Reflection Paper On Body Image

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Adolescents, The Media, And Body Image Jeremy Brower Cayuga Community College Abstract: In this reflection assignment, I will try to address the construct of body image and adolescents. Two examples each of negative and positive advertisements, one that will promote unhealthy and one that will promote healthy body images. I will also discuss some of the health and psychological problems for the adolescent that are associated with body image issues and advertisements. Key Words: body image, adolescents, negative and positive advertising, health, psychological issues, advertisements. Adolescents, The Media, And Body Image To begin, we need to ask ourselves one question. What is Body Image? Body image is how a person sees oneself and how one thinks other people perceive them, especially in adolescents. Adolescents are quiet concerned …show more content…

Trying to latch onto an athletic body made popular by the media, adolescents can suffer some devastating psychological health effects. For example, adolescents who think they are overweight may not eat, due to “they will do what it takes to get the perfect body.” This may result in eating disorders like anorexia and/or bulimia. Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by cycles of binge eating and purging as a means of controlling weight gain (Rathus, 2016). Anorexia is a similar condition in that it is an eating disorder characterized by irrational fear of weight gain, distorted body image, and severe weight loss (Rathus, 2016). Also, adolescent boys may endanger themselves by taking dangerous steroids to build up their muscles to become more muscular. The result of false advertising is the reason for the abuse of these drugs and diets in my opinion. Another reason for the psychological effects is the adolescent’s desire to perform and look as well as the celebrities shown in the

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