The term advertising can conjure up many images: skinny women, designer clothes, the latest makeup trends and new diet pills, to name a few. While viewing advertisements, one gender group is constantly targeted by commercials, billboards, magazine articles, and films through the complete indoctrination of social views of an unfavorable body image. These advertisements can potentially trigger extreme thoughts of depression, persistent anxiety, and low self-esteem which ultimately cause mental health problems. Due to advertising, women's body image has been negatively affected throughout history. Throughout history, many women have been greatly influenced by fashion trends and societal expectations. From the beginning, magazines have defined their audiences as women take on, more or less openly, the difficult task of defining what is meant by a woman, or at least society's expectations of such. As stated by Gunter and Wykes, “teen girls in particular seek out magazines, internalize the messages presented, and use the media as a source of information about how to improve their physical appearance” (para. 6). Women were soon targeted as the subjects of advertising for traditional women's products such as fashion, cosmetics, and perfume. Eventually, women were treated as individuals and encouraged to consume all the products that had previously been staples of masculinity: cars, alcohol, and financial services. Women were given an identity and told that they were not quite as good as they naturally appeared: women were asked to buy themselves through various products, and thus, 'buy' the image, 'get' the feminine thought. Commercial interests play directly into women's fears which have led to great r...... middle of paper ......and success. Works CitedAta, Rheanna N, Alison Bryant Ludden, and Megan M. Lally. “The effects of gender and family; Friend and media influences on eating behaviors and body image during adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 36. 8 (2007): 1-2. Network. April 11, 2014.Brumberg, Joan Jacobs. The Body Project: An Intimate Story of American Girls. New York: Vintage, 2010. Print.Heinburg, Leslie J. and J. Kevin Thompson. “Body image and televised images of thinness and attractiveness: a controlled laboratory investigation.” Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 14.4 (1995): 325. Web. April 11, 2014. Protections, Vickie Rutledge and Dawn Heineken. Measuring yourself: how advertising affects self-image. Philadelphia UP, 2002. Print.Wykes, Maggie and Barrie Gunter. The media and body image: if appearance killed. London: Sage, 2005. Print.