Body Image Standards

“Looks don’t matter; beauty is only skin-deep” (Godfrey, 2013). We hear these sayings all the time, yet we live in a society that seems to constantly contradict this idea (Godfrey, 2013). If looks don’t matter, why is every woman in magazines photoshopped? If looks don’t matter, why are women constantly harming their bodies because they are unhappy with how they look and just want to fit in (Godfrey, 2013)? The unrealistic standard of beauty that women are bombarded with everyday gives them a goal that is impossible (Godfrey, 2013). Sociocultural standard of feminine beauty is presented in almost all forms of popular media, forcing women with images that portray what is considered to be the ideal body (Serdar). A majority of the models

displayed on television and in advertisements are well below what is considered healthy body weight (Serdar). Mass media’s use of such unrealistic models sends an implicit message to women that in order to fit in or be considered beautiful, she must be unhealthy. This mindset that the media portrays ‘beautiful’ makes it difficult for females to achieve any level of contentment with their physical appearance. There are many media effects theories that can be used to help explain how women are negatively affected by the exposure to media. One of the theories that I will dive into is: cultivation theory with minor concepts of mainstreaming and resonance.
Concern over weight and appearance (body image) related issues often surfaces early in female’s development, and continues throughput the lifespan (Serdar).

The importance of physical appearance is emphasized and reinforced early in most girl’s development; studies have found that nearly half of females ages 6-8 have said they want to have a slimmer body image (Serdar). Body image is a complicated aspect of the self-concept that concerns an individual’s perceptions and feelings about their body and physical appearance (Serdar). Images in the media today project an unrealistic and even dangerous standard of feminine beauty that can have a powerful influence on the way women view themselves (Serdar). This ‘ideal’ body image is present in mainstream media, and mainstream media are a sources for women to turn to for women with how they should look. (Hendriks, 2002). Images in advertisements, television, and music usually portray the ideal woman as tall, white, thin, no curves, and have blonde hair. Women who are active viewers of media may develop the attitude that thinness is desirable, experience greater body dissatisfaction, and may even partake in weight loos behaviors in attempt to mirror the models and actresses they observe in the media. (Hesse-Biber, Leavy, Quinn, & Zoino, 2006). In recent years, women’s body sizes have grown larger, while societal standards of body shape have become much thinner (Serdar). Only a very small percentage of women in Western countries

meet the criteria the media uses to define "beautiful"; yet so many women are repeatedly exposed to media images that send the message that a woman is not acceptable and attractive if she does not match society's "ultra-thin" standard of beauty (Serdar).
Cultivation theory is an important to theory to understand when looking at the negative media effects on body image. Gerbner defined cultivation as habitual exposure influences beliefs about the general nature of the world (Bryant, Thompson, Finklea, 2013). Gerbner says that when you have heavy exposure, you are more likely to adhere to the televisions version of social reality (Bryant, et al., 2013). Cultivation says that when frequently exposed to media, their effects build over time. Gerbner focused his attention on violence within television programs and proposes people cultivate views of the world similar to what they see on the television, generally a “mean” world filled with violence and crime, or known as the mean world syndrome (Bryant, et al., 2013). This can help explain the effect of media on body image disturbance. Some studies suggest that cultivation effect is stronger when people watch narrow genres of programing (Hendriks, 2002). Therefore, body image researchers are likely to find stronger cultivation effects in women who consume content that emphasizes body image (ex- MTV). An individual’s level of awareness about the characteristics and the effect of images portrayed in the media may be an important indicator of how that individual will internalize the thin idea (Serdar). If a woman does not recognize that media expectations are almost unattainable, she will be more likely to internalize, and thus be negatively affected by the thin ideal (Serdar).
When looking at the media and the negative effects it has on body image, it is important to note that cultivation may not always create attitudes, but often serves to reinforce them. For example, we can look at an advertisement from the Victoria Secret fashion show. Within these repetitive advertisements of thin models, it makes you think twice about your own weight and messes with your head on what it means to be beautiful. This is the whole point of repetitiveness. When women are constantly thrown images of beauty and the ideal image of a female body, these images subliminally make you think about your own weight. Media portrays thinness as good and fatness as bad.
Within cultivation theory comes mainstreaming. Mainstreaming means heavy viewing may absorb or override differences in perspectives and behavior which ordinarily stem from other factors and influences (Bryant, et al., 2013). This concept suggests that people whose lifestyles are different from what they see on television will be more susceptible to television messages. If women do not accept the thin ideal but consume heavy amounts of media that contain it, they may be more likely to accept the thin ideal as their norm, as well as share this attitude with peers who share the same ideals (Van Vonderen and Kinnally, 2002). Cultivation theory suggests that to the viewers who consume large amounts of media that contains the thin ideal body may believe that thinness is desirable and an important image to maintain.
Along with the concept of mainstreaming comes the concept of resonance.

Resonance occurs when real-world events supports the distorted image of reality show in television (Bryant, et al., 2013). Whenever the direct experiences are in agreement with the message from the television, the messages are reinforced –they resonate- and the cultivate effect is amplified. (Bryant, et al., 2013). In other words, if the viewer’s life experiences are similar to the media content that they are viewing, and the media messages are more likely to have an effect on them (Van Vonderen and Kinnally, 2002). Instances of direct experience that reflect instances observed on the television also combine in the viewer’s minds, making it more difficult for them to recall which was direct experience and which experience they viewed on the television (Van Vonderen and Kinnally, 2002). For example, television can act as a reinforce if an adolescent’s friends always tell her she would be prettier if she lost weight. As a consequence, this girl comes to believe think is desirable and she holds this belief with greater intensity than she did before watching television (Hendricks,

2002).
In conclusion, media’s portrayal of women is unrealistic and unattainable for a majority of women in our society. The negative effects of these thin media images of women have shown that females who are constantly exposed to these images are more likely to develop body image disturbance. You can use theories such as the cultivation effect with mainstreaming and resonance to examine how media portrays negative images of women, and how they negatively affect the way women feel about their bodies and physical appearance.