Currently, new and false ideals of beauty confuse our youth. Social media This contributes a lot, but not alone – why, for example, do female cartoon characters have waists that normal female human beings can never have in reality? Professor Dr. Werner Mang and media educator Maya Götz in dialogue in the magazine chrismon on this subject.
Classical ideals of beauty had lasted for a long time – from antiquity until after the 2nd century. World War II had not changed much in Europe in this regard. Then came the beauty ideals of the 50s and 60s with their own distinct expressions – the timeless Grace Kelly, the winding Bardot, the super-slim Twiggy and then the tall Claudia Schiffer. "Until ten or twelve years ago it was about naturalness"Professor Mang says.
The Internet with its social media has set new rules – and this has consequences for many young people: the self-idealization with the new technical tools, the filtering and retouching on Instagram inevitably follows the disappointment in real life with another serious consequence: Declining self-esteem. What is possible on the screen and on the Internet will not actually take place.
As far as the protection of the younger population is concerned, Germany is far behind other countries. In many other countries, filters are subject to labelling – and in France, for example, particularly thin models no longer appear in advertising.
Influencers are professionals in self-marketing and accountable to almost no one. In general, they send media content that – unlike in the past, before the days of the Internet – is no longer checked by any editorial staff. The result is an almost unrestrained wild growth. What can help is to recapture the spirits you called with targeted media competence, says media educator Maya Götz.