“Hyperreality” - From the "Best of Dr. Kim"

HYPERREALITY

Have you ever heard of the term “hyperreality”?  Let me give you my take on it.  We live in a world that is dominated by media.  For most of us TV, movies, magazines, and the Internet are a regular part of our lives.  What often happens is that these different media sources can shape and edit how we view an event or an experience in our lives.  Here is an example.  Supermodels are on the cover of many fashion and other types of magazines.  This becomes our standard of beauty.  Yet in reality, the pictures of these models have been airbrushed and edited to give us this “perfect woman.”  This then becomes our “hyperreality” of what a woman should look like.  It has created a monster in our culture.  Many women seek to look like these models.  They spend lots of money on makeup, implants, surgical procedures, and a myriad of other things trying to be someone that they are not.  For men, it creates in our minds an image that no woman can  match - not even the supermodels.  The most damaging thing from my perspective is that it gets our focus off of what is really important in a relationship.  Sure, being physically attracted to someone is important, but if that is all we focus on we will have shallow, unfulfilled relationships.

What do you think?  How do you see “hyperreality” in your culture?  How do you see it affecting relationships?

Dr. Kim