Do you see celebrities on the red carpet and try desperately to mimic that same look and fashion or do you simply have neither ‘the time or money to do it’?
According to a paper published in the Journal of Gender Studies, the sexy celebrity image is unattainable for most women and that the celebrity culture makes women feel worse about themselves as they cannot afford to emulate the ideal.
In the study, which is authored by Adrienne Evans from Coventry University and Sarah Riley from Aberystwyth University, a group of 28 women discuss sexiness and say that the sexy celebrity image is impossible to compete with for many women: ‘I just wouldn’t have the time or money to do it’ was a typical comment.
The study, which took place over three years and involved a series of interviews with women, discovered that high street sex shops such as Ann Summers also had the effect of making women feel worse as it costs money to attain the sexy ideal that is promoted through the stores.
Evans and Riley’s findings indicate that participants were able to celebrate the success of other women who had ‘made it’ in the celebrity world and fulfilled multiple roles as entrepreneur, celebrity and ‘no fool’ savvy business women. But these women also worried about their own successes and scrutinised themselves against these celebrities.
Adrienne Evans, senior lecturer in media and communications at Coventry University, said: “The idea of having lots of time and money to do constant beauty work is unrealistic to most women in the current economic climate, and yet time and money seem to be the things women are measuring themselves against as markers of success. However, our research also shows that we have very few approaches to challenging this in ways that don’t blame other women.”
Do you think Celebrity culture is making you feel worse about yourself? Share your opinions below…
I am a lifeguide, which is similar to a life coach and I work closely with people helping them with their lives and the problems they may face. More and more women are consulting me suffering from lack of confidence as they feel the only way in life to be happy is to be a celebrity. It seems that ordinary lives, houses and jobs no longer appeal. They become fixated in being a pop star or a footballers wife. They believe this would solve all their problems and bring instant happiness.