Appearance Matters

We are constantly told by our parents and friends that it is not how we look that matters, but who we are within. Looking back on these constant reassurances, I know it is all one fabricated lie. The media in fact tells us that appearance are valued more than anything else, and it is depressing that the world today has become so vain and superficial. Magazines boast pictures of celebs bragging about their "new" makeup looks, or boasting about the newest fab diet or exercise routine. Being thin, young, and beautiful IS the hegemonic ideal that basically everyone, and especially teens inspire to become.
Today, people have lost the ability to think for themselves, instead allowing the images displayed by the media to dominate their mind and become their own. As consumers they buy the latest ShamWOW because they were told to, or the newest shade of bronze eyeshadow because it is guaranteed to make eyes pop. In the news, professionals according to Croteau and Hoynes, choose what news is important every day, and subconsciously the public has to agree that it is important just because it is on the news. News agencies assign their reporters to areas ("beats") where they think a news-worthy story will develop, already making the executive decision of what to exclude from the daily news segment. Usually, only the most violent, interesting, or dazzling stories are included since they are guaranteed ways to attract a large audience.
The news and its reporters tell us what is important in the world, never allowing the public to make decisions on what they deem significant. This was exemplified in the 1960 election of Nixon vs. Kennedy. Anyone listening to the debate on the radio or TV right when it was aired could clearly tell that Nixon won since he was a much more fluent public speaker. Yet, as Daniel Boorstin goes on further to tell in "From News Gathering to News Making," all the reporters discussed after the debate was the lighting, makeup, and setting, rather than what truly mattered: the issues discussed. Consequently, these issues determining the fate of the election were bypassed, and all the American public heard on the news in the upcoming weeks was how vulnerable, weak and tired Richard Nixon looked compared to young, tan John F. Kennedy. The focus on this insignificant aspect of the debate, triggered the public to believe this very important since their "objective" news agency had Nixon's appearance at the forefront of each segment. As Boorstin said, "hearing one interpretation, made us more eager to hear another," and when most news agencies were unanimous in their interpretation of the debate, the people had to agree to. And JFK became the next president.

Sadly, this was not a one time occurrence where appearance dominates what truly matters in a night. This is also seen in almost every awards ceremony, where more emphasis is on what the celebrities are wearing than the prominent awards they are competing for. Since the media emphasizes appearance, designers, makeup all over the weightier issues of the day, the public assents too with the media's assessment as they never can escape the influence of mass media. And that is the United States today.