Devastating Beauty” by Teal Pfeifer

What argument does the author make?

The author makes an argument that there has been a misconception of what beauty is in
the current century. Beauty, as perceived by many people especially the teenagers and young
ladies, is that a person should be thin with bones showing. According to the author, this belief
has been fostered by the media, magazines that use thin models in their stories and products that
hire skinny people to do their advertisements. Teal Pfeifer argues that it is because of the
presentation of ladies in the magazines that have led ladies to develop a low self-esteem
especially if they weigh slightly higher than the models and do not dress in size zero or one
clothes. The author further states that underweight ladies are highly glamorized, and the normal
ladies are constantly subjected to these images as they view them on a daily basis. Young ladies
by the age of seventeen, according to Pfeifer, have viewed an average of 250,000 advertisements
that feature women who are considered severely underweight. In a bid to have what the society
considers to be the ideal body size and weight, young ladies have attempted several measures.
Some ladies attempt to lose weight and because of this majority of them go on diets and may
develop conditions such as, anorexia and bulimia and are also prone to using drugs. When a
person realizes that they cannot attain the body weight presented to them, they may experience
depression, guilt, stress, and reduced self-worth. The females are more subjected to this mindset
of the perfect size and weight, and most of them want to be accepted by the society, and this
forces them to attempt to be like the models. The author further argues that the negative idea
about the ideal body size and beauty can only be stopped through boycotting the magazines and
media that publish severely underweight ladies. Pfeifer urges ladies not to purchase the
magazines that depict body images negatively, and this will be effective to force the magazines
to reconsider the images they use.

3

Is this an effective persuasive essay? Why or why not?

The essay is persuasive because the author presents the case clearly and also uses
examples to help readers understand clearly. The essay is also about an aspect of the society that
has been widely criticized and the Pfeifer clearly argues the issue by making the readers
understand that it is not right and should not be condoned. The author gives a depiction of what
is presented to the society as the ideal body. In the first paragraph, the author lets the readers
aware of the images used in the magazine by stating that her cheekbones, hip bones, and collar
bones are visible. Readers also understand that her every joint and bone in her thin, thin body can
be clearly seen through her Gucci, Dior, or Versace dress. To create a persuasive essay, the
author indicates that the magazines have contributed to young ladies developing a negative
perception of their body. Through this, ladies have developed bad eating habits and drug use to
ensure that they attain a perfect body that can wear size one or zero clothes. The bad eating
habits have led people to develop bulimia and anorexia, and they can also fall into depression if
they do not attain the ideal body weight. Through the essay, readers understand the effects that
magazines have had on the ladies who purchase the magazines. Readers also understand that the
body shape and weight is an issue that affects many ladies. Pfeifer also offers a solution to the
argument and states that a boycott would be more efficient, and the magazines would be forced
to accept the body images of different women and portray them more.
What was the author’s strongest argument? What was his/her weakest argument?
The author’s strongest argument is that the media has had a significant effect on the
females, regardless of their age. The media advertises food, fragrances, and cigarettes using
paper-thin models and this had led many ladies to have a bad perception of their body. They tend
to think that the image presented to them is ideal and will go to any measures to attain the body.

4
No magazine features slightly heavier and plump ladies, and this has caused many ladies to have
eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia and also tend to have depression, stress, and guilt.
It is through the argument that the readers understand how the idea of an ideal body size and
shape has changed over the recent years. Pfeifer states that in 1950, ladies featured in
advertisements weighed slightly higher than the ones used nowadays. The weakest argument of
the essay, however, is the recommendation that the author has given to end the problem. Pfeifer
states that women should boycott purchasing the magazines, and this will significantly help to
end the problem. It is important for the author to note that males also buy the magazines and the
boycott should be a combined effort. People that are not necessarily affected by the images
presented to them also purchase the magazines to read various sections. To end the problem, all
the people that purchase the magazines should be addressed and urged to join the boycott.