Media Influence on Body Image Essay Example for Free

Media Influence on Body Image Essay So many people today are insecure about the way they look, either thinking themselves too fat, or having bad hair, skin, or simply just not attractive enough. Of course, much of this line of thinking is encouraged by the barrage of advertisements which portray skinny women and muscular men with perfect skin and hair traipsing around in exotic spots and driving the opposite sex crazy. More than any other outlet, the media is guilty of creating a misperception of what beauty really is and the anxieties and problems in society are exacerbated by their efforts. Celebrities make regular people feel that they need to spend a ridiculous amount of money and time on external appearance, as infomercials for beauty creams, workout regimens and equipment, foods and drinks, diets and countless other means of body modification are continuously hocked as ways to achieve happiness and contentment. Very few outlets in the media, whether television, movies, magazines, or the Internet encourage people to be comfortable with their bodies, even though reason dictates that true beauty is not something that relies completely on external appeal, but rather beauty is something that comes from within and can be shared with others. Beauty is everywhere. It can be in a sunset, a work of art, or in a masterpiece of architecture. There is manmade beauty and natural beauty, and both have unique appeals that inspire people to feel good about themselves and life. However, when it comes to human beauty, we are educated from the earliest ages that it is almost completely physical. The media portrays this in the form of men and women with perfectly sculpted bodies without an ounce of fat, lustrous and clear skin, soft, flowing hair, and a perfectly symmetrical face. The images of beautiful celebrities and fashion models stare at us from magazines in the checkout line at the grocery store. It seems everywhere that the media is telling people what beauty really is, and the effect is severe insecurities in the masses. This leads to pills, creams, hair restoration, breast implants, plastic surgery, and all kinds of other drastic actions in the hopes of attaining beauty. The inundation of media images of unnaturally thin women also has a significantly negative effect on young girls. Professor of psychology and body-image researcher, Sarah Murnen, and her colleagues reviewed 21 studies that looked at the media’s effect on more than 6,000 girls, ages 10 and older, and found those who were exposed to the most fashion magazines were more likely to suffer from poor body images (Hellmich). This can also lead the young girls to adopt unhealthy eating habits such as bulimia and anorexia in hopes to maintain what they feel as the ideal â€Å"beautiful† body. However, some companies are making an effort to dispel this, like Dove. Instead of images of long locks, longer legs and incredibly lean bodies, Dove brand beauty products and American Girl are promoting their products with a message of â€Å"real beauty† by encouraging women and girls to celebrate themselves as they are — while using the products, of course (Howard). While they are encouraging women to pursue a greater beauty than physical, they are still sending the contradictory message that young women need to use their products. However, the true definition of beauty is something that goes far deeper than these profit-driven interpretations espoused by the media. It is impossible to deny that certain men and women are not beautiful, for a perfect face and body attracts many people from all around, however like the old adage that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, everyone else may not universally agree upon the external and physical beauty of these people. Some people make think blonds are beautiful, while others prefer brunettes; some people may like blue eyes, while others only find brown beautiful. This shows the subjective nature of external beauty, which begs the question as to whether this beauty is significant at all or merely a matter of taste. To that end, it is far more productive to pursue a greater beauty in life, and not worry about physical beauty or achieving it. I believe the greatest beauty in life comes from within; and this kind of beauty can be achieved by everyone without pills, painful operations, or costly beauty treatments. I have learned not to put too much stock in the media’s representation of beauty, because I feel it robs from the more significant beauty that can be achieved in society when people think of each other and treat each other with equal respect and consideration. I do my best to live by the golden rule, and find situations the most beautiful when others do the same. I feel that many of the popular conceptions of beauty are based on half-truths and blatant deceptions, encouraging people to hide their flaws rather than love themselves. For me, honesty is beautiful, and I am always honest, unlike the advertisers that have something to gain by creating untruths and anxiety. Life is beautiful enough without having to worry about perfecting physical attributes, and the truth is that aesthetic beauty is not nearly as lasting as emotional, spiritual, and mental beauty. These are the kinds of beauty to which I aspire and have successfully managed to cultivate. I consider myself beautiful because I am generous to others, and see myself reflected in their appreciating eyes. I love to share my time and effort with others, and do so sincerely with no expectations for recognition or reciprocity. The reward for me is simply being alive to share what I have, and I find life itself beautiful. I try my best not to get caught up in the conventional definitions of conventional beauty, because they would expect me to devote my time to working on my physical attributes rather than my spiritual and mental beauty. I know my actions make me beautiful, because when I help others I also recall all the times that others have helped me and I realize that this is one of the most beautiful things that humans can achieve, as powerful as the most perfect sunset or double rainbow. While beauty may truly be in the eye of the beholder, I feel confident in my own beauty because I treat everything in life as it is: beautiful. I find joy in everything, am compassionate, and try to make everyone share in the beauty that I possess, hoping that they can also create his or her own. I try to be truthful in all regards, and try never to feel insecure that my beliefs in my own beauty are false. I refuse to adopt the media’s perception of beauty, and prefer to find my own conceptions in what I see is true beauty: generosity, compassion, and joy. For me, this is the truth, and like the words of John Keats, â€Å"Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all/ Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know† (Keats). Works Cited: Hellmich, Nanci. â€Å"Do thin models warp girls’ body image?† USA Today. 26 Sep 2006. 29 Apr 2008. http://www. usatoday. com/news/health/2006-09-25-thin-models_x. htm. Howard, Theresa. â€Å"Ad campaign tell women to celebrate who they are. † USA Today/Dove. 8 Jul 2005. 12 Apr 2008. http://www. campaignforrealbeauty. com/press. asp? section=newsid=3073. Keats, John. â€Å"Ode to a Grecian Urn. † The Oxford Book of English Verse. 1901. Ed. Quiller- Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir. Bartleby. com. 1999. 12 Apr 2008. www. bartleby. com/ 101/625.

Language as the Key to Identity and Social Acceptance in Richard Wright’s Book, Black Boy :: Wright Black Boy Essays

Language as the Key to Identity and Social Acceptance in Richard Wright’s Book, Black Boy According to African American writer, James Baldwin, language is a â€Å"vivid and crucial key to identity† and social acceptance. Black Boy, by Richard Wright, defends Baldwin’s belief. In a selected Black Boy passage, where Richard and his friends converse, the rhetorical techniques, pathos and warrants assist to convey Wright’s own attitude toward the importance of language as a key to identity and social acceptance. The idea that language is important to identity and social acceptance is defended in the passage by the utilization of pathos. Diction largely relays the comfortability of Richard and his friends with each other by not speaking in proper English, with phrases like, â€Å"that ain’t gonna do you no good,† and words like â€Å"miz† for â€Å"miss† and â€Å"scareda† as â€Å"scared of.† Also, syntax is used to make short explanatory sentences after each blurb of dialog: â€Å"An angry grunt of supreme racial assertion.† Language as an indicator of social acceptance is also seen in the word choice, with a wide array of cuss words, like â€Å"sonofabitch†, â€Å"hell†, and â€Å"nigger†. Repetition is developed through out the passage with the word â€Å"silence,† to indicate the identity of the boys with language. Wright also incorporates personification, personifying the boys talk being able to â€Å"weave, r oll, surge, spurt, veer, swell†¦Ã¢â‚¬  showing the comfortability and social acceptance of each other because of language. Richard Wright’s use of pathos helps to defend Baldwin’s beliefs on language. Another rhetorical technique that aids as a defense for Baldwin’s views is Wright’s use of value-based assumptions, or warrants. The boys establish their black identity through diction, referring to on another as â€Å"nigger† and â€Å"we†, â€Å"naà ¯ve† and â€Å"race†. Many assumptions are made about whites with rhetorical questions like, â€Å"Man, ain’t they ugly?† and other race related questions. The conversation of Wright and his friends make the assumption that whites treat blacks poorly, which establishes identity through language. Agreeing of the other boys with the â€Å"racial assertion† further leads to social acceptance. Repetition of negative statements about â€Å"whites† also further strengthens the warrants. â€Å"The enemy is an animal to be killed on sight† is a metaphor, which illustrates the black assumptions of whites through language.

Acer Weaknesses

Acer closes in on Dell's No. 2 PC ranking By Bruce Einhorn, BusinessWeek Tuesday, January 20, 2009 11:33 AM Just a few years ago there was a clear pecking order in the PC industry, with Dell at the front and Acer way back in the queue. Dell and its U. S. rival Hewlett-Packard were the clear champions, selling far more desktops and laptops than anyone else. Meanwhile, little Acer, a Taiwanese company that had tried and failed in the 1990s to crack the U. S. market, was an also-ran, with worldwide market share in the single digits. As recently as 2003, Acer ranked just seventh in sales around the world. Lately, though, the Taiwanese have been pushing their way ever closer to the front of the line. Market-share numbers published on Jan. 14 by research firm International Data show HP is still on top, with 19. 6 percent of all PC shipments, and Dell is No. 2. But Michael Dell has reason to worry. While Dell shipments fell 6. 3 percent in the fourth quarter, Acer's jumped 25. 3 percent. That not only puts the Taiwanese company solidly in the No. 3 position worldwide, it puts Acer less than two percentage points away from Dell, with 11. 8 percent share to Dell's 13. 7 percent. And Acer is likely to keep on closing the gap, say analysts. In the next two or three quarters, you will probably see Acer surpass Dell,† predicts Daniel Chang, an analyst in Taipei with Macquarie. Gateway Was an Opening What accounts for Acer's rise? The company is benefiting from its US$710 million purchase of Gateway, announced in August 2007. At the time of the deal, Gateway was the third-biggest PC brand in the United States, and the purchase has helped Acer gain ground in a market that had long stymied the Taiwanese company. Shortly after that deal, Acer followed up with the acquisition of the Packard-Bell brand, popular in parts of Europe. According to the latest IDC numbers, Acer now ranks third in the United States, with shipments of 2 million computers in the fourth quarter. That puts Acer ahead of Apple and behind only Dell and HP. Acer declined to make any executives available for comment. Even more important for Acer's market-share rise has been its focus on the hottest new segment in the computer industry, so-called netbooks. These pint-size laptops are light, simple computers that typically cost no more than US$500 and are based on a design that Intel first developed for schoolchildren in emerging markets. The first to realize that the netbook could become a crossover hit in wealthier countries was Acer's Taiwanese rival Asustek Computer, which launched its Eee PC in late 2007. Acer quickly followed, and it soon grabbed the lead. Meanwhile, Dell, HP, and Lenovo hesitated before launching netbooks of their own. â€Å"They didn't start producing the mini-notebooks until late in the game,† says Robert Murtagh, worldwide PC tracker research analyst with IDC in San Mateo, Calif. â€Å"That has given Acer a strategic advantage. † Low-Price Trend With recession-weary consumers hunting for bargains, Acer's focus on inexpensive netbooks—and its longtime role as a lower-cost alternative to the likes of Dell and HP–have helped the company boost shipments. And while the competition in the mini-notebook business is bound to get tougher in 2009, Acer's head start should give it an important edge. â€Å"We believe Acer will continue to be the winner in the low-price trend and the netbook market,† wrote Credit Suisse analysts Robert Cheng and Jill Su in a Jan. 13 report. Moreover, one of Acer's weaknesses, its relatively poor position among corporate customers in the United States, has meant the company has suffered less than Dell and Lenovo, both of which have relied more on sales to businesses. According to IDC, Lenovo shipments fell 4. 8 percent in the fourth quarter; the company on Jan. 8 announced plans to lay off 2,500 employees, 11 percent of its workforce. Tracy Tsai, an analyst in Taipei with market research firm Gartner, says Acer won't need to make the sort of layoffs that others have. â€Å"Acer has real tight management on its costs,† she says, and it has just 6,000 workers. â€Å"The smaller size f Acer puts it in a better position. † Still, Acer faces some headwinds. Credit Suisse estimates 2008 earnings rose 7 percent, to US$353 million, on sales of US$16. 5 billion. But this year profits are likely to fall 7. 5 percent, on a 6 percent drop in sales, the bank says. Macqaurie's Chang expects a slowdown, too, and he warns that Acer's focus on building market share distracts the company from a more important statistic: earnings. As competition heats up further in netbooks, he says, Acer will face pressure to cut prices even more, drawing would-be customers away from its laptops and hurting Acer's bottom line. Everybody's netbook looks very similar now,† says Chang, so companies selling them â€Å"can compete only on price. † For its part, Dell argues against paying too much attention to market-share rankings. â€Å"When we reported our Q3 financial results, we said our focus in this challenging environment was–and continues to be–on positioning Dell for long-term profitable growth by improving our competitiveness and enhancing our leading product and services portfolio,† Dell spokesman David Frink says via email. â€Å"We're in the midst of that now. â€Å"

Friedrich Wilhelm Froebel Essay

Friedrich Wilhelm Froebel is said to be the â€Å"Father of the Kindergarten† for his huge involvement, and devoting his life to the development of a system of education for young children. In German, the word kindergarten means children’s garden, and he thought that this was best in the age of six and younger. He spent his entire life helping with the development of the young and early childhood development. Wilhelm Froebel was born in the Thuringia region of Germany. He had a childhood that was not so fond for remembrance because of how terrible it had been for him. This is what shaped him to be able to come up with the idea of kindergarten. Froebel lost his mother before the age of one, and this meant that he had been left with this father who had to take care of three boys because Froebel had two other brothers. Their father never had much time for any of them. As a boy that would be hard for any child, and this caused him to have to spend most of his time alone at his home. He spent a lot of that time in the gardens by his home, and would play there for most of the day (Coron 4). Exploring all day was what he loved to do the most, and this would make a major influence on what he would do for the rest of his life. He started teaching at a school when he was a young man at Frankfurt Model School, and this school was a school that was focused on the teachings of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, who was a very well respected teacher of his day. This school accepted poor children, and orphans. He believed that children needed to be involved in very active ways. As he left this school, he left it with his very hands on learning approach, and went to privately tutor children. The parents of the children that he tutored were very kind in giving him space in their garden to use to help teach the children. In 1837 Froebel founded his first school, and called it Kindergarten, or the children’s garden (Coron 4). This was a very exciting thing because before he opened this school, if you were under the age of seven, you did not attend school. At the age of seven, you then could go to school. Now that Froebel opened his school, children at the age of two were able to go to school (coron 3). Froebel was very free with the children, he allowed them to have a lot of activity time to be free with themselves, and figure things out. He believed that this was the best idea for them to have their own space, and time to figure out, as he did as a child. The mot that Froebel gave the children was a classroom, he believed that giving children a place to create, and imagine freely was the best gift anyone could have given them. Froebel wrote books, and in his book â€Å"Education of Man† he wrote â€Å"Play is the highest phase of child development-the representation of the inner necessity and impulse.† (coron 5). He thought that teachers should be friendly people who are helpers, not discip linarians. In his classroom there were blocks, pets, and finger plays. (Coron 5). He was inspirational to all. Froebel designed his classroom to have the following things as meeting a child’s needs; Physical activity, because it is important for a child to move, the development of sensory awareness and physical dexterity, creative expression, exploring of ideas, the pleasure of singing, the experience of living among others, and satisfaction of the soul. (Coron 4). These are all things we teach today to our children, and encourage our children to do. I think going back and looking at the bones of things could really help our society as a whole. Froebel was a very inspirational man to a lot of other great theorists such as Maria Montessori, who started Montessori schools. (Coron 2). I am in great belief of how much of a influence Froebel had on the early childhood education as a whole. He really was the father of kindergarten. I think that him having such an influence, really helped us shape the early education now. Froebel believed that â€Å"Humans are essentially productive, and creative† (coron 1.) I believe he is right, no matter what age you are, you are creative in your own way. It starts out at birth, even with how you relate to your mother, and father is creative, and how you interpret things as a young child is important. I know that if Froebel had not been involved, that what we call early childhood now, would not be the same as it is now. I am a firm believer in how he started to do things, letting children develop their own ideas about who they are, and how to do things in the world around them is really all a part of life.

Difference between Management and Leadership

Difference between Management and Leadership What is the difference between leadership and management? The question that is often asked nowadays. Read an article below to know the main differences between these two notions. What Is the Difference between Leadership and Management? The definition of management we can find in literature: management is the ability to identify, develop and support people so that individual contributions and contributions as a group promote organizational prosperity. Leadership is defined as an activity or set of attributes which is capable of producing a change and releasing innovation and development. Although the definition of the leadership may seem much the same as that of the management, these two notions differ. Usually, management is meant to plan, forecast, budget, and control. Leadership has very little to do with planning, budgeting and controlling. A leader and a manager are playing quite different roles. MANAGING CONFLICT IN GROUPS Leaders Are Special, Aren’t They? Those who hold a leadership role know that leadership based on human trust is a profitable way to run a company. If there’s no one to lead a team the employees will hardly care about the mission that may be the reason in a further fracturing of the team and losing its steam. Managers are considered to be a part of the machine. The manager’s job is to run a machine, a company etc. while that of the leader is to give an energy to his or her team to achieve the mission. Here are the main differences between a leader and a manager: 1. Managers create aims leaders create visions. Leaders activate people to work together in order to accomplish the tasks set. Managers set and measure the goals. 2. Leaders deal with changes, managers are a part of a system. Even if things are working well, leaders aim at changing them in such a way to make them work better, sometimes making waves. Managers try to make processes and structures work better. 3. Leaders take risks, managers control them. Leaders are not afraid of failures as they know that any failure may lead to success. Managers work to control and minimize the risks. 4. Leaders are constantly learning something new, managers rely on their skills and experience. Leaders know that it’s rather important to learn something new to succeed, they seek for people that will expand their mind and thinking. Managers mostly improve their existing skills. Managers are considered â€Å"rational†, â€Å"analytical†, â€Å"structured†, â€Å"persistent†, and â€Å"tough-minded†. Good leaders inspire creativity and are good motivators. Good managers inspire competence and discipline. Leadership as a Matter of Perception The difference between leadership and management is a contrived one, and we could perhaps dismiss the problem with that except for one troubling little fact: in real-life organizations, there are clearly people who are more effective in positions of authority than others – who are actually better leaders than other people in exactly the same clearly-defined organizational roles. The position of authority is perceived – by both the person having it and by his subordinates – as conferring some special qualities on the leader so that even very ordinary activities are considered somehow special. For example, small talk among coworkers is just small talk; small talk between the â€Å"leader† and â€Å"follower†, however, is â€Å"inspiring† or â€Å"motivating†. provides an academic assistance on a variety of subjects, including leadership and management. In case you need assistance with drafting your â€Å"management† or â€Å"leadership† essay, feel free to contact us or place an order.

Inventory Management and Logistics Control at Pfizer Research Paper

Inventory Management and Logistics Control at Pfizer - Research Paper Example   Pfizer has an effective supply chain system to reach even the remote corners of the world. Pfizer is currently implementing a new supply chain management strategy all over the world. Instead of increasing internal networks, Pfizer is currently trying to reduce it. However, this strategy doesn’t mean that Pfizer’s logistics operations are causing problems to it. Pfizer is trying to reduce its own internal networks; at the same time, it increases its cooperation with local partners to maintain better records in logistics operations. It should be noted that globalization brought many changes in business management principles. Since Pfizer is operating globally, it needs the cooperation of the domestic partners to operate successfully in overseas countries. Since local partners have better knowledge about the local markets, it is better for Pfizer to give the responsibility of supply chain operations to local partners instead of doing it in its own ways. Pfizer is an Am erican company which knows American business climate, culture and environment properly. However, same thing cannot be said about Pfizer in other countries. For example, being the most heavily populated countries in the world; India and China are huge markets for Pfizer. It is impossible for Pfizer to manage supply chain operations in these countries using its own capabilities. Since these markets are extremely diverse geographically and culturally, Pfizer needs the support from local partners to maintain good inventory all the time.  

Cars corrosion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cars corrosion - Essay Example ( Shaw Barbara and Kelly Robert, 2006) Even though corrosion was still prevalent in the 1950’s the main criteria for a car manufacturer was the strength and durability of the body. Cold rolling of low carbon sheets was the accepted practice during those times. Later on, when the shape and features of the automobile underwent changes steels that were more ductile and could be drawn easily was incorporated into the design. Currently various advanced methods of steel fabrication with the use of alternative materials are being followed which are both cheaper and also have a lower weight to volume ratio. ( Hamilton Bruce and Macauley, 1998) This method of using salt to melt the ice on roads was introduced following World War II which led to an increase of corrosion, affecting the functional and structural integrity of the vehicle. The general appearance of the vehicle was also affected. Some of the common pitfalls of corrosion due the presence of salts were formation of holes on body panels, corrosion of brake linings, wear and tear of the frame and bumper supports, discoloration and pitting effects on surfaces of vehicles. Alternate materials were designed to take care of this type of corrosion; however this led to another form of corrosion called galvanic corrosion which occurs when two dissimilar metals are in contact. In the late 1970’s it was noticed that corrosion was taking place to a large extent on the floor panels, exhaust systems, fuel and brake systems which were less visible from outside. Dust control chemicals like calcium chloride and pollutants like nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide combined with rain to form acid rains. This prevented the formation of the natural protective layer formation on vehicle surfaces. (Effects of road salt on Motor Vehicles and infrastructure, n.d) The corrosion due to these severe environmental effects was noticed to be maximum during the mid-1970. Customer dissatisfaction forced leading auto manufacturers to