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For instance, people are constantly reminded of how handsome Mr. X is or how beautiful Ms. Y is. So wouldn't people - inadvertently, of course - form the image of an ideal man/woman and also expect their partners to fit into that image? In other words, chasing illusions ... that's the result. Also this comparison could lead to jealousy, hurts and scars, etc. That also is destructive.
So at least indirectly, doesn't this type of culture cause problems in relationships?
My own wife would not be defined as beautiful by current cultural trends as seen on TV, or magazines, or movies, or wherever these images are force fed to us.
However, to me, she is an amazingly beautiful, attractive, sexy, and alluring woman. Not once have I ever had a thought wishing she was someone she is not.
I love her, and am attracted to her for who she is, not who society would dictate I be attracted to so they can sell me something.
If someone is letting this culture affect how they find their significant other's relative attractiveness and allow it to interfere with their relationship then I would suggest they need to grow up and are not ready for a real relationship.
Its easy to blame - harder to take personal responsibility.
There always has been and there always will be ideas of beauty and handsomness, and whatever else socially and culturally, because thats how we are, its always changing. What is beautiful today may not be beautiful in the future, depending on if the planet is totally annhilated by disaster or not.
How was that for a trite answer?
No. A lot of people don't even pay attention to celebrity culture. And how would someone get "hurts and scars" from seeing a celebrity photo on a magazine cover? I don't think it affects relationships at all. What it does affect in some cases is the self-esteem of teens who are in the process of forming their self-image and are looking for acceptance in the world. But it has no bearing on relationships.
I was discussing something similar with another member here while ago. We think that the hyper-sexualized images in video games, the women with completely unrealistic bodies, affect boys' attitudes and expectations towards women much more than celebrity culture does.
I would think if anything in the media has a negative effect on modern relationships, it's "reality TV" more so than standards of beauty. So many think this reality stuff is real when often times it's extremes that are carefully edited (and maybe scripted). These show portray people "falling in love" in a few weeks, or people falling in love and getting new girlfriends or boyfriends minutes after a breakup or people jumping from one partner to the next, people fight and treat each other like garbage (when most people don't act that extreme). Just look at shows like The Bachelor or Jersey Shore and whatnot.
You'd think most people would know this stuff isn't "real" but then again, it's amazing to me how naive people can be about this kind of thing (one only need go to Snopes.com to see all the weird urban legends people accept as "real").
The Girl Scout Research Institute recently surveyed 1,000 girls in that age bracket and found these children aren't clueless. Everyone surveyed thought reality shows promote bad behavior: 86 percent felt the shows often set people against one another to increase the dramatic value; 73 percent thought reality shows depict fighting as a normal part of a romantic relationship; and 70 percent believed that reality TV leads people to believe it acceptable to mistreat each other.
So the youngsters see through the mud? Not exactly. Here's the rub: 75 percent said that competition shows (like "American Idol") and 50 percent of "real-life" shows like MTV's "Jersey Shore" are "mainly real and unscripted." They may not find the antics admirable, but they see them as real. For them, it is a mirror of what awaits them in the "real world" when they grow up.
I would think if anything in the media has a negative effect on modern relationships, it's "reality TV" more so than standards of beauty. So many think this reality stuff is real when often times it's extremes that are carefully edited (and maybe scripted). These show portray people "falling in love" in a few weeks, or people falling in love and getting new girlfriends or boyfriends minutes after a breakup or people jumping from one partner to the next, people fight and treat each other like garbage (when most people don't act that extreme).
I don't even think it has to be reality TV. I read an article a few weeks ago about the portrayal of single people in entertainment, which gave a few examples of how you rarely see people who aren't trying to get into a relationship. TV characters happen to just stumble across eligible attractive people every week out and about, and that's just not realistic for most people. TV and movies rarely show people in happy, conflict-free relationships, either, because that would be boring.
As opposed to 60 years ago,when most people considered Marilyn Monroe a dog or Paul McCartney unattractive?
Or several thousands of years ago when the Romans admired the Gladiators or the Greeks followed the theatre?
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