Finally, the authors note that narrative strategy was vital for the articles discussing cosmetic surgery across all three selected magazines. This would need communicate the message of the media’s portrayal of beauty and thus influence the reader’s thoughts. This was achieved by firstly having an attractive title which would catch the attention of the reader. Then, the article would engage with the reader using their own language, not medical jargon which would not be understood. In addition, beauty and health were ‘presented as interchangeable’ (pg 14) by a heavy reliance on symbolism of female body parts; this was achieved by creating a ‘fantasy’ which the reader could create their dreamt-of ideal body (pg 13). Thus the persuasive language and imagery would trigger an emotional response and so enable the magazines’ message to be accepted.
Title: ‘“That’s Part of What We Do”: The Performative Power of Vogue’s Anna Wintour’
Author: David Weiss
Source: Journal of Magazine and New Media Research
Date: Vol. 15, No. 1 Spring 2014
I selected this as my second article due to its continuing examination into Vogue magazine, which was one of the selected magazines examined in ‘The Normalisation of Cosmetic Surgery in Women’s Magazines from 1960 to 1989’. I selected this article as it demonstrates the role of the powerful, agenda setting elite in devising a message to be communicated to the public in order to manipulate their thoughts and persuade them to a course of action which then allows for the advancement of the elite’s agenda. Thus this article allows for the examination of the ‘manufacturing of consent’ principle of Bernays in practical application. In this case, the elite is headed by the editor of the fashion magazine, Anna Wintour. Weiss examines how if Vogue in the ‘most influential’ (pg 1) magazine in the fashion world, then consequently Wintour is the ‘most powerful’ figure in the industry. The article also considers the role of ‘media effects’ i.e. how mass media, mass communications and its relationship with its audience affect how this audience thinks and behaves due to influential and manipulative dissemination of information.
Weiss highlights that due to the power wielded by Wintour and consequently the Vogue magazine, it must be understood that the media therefore holds ‘great sway’ (pg 2) over their audiences. As such, audiences are receptive to their messages, which enables their thoughts and beliefs to be influenced and behaviours manipulated, as the previous two articles demonstrated in terms of cosmetic surgery. Considering the important role played by media effects, Weiss suggests that exposure to mass media and therefore the message communicated by the mass media results in social and psychology changes in both the individual and society as a whole. The effects of mass media are increased the longer the exposure is prolonged; the previous articles demonstrated that repetition of the message of the perceived benefits of cosmetic surgery over a period of time, the saturation of the magazines with this message, led to an increase in the acceptance of cosmetic surgery as well as the desire to consider undertaking such a procedure. Exposure to such a message will result in the reflection of that message in the beliefs of those so exposed.
Weiss suggests that due to the power wielded by Wintour – Weiss mentions how she is perceived as a ‘kingmaker’ (pg 11) - and the respect afforded to her by the fashion industry, her agenda is promoted in her magazine and the industry will duly follow suit. As such, those who follow fashion will inevitably accept any and all messages communicated to them via these mediums and thus their behaviour will be manipulated due to this exposure.
Weiss concludes that Wintour actively participates in the creation of events (pg 18) and ‘newsworthy’ items which are duly covered and promoted by her magazine, then disseminated through the fashion sphere. Wintour therefore uses the media to fulfil her agenda and in doing so can influence the thoughts of the readers of Vogue through prolonged exposure to the communicated message of her agenda.
2)
Shu-Yueh Lee Shu-Yueh Lee is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Journalism at the University of Wisconsin- Oshkosh, having joined in 2009. Lee had previously gained her Ph.D. in Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee in 2009 and also holds two master degrees, in Radio and Television from National Chengchi University in Taiwan and the other in Information Media from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Her specialist area of research is Electronic Media/Converging Media, and her teaching areas include audience and media market research and research methods, among others.
Lee's research has been published in journals such as the Communication, Culture, and Critique and the Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. In addition to having her work published, Lee has presented her research studies and findings at several communication conferences including the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and International Communication Association.
Finally, Lee has worked in and acquired expertise of the field of media since 1999. Prior to entering her doctoral programme, she worked for a media research firm in Taiwan where she undertook media research projects for radio stations, television stations, newspapers and advertising agents.
I believe that Lee is experienced in the field of media and media relations/communications and is an expert especially in the areas of Media and its relationship with the audience; this can be evidenced by her academic achievements such as gaining a Ph.D. and teaching in these areas whilst also undertaking research and having work published. Also, her knowledge of theory is complimented by practice; she had spent several years working for a media result firm where she was hired to conduct research for various media mediums including newspapers and television stations. She is evidently interested in the effects of cosmetic surgery and the creation of a perceived reality for the viewers of television programmes including cosmetic surgery scenes as demonstrated by her article, ‘The Power of Beauty in Reality Plastic Surgery Shows: Romance, Career, and Happiness’ in Communication, Culture & Critique (December 2009 Vol. 2, Issue 4, pg 503–519) and has obviously undertaken a great deal of research into this area.
The above information is essential to be aware of as it demonstrates the reliability of the submitted arguments, hypothesis and research contained within the chosen article for analysis. As Lee has experience in both the practical and theoretical realms of media and its relationship with the public, one can conclude her studies and submitted arguments are accurate and of sound research which can be trusted and relied upon.
3)
Whilst reading Lee’s article I was intrigued to discover the true extent of the fashion/beauty industry and the weight attached to ‘beauty’ norms and standards by society. I was interested in discovering how effective prolonged media exposure can truly be in influencing thought process and manipulating behaviours. To consider that cosmetic surgery is essentially marketed as a ‘catch-all miracle’, in that it could aid in career promotion, solve both social and romantic problems etc. and that this marketing strategy is successful through skillful PR and mass media communications was fascinating, albeit slightly sinister to consider. I could not help but ponder why society is so eager to follow the lead of the mass media in accepting its definition of beauty and therefore allowing a fake reality to be constructed. I believe this to be important to realise for it must tie in with the ‘herd mentality’ theory in that we all desire to be accepted and be recognised in society, and therefore highlights the willingness of the mass media to exploit this fear of inadequacy and rejection in order to disseminate information and manipulate by persuasion.
I was interested to discover the role of ‘priming’ i.e. the resulting effects of preceding stimuli on those who perceive them and the subsequent effect on the perceiver’s judgment of events. This is important for it reinforces that people generally do not process all information they have on a given subject to reach a certain decision. As a society, especially in modern times, we demand instant gratification and therefore are more likely to utilise information we may quickly have access to or base a decision on something which suddenly springs to our mind. It is also important because it again demonstrates another means of exploitation by the mass media to persuade and manipulate, by capitalising on our need for instant decision-making and our lack of thorough and exhaustive information processing.
Finally, I thought it was interesting to note that according to Lee’s study, regardless of age a majority of women will actively consider cosmetic surgery due to perceived benefits and therefore dismiss any associated risks due to the exposure of media communications which persuade them into this consideration. I would have previously assumed that younger women would have been most likely to have been affected by exposure to mass media cosmetic surgery promotion and saturation as I would have considered younger women e.g. teenagers to be more vulnerable to persuasive language or emotive imagery. This I find important as it demonstrates that the sense of worry about appearance, of conforming with the media-constructed standard of beauty and the fear of being deemed so unattractive as to suffer in social circles as well as in employment is something felt by a majority of women, seemingly regardless of age or ethnicity, etc. It therefore demonstrates the ease in which women are exploited – it is a mass market which is being consistently exposed to the influential media message.
4)
I would rate Lee’s article, ‘The Effects of Cosmetic Surgery Reality Shows on Women’s Beliefs of Beauty Privileges, Perceptions of Cosmetic Surgery, and Desires for Cosmetic Enhancements’ as a 4 according to the given scale. The subject matter was interesting and the information provided was relevant, enlightening and it was evident a great deal of research had been undertaken in carrying out this experimental study.
The information suggests that the greater the exposure to mass media coverage of cosmetic surgery and the promotion of same as a viable and accessible means of improving one’s image, self-worth and therefore position in society is an important topic which deserves more attention. This is especially true in today’s society, where beauty is distorted which results in the distortion of perception and reality for example consider how airbrushed or photoshopped, stick-thin models on the front pages of glossy magazines are the –societally accepted -norm. Such exposure to this saturation can potentially be dangerous, especially to younger girls, due to their perceptions of such an appearance as being societally acceptable and therefore they must modify themselves to fulfil society’s expectations. The creation of this fake reality and the consequences of growing up in such an environment is therefore worthy of thorough research.
Whilst the results of her research were clear and concise with an insightful analysis, due to the limitations of the research provided by the experimental study of Lee, I had to give this article a 4 rating. Several limitations of this study should be addressed. The sample of this study was entirely college students and therefore unrepresentative of the general population. There is also a problem regarding the lack of demographic diversity; relevant as the perceptions of beauty as considered by a black woman may differ from that of a white woman. Finally, there is another restriction in terms of the viewing environment and context. It was different to how the subjects would normally watch a programme and this could have resulted in them being uncomfortable, feeling naturally more negative or being more alert and perceptive and therefore more likely to be persuaded by the images of cosmetic surgery.
5)
I could not help but be reminded of James and his comment that ‘truth happens to an idea’. (Stuart Ewen, ‘PR! A Social History of Spin’ pg 34).
What we each consider as truth is similar to how we each view reality as a construct – our definition and therefore belief differs. This is confirmed by James’ theory in that the truth is essentially nothing more than a mere ‘byproduct of human history’ which in turn is derived from human interaction and the world at large – or straight from the mass media mouthpiece. I feel that the concept and definition of truth is inherently intertwined with the view and definition of what is public and public opinion: they are all ideas, which can be adapted to suit our purpose. What is true about an idea is not actually inherent within in. What I state as truth may be different to what another states as truth, simply because we take different accounts of ownership of the idea we attach truth to. Again, perception, manipulation and the communication of these is at the forefront. This is exactly the reason why I feel this quote aptly fits with my chosen article, ‘The Effects of Cosmetic Surgery Reality Shows on Women’s Beliefs of Beauty Privileges, Perceptions of Cosmetic Surgery, and Desires for Cosmetic Enhancements’.
The mass media, at the beckoning of the fashion industry, readily attach ‘truth’ to the idea of cosmetic surgery as a means of a miracle cure to all problems faced by the modern woman, in line with the media communicated perception of beauty which has influenced society’s beauty expectations and perceptions. Clearly, whatever is true about this idea is simply not inherent within in. For example, as Lee acknowledges in the article, whilst cosmetic surgery can transform your appearance, patients will have unrealistic expectations of such surgery due to their belief in the media communications pertaining to the surgery, which can only be described as hyperbolic. The cosmetic reality television programmes will depict those participating on the programme as being unhappy and perceiving themselves as inferior – therefore crafting a ‘relatable’ persona to the viewer who subtly encourage through ‘priming’ effects to feel inferior themselves in order to have their emotions exploited and their behaviour manipulated by the programme’s message – and they magically transform into a positive, confident ‘winner’ following their surgery. In addition, the cosmetic reality television programmes portray such procedures as being the powerful cure for any and all ill suffered by women in modern society, be it relationships, work, socialising etc. The media know this is not true, it cannot be true. However, they create the perception of such truth through the visual imagery in the programme which depicts this remarkable transformation right before the very eyes of the viewer; as such it is successfully applied to the idea and accepted as truth by the viewer who is then compelled to consider cosmetic surgery themselves. The acceptance of this fake truth has led to the creation of a fake reality, which has expectations regarding beauty for women in the society dominated by such a reality. Under pressure to conform to society and fulfil the perceptions of beauty, women consider cosmetic surgery, and due to positive communications of the media only consider the perceived benefits to be gained and not the associated risks. Even though it is a very real truth that cosmetic surgery may go horribly wrong, this is dismissed as being dramatized or even a lie in this media-constructed reality. Persuasive language and visual, emotive imagery leads to the manipulation of behaviour and therefore the acceptance of a truth constructed by the mass media and applied to an idea.
Works Cited:
Lee, Shu-Yueh
– ‘The Effects of Cosmetic Surgery Reality Shows on Women’s Beliefs of Beauty Privileges, Perceptions of Cosmetic Surgery, and Desires for Cosmetic Enhancements’ American Communication Journal (Summer 2014 Vol. 16, Issue 1) 1-14
- ‘The Power of Beauty in Reality Plastic Surgery Shows: Romance, Career, and Happiness’ Communication, Culture & Critique (December 2009 Vol.2, Issue 4) 503–519
- With Clark, Naeemah, ‘The Normalisation of Cosmetic Surgery in Women’s Magazines from 1960 to 1989’ Journal of Magazine and New Media Research (Spring 2014 Vol. 15, No. 1)
Weiss, David, ‘“That’s Part of What We Do”: The Performative Power of Vogue’s Anna Wintour’ Journal of Magazine and New Media Research (Spring 2014 Vol. 15, No. 1)
PERIODICAL ANALYSIS PAPER
DUE DATE: 11:30am, Thursday 19th February, 2015.
STUDENT'S NAME: Leah Rea
TITLE OF ARTICLE: ‘The Effects of Cosmetic Surgery Reality Shows on Women’s Beliefs of Beauty Privileges, Perceptions of Cosmetic Surgery, and Desires for Cosmetic Enhancements’
DATE OF ARTICLE: Summer 2014 (Vol. 16, Issue 1)
AUTHOR(s) OF ARTICLE: Shu-Yueh Lee (University of Wisconsin Oshkosh)
JOURNAL USED: American Communication Journal
PAGE NUMBERS: (in the American Communication Journal) pg 1-14
Part II.
SUMMARY OF ARTICLE: ‘Beauty’ and its definition are controversial. What one considers beautiful may be different to another. Whilst subjective, society may however be collectively influenced in its popular definition of what constitutes ‘beauty’ through influential mediums such as the media i.e. in the form of reality television programmes. It could be argued that the social definition and construct of ‘beauty’ ultimately derives from the perception crafted by such influential mediums. The message from these television programmes is communicated to the viewer in such a way as to reinforce beauty norms and subtly raise the suggestion that the viewer can transform their appearance into the ideal. Considering the consequential impact of the viewing of reality television programmes which focus on cosmetic surgery, Lee’s article ‘The Effects of Cosmetic Surgery Reality Shows on Women’s Beliefs of Beauty Privileges, Perceptions of Cosmetic Surgery, and Desires for Cosmetic Enhancements’ sought to undertake an experimental study into whether these programmes influence women to consider cosmetic surgery by persuasion, emphasising perceived benefits of these procedures and thereby manipulating the women’s perception of beauty norms.
Lee considers how these reality television programmes are portrayed as an effective means to improve the quality of life of the patient undergoing the surgery; the programmes are essentially ‘fairealty tales’ (pg 2) that chronicle the transformation from the unhappy, unattractive individual suffering in both career and personal lives due to their appearance to confident and attractive, successful in both their career and personal life following their cosmetic surgery. By exploiting the effects of ‘priming’ – the activation of stored knowledge to make snap decisions – in the relationship between media message and perceived body image, the media’s use of attractive images e.g. in cosmetic reality television programmes can activate thoughts and emotions pertaining to the viewer in relation to their own body image, usually with negative results which cause the viewer to consider ways to obtain the ‘perfect’ appearance as communicated by the media. Following this theory, Lee undertook an experimental study to determine whether cosmetic surgery reality television programmes increase the desire of the viewer to consider cosmetic surgery.
In this study, 295 test subjects were divided into three groups, comprising of one experimental group and two control groups. The experimental group watched a 25 minute video containing scenes from cosmetic surgery reality television programmes such as Extreme Makeover. The control groups however watched 25 minute videos that contained non-cosmetic surgery reality television programme scenes, such as America’s Got Talent. The results showed that the perceived benefits of cosmetic procedures and the beliefs of beauty privileges in society increased with the amount of exposure to cosmetic surgery reality television programmes. As such, the judgments of the subjects in the experimental group exposed to cosmetic surgery reality television programmes reflected the messages conveyed by these programmes. The experimental group subjects were more likely to undergo cosmetic surgery as a result, believing that the perceived benefits of undergoing such a procedure outweighed the risks involved. The ‘priming’ effect was therefore exploited as these subjects underwent an emotional trigger as they analysed the relationship between the articulated message from the cosmetic surgery reality television programmes and their own perceptions of body image. As their emotions were triggered, their thoughts were influenced by the media message of their definition of ‘beauty’, resulting in the acceptance of this message and the desire to undergo cosmetic surgery and reap the perceived benefits of same.
Lee acknowledges there are limitations to be considered in relation to this study, for example there was a lack of demographic diversity as of the 295 test subjects, 86.7% were white and 8.8% were African American. This lack of accurate social representation is further evidenced by the fact that the sample was comprised entirely of college students. In addition, the cosmetic surgery scenes watched by the experimental groups were intensified due to their 25 minute duration which may be the determining factor for the result of the increased desire to consider cosmetic surgery.
Part III.
1) Selected complementary comparative articles:
Title: ‘The Normalisation of Cosmetic Surgery in Women’s Magazines from 1960 to 1989’
Authors: Shu-Yueh Lee, Naeemah Clark.
Source: Journal of Magazine and New Media Research
Date: Vol. 15, No. 1 Spring 2014
This is considered to be a good critical choice as a comparative article due to the fact that it considers the normalisation of cosmetic surgery as portrayed in popular media, targeted at women, over nearly three decades. It also compliments the research undertaken by Lee in the previously discussed article by suggesting that increased, repetitive exposure to cosmetic surgery through persuasive language over a prolonged period of time will result in an increase of the desire to consider undertaking such procedures due to the constant emphasis on the perceived benefits to be gained. The key theme which is present in both this article and the previously discussed article is that beauty is essential for a woman to successfully participate in society. Failure to be beautiful results in the failure to be recognised in society due to the media-constructed ‘reality’ that influences the societal perception of beauty.
Having selected three popular magazines, Lee and Clark examine how the normalisation and societal acceptance of cosmetic surgery occurred through the careful, constant repetition of the same message: that being that cosmetic surgery was an effective and efficient means for any woman to achieve her desired success, whether romantic, financial or personal through improving her appearance to match the perception of ‘beauty’ in her era. This is because the articles in these selected magazines which discussed cosmetic surgery subtly suggested that beauty was essential for any woman hoping to achieve success and therefore played on the fears of women by suggesting that by not considering such a means of improving their appearance, they could not hope to succeed, whether in their personal lives or in their chosen profession. It is evident through the research undertaken by Lee and Clark that by exploiting these fears on an emotional basis, the articles were able to influence the thoughts of the female readers and therefore ensure the creation of the perception of beauty, how it could be attained as well as the perceived benefits to be derived from undergoing cosmetic procedures. Similarly to the research undertaken by Lee in ‘The Effects of Cosmetic Surgery Reality Shows on Women’s Beliefs of Beauty Privileges, Perceptions of Cosmetic Surgery, and Desires for Cosmetic Enhancements’, it is evident that the media sought to create a new reality for the female audience through the constant refrain of beauty was the pathway to success and in order to succeed you must be beautiful according to the perception of society; women who therefore refused to bow to pressure and undertake such procedures were trapped in a ‘beauty backlash’. As Lee and Clark suggest, the successful creation of this ‘reality’ was achieved through the repetition of the communication of the media message over the years, it ‘did not happen overnight’ (pg 1).
In order to demonstrate the role of the media in reinforcing beauty norms and therefore promoting cosmetic surgery via thought manipulation and influencing perception, Lee and Clark undertook discourse analysis to analysis the themes and dominant images/messages of cosmetic surgery articles. This was the selected method as it focuses ‘not only on what is said, but also how it is said’ (pg 5) which is a key theme of PR and mass communication. This demonstrates the understanding of PR altruism in that it is not what is being communicated to the public, but how it is communicated that matters, whether in terms of persuasive language or emotive, visual imagery.
The result of their research demonstrated that increased exposure to the idea of cosmetic surgery through persuasive language and visual imagery resulted in the perceived belief that cosmetic surgery was effective and efficient, readily accessible to the average woman. In addition, they determined that there was a repetitive theme of objectification and dehumanisation of the female body as a means to manipulate the thought process of the reader to critique their own appearance and therefore desire a transformation – obviously to be sought via cosmetic surgery. Again, the exploitation of fear to influence behaviour is evident. There was also a recurrent theme of emphasising that a truly liberated woman would consider cosmetic surgery for their own self-improvement and not for another’s pleasure i.e. husband; this aptly demonstrates how the magazines, by remaining abreast of current popular trends, continued to promote cosmetic surgery to women, in this case by capitalising on the then-increasingly popular trend of female independence.
Finally, the authors note that narrative strategy was vital for the articles discussing cosmetic surgery across all three selected magazines. This would need communicate the message of the media’s portrayal of beauty and thus influence the reader’s thoughts. This was achieved by firstly having an attractive title which would catch the attention of the reader. Then, the article would engage with the reader using their own language, not medical jargon which would not be understood. In addition, beauty and health were ‘presented as interchangeable’ (pg 14) by a heavy reliance on symbolism of female body parts; this was achieved by creating a ‘fantasy’ which the reader could create their dreamt-of ideal body (pg 13). Thus the persuasive language and imagery would trigger an emotional response and so enable the magazines’ message to be accepted.
Title: ‘“That’s Part of What We Do”: The Performative Power of Vogue’s Anna Wintour’
Author: David Weiss
Source: Journal of Magazine and New Media Research
Date: Vol. 15, No. 1 Spring 2014
I selected this as my second article due to its continuing examination into Vogue magazine, which was one of the selected magazines examined in ‘The Normalisation of Cosmetic Surgery in Women’s Magazines from 1960 to 1989’. I selected this article as it demonstrates the role of the powerful, agenda setting elite in devising a message to be communicated to the public in order to manipulate their thoughts and persuade them to a course of action which then allows for the advancement of the elite’s agenda. Thus this article allows for the examination of the ‘manufacturing of consent’ principle of Bernays in practical application. In this case, the elite is headed by the editor of the fashion magazine, Anna Wintour. Weiss examines how if Vogue in the ‘most influential’ (pg 1) magazine in the fashion world, then consequently Wintour is the ‘most powerful’ figure in the industry. The article also considers the role of ‘media effects’ i.e. how mass media, mass communications and its relationship with its audience affect how this audience thinks and behaves due to influential and manipulative dissemination of information.
Weiss highlights that due to the power wielded by Wintour and consequently the Vogue magazine, it must be understood that the media therefore holds ‘great sway’ (pg 2) over their audiences. As such, audiences are receptive to their messages, which enables their thoughts and beliefs to be influenced and behaviours manipulated, as the previous two articles demonstrated in terms of cosmetic surgery. Considering the important role played by media effects, Weiss suggests that exposure to mass media and therefore the message communicated by the mass media results in social and psychology changes in both the individual and society as a whole. The effects of mass media are increased the longer the exposure is prolonged; the previous articles demonstrated that repetition of the message of the perceived benefits of cosmetic surgery over a period of time, the saturation of the magazines with this message, led to an increase in the acceptance of cosmetic surgery as well as the desire to consider undertaking such a procedure. Exposure to such a message will result in the reflection of that message in the beliefs of those so exposed.
Weiss suggests that due to the power wielded by Wintour – Weiss mentions how she is perceived as a ‘kingmaker’ (pg 11) - and the respect afforded to her by the fashion industry, her agenda is promoted in her magazine and the industry will duly follow suit. As such, those who follow fashion will inevitably accept any and all messages communicated to them via these mediums and thus their behaviour will be manipulated due to this exposure.
Weiss concludes that Wintour actively participates in the creation of events (pg 18) and ‘newsworthy’ items which are duly covered and promoted by her magazine, then disseminated through the fashion sphere. Wintour therefore uses the media to fulfil her agenda and in doing so can influence the thoughts of the readers of Vogue through prolonged exposure to the communicated message of her agenda.
2)
Shu-Yueh Lee Shu-Yueh Lee is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Journalism at the University of Wisconsin- Oshkosh, having joined in 2009. Lee had previously gained her Ph.D. in Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee in 2009 and also holds two master degrees, in Radio and Television from National Chengchi University in Taiwan and the other in Information Media from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Her specialist area of research is Electronic Media/Converging Media, and her teaching areas include audience and media market research and research methods, among others.
Lee's research has been published in journals such as the Communication, Culture, and Critique and the Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. In addition to having her work published, Lee has presented her research studies and findings at several communication conferences including the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and International Communication Association.
Finally, Lee has worked in and acquired expertise of the field of media since 1999. Prior to entering her doctoral programme, she worked for a media research firm in Taiwan where she undertook media research projects for radio stations, television stations, newspapers and advertising agents.
I believe that Lee is experienced in the field of media and media relations/communications and is an expert especially in the areas of Media and its relationship with the audience; this can be evidenced by her academic achievements such as gaining a Ph.D. and teaching in these areas whilst also undertaking research and having work published. Also, her knowledge of theory is complimented by practice; she had spent several years working for a media result firm where she was hired to conduct research for various media mediums including newspapers and television stations. She is evidently interested in the effects of cosmetic surgery and the creation of a perceived reality for the viewers of television programmes including cosmetic surgery scenes as demonstrated by her article, ‘The Power of Beauty in Reality Plastic Surgery Shows: Romance, Career, and Happiness’ in Communication, Culture & Critique (December 2009 Vol. 2, Issue 4, pg 503–519) and has obviously undertaken a great deal of research into this area.
The above information is essential to be aware of as it demonstrates the reliability of the submitted arguments, hypothesis and research contained within the chosen article for analysis. As Lee has experience in both the practical and theoretical realms of media and its relationship with the public, one can conclude her studies and submitted arguments are accurate and of sound research which can be trusted and relied upon.
3)
Whilst reading Lee’s article I was intrigued to discover the true extent of the fashion/beauty industry and the weight attached to ‘beauty’ norms and standards by society. I was interested in discovering how effective prolonged media exposure can truly be in influencing thought process and manipulating behaviours. To consider that cosmetic surgery is essentially marketed as a ‘catch-all miracle’, in that it could aid in career promotion, solve both social and romantic problems etc. and that this marketing strategy is successful through skillful PR and mass media communications was fascinating, albeit slightly sinister to consider. I could not help but ponder why society is so eager to follow the lead of the mass media in accepting its definition of beauty and therefore allowing a fake reality to be constructed. I believe this to be important to realise for it must tie in with the ‘herd mentality’ theory in that we all desire to be accepted and be recognised in society, and therefore highlights the willingness of the mass media to exploit this fear of inadequacy and rejection in order to disseminate information and manipulate by persuasion.
I was interested to discover the role of ‘priming’ i.e. the resulting effects of preceding stimuli on those who perceive them and the subsequent effect on the perceiver’s judgment of events. This is important for it reinforces that people generally do not process all information they have on a given subject to reach a certain decision. As a society, especially in modern times, we demand instant gratification and therefore are more likely to utilise information we may quickly have access to or base a decision on something which suddenly springs to our mind. It is also important because it again demonstrates another means of exploitation by the mass media to persuade and manipulate, by capitalising on our need for instant decision-making and our lack of thorough and exhaustive information processing.
Finally, I thought it was interesting to note that according to Lee’s study, regardless of age a majority of women will actively consider cosmetic surgery due to perceived benefits and therefore dismiss any associated risks due to the exposure of media communications which persuade them into this consideration. I would have previously assumed that younger women would have been most likely to have been affected by exposure to mass media cosmetic surgery promotion and saturation as I would have considered younger women e.g. teenagers to be more vulnerable to persuasive language or emotive imagery. This I find important as it demonstrates that the sense of worry about appearance, of conforming with the media-constructed standard of beauty and the fear of being deemed so unattractive as to suffer in social circles as well as in employment is something felt by a majority of women, seemingly regardless of age or ethnicity, etc. It therefore demonstrates the ease in which women are exploited – it is a mass market which is being consistently exposed to the influential media message.
4)
I would rate Lee’s article, ‘The Effects of Cosmetic Surgery Reality Shows on Women’s Beliefs of Beauty Privileges, Perceptions of Cosmetic Surgery, and Desires for Cosmetic Enhancements’ as a 4 according to the given scale. The subject matter was interesting and the information provided was relevant, enlightening and it was evident a great deal of research had been undertaken in carrying out this experimental study.
The information suggests that the greater the exposure to mass media coverage of cosmetic surgery and the promotion of same as a viable and accessible means of improving one’s image, self-worth and therefore position in society is an important topic which deserves more attention. This is especially true in today’s society, where beauty is distorted which results in the distortion of perception and reality for example consider how airbrushed or photoshopped, stick-thin models on the front pages of glossy magazines are the –societally accepted -norm. Such exposure to this saturation can potentially be dangerous, especially to younger girls, due to their perceptions of such an appearance as being societally acceptable and therefore they must modify themselves to fulfil society’s expectations. The creation of this fake reality and the consequences of growing up in such an environment is therefore worthy of thorough research.
Whilst the results of her research were clear and concise with an insightful analysis, due to the limitations of the research provided by the experimental study of Lee, I had to give this article a 4 rating. Several limitations of this study should be addressed. The sample of this study was entirely college students and therefore unrepresentative of the general population. There is also a problem regarding the lack of demographic diversity; relevant as the perceptions of beauty as considered by a black woman may differ from that of a white woman. Finally, there is another restriction in terms of the viewing environment and context. It was different to how the subjects would normally watch a programme and this could have resulted in them being uncomfortable, feeling naturally more negative or being more alert and perceptive and therefore more likely to be persuaded by the images of cosmetic surgery.
5)
I could not help but be reminded of James and his comment that ‘truth happens to an idea’. (Stuart Ewen, ‘PR! A Social History of Spin’ pg 34).
What we each consider as truth is similar to how we each view reality as a construct – our definition and therefore belief differs. This is confirmed by James’ theory in that the truth is essentially nothing more than a mere ‘byproduct of human history’ which in turn is derived from human interaction and the world at large – or straight from the mass media mouthpiece. I feel that the concept and definition of truth is inherently intertwined with the view and definition of what is public and public opinion: they are all ideas, which can be adapted to suit our purpose. What is true about an idea is not actually inherent within in. What I state as truth may be different to what another states as truth, simply because we take different accounts of ownership of the idea we attach truth to. Again, perception, manipulation and the communication of these is at the forefront. This is exactly the reason why I feel this quote aptly fits with my chosen article, ‘The Effects of Cosmetic Surgery Reality Shows on Women’s Beliefs of Beauty Privileges, Perceptions of Cosmetic Surgery, and Desires for Cosmetic Enhancements’.
The mass media, at the beckoning of the fashion industry, readily attach ‘truth’ to the idea of cosmetic surgery as a means of a miracle cure to all problems faced by the modern woman, in line with the media communicated perception of beauty which has influenced society’s beauty expectations and perceptions. Clearly, whatever is true about this idea is simply not inherent within in. For example, as Lee acknowledges in the article, whilst cosmetic surgery can transform your appearance, patients will have unrealistic expectations of such surgery due to their belief in the media communications pertaining to the surgery, which can only be described as hyperbolic. The cosmetic reality television programmes will depict those participating on the programme as being unhappy and perceiving themselves as inferior – therefore crafting a ‘relatable’ persona to the viewer who subtly encourage through ‘priming’ effects to feel inferior themselves in order to have their emotions exploited and their behaviour manipulated by the programme’s message – and they magically transform into a positive, confident ‘winner’ following their surgery. In addition, the cosmetic reality television programmes portray such procedures as being the powerful cure for any and all ill suffered by women in modern society, be it relationships, work, socialising etc. The media know this is not true, it cannot be true. However, they create the perception of such truth through the visual imagery in the programme which depicts this remarkable transformation right before the very eyes of the viewer; as such it is successfully applied to the idea and accepted as truth by the viewer who is then compelled to consider cosmetic surgery themselves. The acceptance of this fake truth has led to the creation of a fake reality, which has expectations regarding beauty for women in the society dominated by such a reality. Under pressure to conform to society and fulfil the perceptions of beauty, women consider cosmetic surgery, and due to positive communications of the media only consider the perceived benefits to be gained and not the associated risks. Even though it is a very real truth that cosmetic surgery may go horribly wrong, this is dismissed as being dramatized or even a lie in this media-constructed reality. Persuasive language and visual, emotive imagery leads to the manipulation of behaviour and therefore the acceptance of a truth constructed by the mass media and applied to an idea.
Works Cited:
Lee, Shu-Yueh
– ‘The Effects of Cosmetic Surgery Reality Shows on Women’s Beliefs of Beauty Privileges, Perceptions of Cosmetic Surgery, and Desires for Cosmetic Enhancements’ American Communication Journal (Summer 2014 Vol. 16, Issue 1) 1-14
- ‘The Power of Beauty in Reality Plastic Surgery Shows: Romance, Career, and Happiness’ Communication, Culture & Critique (December 2009 Vol.2, Issue 4) 503–519
- With Clark, Naeemah, ‘The Normalisation of Cosmetic Surgery in Women’s Magazines from 1960 to 1989’ Journal of Magazine and New Media Research (Spring 2014 Vol. 15, No. 1)
Weiss, David, ‘“That’s Part of What We Do”: The Performative Power of Vogue’s Anna Wintour’ Journal of Magazine and New Media Research (Spring 2014 Vol. 15, No. 1)