Extreme Beauty: Body Image in German and American Popular Media

Popular media in the United States is "selling dreams" to the public. This is the end goal of the advertising industry according to Marc Baptiste, one of the leading fashion photographers in the United States. In an interview for Darryl Robert's documentary America the Beautiful, Baptiste explains that he routinely retouches his photographs to make his subjects look as perfect as possible. He claims that this is the most effective method to market products to the public. Roberts' documentary goes on to reveal many ways the media "sells dreams", including transforming a twelve-year-old girl into a supermodel. Roberts reaches the conclusion that the media, pop culture, and the fashion industry set increasingly unrealistic ideals of beauty that negatively impact the body satisfaction of the American populace and create dangerous role models for America's youth.