Reflection+on+the+American+Lifestyle

Americans, especially women, have an obsession with the way they look. Women reach for this sense of **unattainable beauty**, and the health risks are becoming huge. A large percentage of the women in America suffer from eating disorders, while another large percentage are adjusting the way they look through cosmetic surgery. Pop-culture and media is making it hard for the youth in America to grow up with healthy role models. The movie // Miss Representation // uncovers the challenges Americans face because of the influences of the media. We as Americans have created a society that thrives off of the media. **The media, however, has become the most persuasive force that has ever shaped cultural norms, values, and beauty.** In //A Streetcar Named Desire//, the destruction that beauty has imposed upon Americans was shown as Blanche struggled with her “youthful” appearance. As we see it today, the media is going to continue to conform society until there are structured boundaries. From the evolution of Photoshop to the highly selective arena of modeling, **the American society is headed into one driven by perfection, and that perfection being dictated by the media.**

Index: Home Page 1. American Lifestyle 2. American Success 3. American Inequality 4. American Consumerism