Julia Ransom

11/7/17
Public Speaking-TR-C
Persuasive Speech Outline

Specific Purpose Statement: It is wrong for media sources to construct our understanding of
beauty, as the standards for beauty on these platforms are unrealistic.

Central Idea: Through viewing advertisements, and viewing other people on social media
platforms, it shapes our understanding of what is means to be beautiful.

Introduction: As you scroll through your Instagram page, do you ever compare yourself to the
images that you see? Underneath all of the editing, makeup, and filters, there are real people in
those images. However, that is not what is portrayed. Majority of the images we see on media
platforms are altered in some way. Media is a topic that is widely studied in communication, as
media has become far more prominent in our lives. To understand how media affects us, and
our understanding of what the ideal person should look like, I decided to research the topic. I
think media also plays a factor in our self-esteem, which makes it an important topic to study. I
now pose the question: Will you let an app on your phone decide your worth and happiness?

Body:
1. My experience with media/my perspective
A. Media is addicting- As I have learned through my communication studies, as well as
my own personal experience using media, it is very addicting.
I. Constantly checking my phone, which means I am being exposed to media
every time I am checking it.
II. For me, its hard to take breaks from it simply because it is a habit to check it
constantly
B. When I go on media sites, I constantly compare myself to what I am looking at, and
sometimes it makes me upset that I am not living the same lifestyle that someone
else is, or that I dont look the way someone else does.
I. People who possess qualities that I dont have
C. What Ive Learned
I. People put their best photos/moments on media
II. People are not necessarily their genuine selves on media sites
III. Not everything is what it seems
IV. Filters and editing hinder our ability to see things for what they are
V. You cant be happy until you accept yourself for who you are
VI. Share positive example- Alicia Keys (Include Photo)
VII. Alicia Keys vowed to officially stop covering up. Not my face, not my
mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not
my emotional growth. Nothing, she said
 VIII. I swear it is the strongest, most empowered, most free, and most honestly
beautiful that I have ever felt, she said of the experience.
2. Research
A. Ura and Preston: The Influence of Thin-Ideal Internalization on Womens Body
Image, Self-Esteem, and Appearance Avoidance: Covariance Structure Analysis
I. Thin-Ideals- Meaning? When a woman tries to be as thin as the women she
sees on media sites, even though this body type is nearly impossible for some
women to accomplish.
II. Body image disturbance and eating Behaviors-Media is essential in
contributing to the development of a poor body image, as well as eating
disorders.
III. Women are expected and feel pressure to alter their behaviors to meet social
beauty standards
a. Risky eating habits (dieting, fasting)
b. Use example of sister in the modeling industry who developed an eating
disorder
IV. Study of 595 Female students of all different backgrounds
a. Questioned on:
i. Thin-Ideal Internalization
ii. Body Image
iii. Appearance Avoidance
iv. Low Self-Esteem
b. Results:
i. Relationship between thin-ideal internalization and low self-
esteem
ii. Body Image, Low self-esteem, and appearance avoidance were all
linked together (Significantly related)
Next, I would like to talk about the Cultivation Theory, which helps to explain why girls felt
like this after being exposed to media over a long period of time.
B. Potter- A Critical Analysis of Cultivation Theory
I. What is Cultivation Theory? In his terms, it was how the influence of media
messages in a much broader scope gradually exerted on the public as people
were exposed to media messages in their everyday lives.
a. The media institutions
b. Mass-produced messages- A common culture through which communities
cultivate shared and public notions about facts, values, and contingencies of
human existence.
c. Cultivation effect on large aggregates
d. Exposure to media sources instills beliefs in people over long periods of time
D. Anna Hosain- Constructed Beauty and Our Obsession with Image
I. National Institute on Media and Family via the University of Washington-
40% of girls in a survey said they wanted to lose weight, and they were all
between the age of 9 and 10. 53% of girls at age 13 are unhappy with their
bodies, and this grows to 78% by the age of 17.
 II. Women face scrutiny about their bodies all the time
III. Genetics play a factor- Some people win the lottery or are privileged

Conclusion:
Both women and men are exposed to media every day that eventually instills certain beliefs in
them in regards to what is (or is not attractive). For women, I found that in a lot of my research,
media message exposure is linked to low self-esteem, along with eating disorders. Media also
has the power to construct a meaning of the word beautiful. Although I did not do extensive
research on how it affects males, I believe the effects are not limited to females. When viewing
media messages, it is important to keep in mind that many of the images are altered in some
way, and that they dont always portray a person in a realistic way. I think it is important to be
educated in media effects, as media has become such a prominent part of our culture.

Bibliography:
"Alicia Keys Has Started A #NoMakeup Movement, And It's Amazing." Alicia Keys Has Started
A #NoMakeup Movement, And It's Amazing | HuffPost. 3 June 2016. Web. 9 Nov. 2017.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alicia-keys-no-
makeup_us_575175f3e4b0ed593f140fd8.

"Constructed Beauty and Our Obsession with Image." Constructed Beauty and Our Obsession with
Image | HuffPost. Web. 9 Nov. 2017. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-
hosain/constructed-beauty-and-ou_b_4809399.html.

Potter, W. J. (2014). A Critical Analysis of Cultivation Theory. Journal Of Communication, 64(6),

1015-1036.

Ura, M., & Preston, K. J. (2015). The Influence of Thin-Ideal Internalization on Women's Body
Image, Self-esteem, and Appearance Avoidance: Covariance Structure Analysis. American
Communication Journal, 17(2), 15-26.