ABSTRACT
Western culture would appear to be providing the ideal conditions for difficult life experiences to seek resolution in appearance battles. By the end of the twentieth century, popular culture had begun to identify bodies as sites of commodified forms of health and beauty, offering glamorous identities and powerful sexuality, though at a price. Western culture's current standard of attractiveness for women, as portrayed in the media, is slimmer than it has been in the past and, hence, is unattainable by most women. While media attention and societal discussion focus primarily on the health risks of being overweight, the health risks of being underweight receive far less attention. This notion of women as objects is not difficult to find in the mass media. This can be either overt or more covert. In addition to these media forms of sexual objectification, many women also experience more extreme manifestations such as sexual harassment and sexual assault.
