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How has womens body image been affected by media
How has womens body image been affected by media
How has womens body image been affected by media
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Mass Media platforms can be defined as social media, magazines, newspaper, television, movies, advertisements and Internet (including social media) (Vonderen & Kinnally). Body image is a complicated aspect of self-concept that concerns an individual’s attitudes, perception, satisfaction, behaviours and feelings about their body and physical appearance. Females of all ages seem to be particularly vulnerable to disturbance in this area. It affects almost all women at some level and women of all ages and sizes display body image disturbance (Sedar). It is important to investigate this topic because the importance of physical appearance is emphasized and reinforced early in most girls' development; studies have found that nearly half of females’ ages 6-8 have stated that they want to be slimmer (Sedar). Media today projects an unrealistic and even dangerous standard of feminine beauty that can have a powerful influence on the way women view themselves. Is it true that the mass media only contribute to negative perceptions of the body image? What are the reasons why some females are affected/ not affected by images of the media? With the aid of relevant sources, we aim to answer these questions in our literature review. Literature Review Mass Media’s Contribution to Negative Perceptions of Body Image By Females The media broadcasts the “thin ideal” in many ways. Not only are the models on the covers of magazines and in advertisements embodying the “thin ideal”, but also the fictional characters in television shows and movies are almost always portrayed as thin and beautiful. In the movie ‘Shrek’, the princess turned into an overweight, masculine ogre and was considered an “ugly princess” but when the spell was broken, the prince... ... middle of paper ... ...ultra-thin media images of women have been well documented; research has shown that females who are repeatedly exposed to and internalise the thin ideal are at greater risk to develop body image disturbance and eating pathology. Although it is clear that the media influences the way females view themselves, it is unclear how this process takes place. The social comparison theory, cultivation theory, and self-schema theory can be used to examine how media images of women affects the way females feel about their bodies and physical appearance (Serdar). However, we can also boost body image when we refuse the media as all media messages are constructed and are not reflections of reality. It is up to us to choose whether or not we want to believe that message. We can also talk back when we see or hear a message that makes us feel bad about ourselves (“Body Image”).
These advertisers promote a body image that is completely unrealistic and impossible to achieve (Dohnt & Tiggemann, 2006b). It has been instilled in these advertisers’ minds that a thinner model will sell more (Hargreaves & Tiggemann, 2003). Media has a direct and indirect influence on the developing body image of young girls.... ... middle of paper ...
Body image is the perception, both thoughts, and feelings concerning an individual’s physical appearance. Research has suggested that exposure to an ideal standard of what it may mean to be beautiful is the norm for the media to expose a woman to. The results of an idea of feminine beauty can be disastrous for women, leading to depression, and an unrealistic body image. According to Posavac & Posavac in the article titled Reducing the Impact of Media Images on Women at Risk for Body Image Disturbance: Three Targeted Interventions...
Yamamiya, Y., Cash, T. F., Melnyk, S. E., Posavac, H. D., & Posavac, S. S. (2005). Women's exposure to thin-and-beautiful media images: Body image effects of media-ideal internalization and impact-reduction interventions. Body image, 2(1), 74-80.
Media is a wide term that covers many information sources including, television, movies, advertisement, books, magazines, and the internet. It is from this wide variety of information that women receive cues about how they should look. The accepted body shape and has been an issue affecting the population probably since the invention of mirrors but the invention of mass media spread it even further. Advertisements have been a particularly potent media influence on women’s body image, which is the subjective idea of one's own physical appearance established by observation and by noting the reactions of others. In the case of media, it acts as a super peer that reflects the ideals of a whole society. Think of all the corsets, girdles, cosmetics, hair straighteners, hair curlers, weight gain pills, and diet pills that have been marketed over the years. The attack on the female form is a marketing technique for certain industries. According to Sharlene Nag...
The media is a fascinating tool; it can deliver entertainment, self-help, intellectual knowledge, information, and a variety of other positive influences; however, despite its advances for the good of our society is has a particular blemish in its physique that targets young women. This blemish is seen in the unrealistic body images that it presents, and the inconsiderate method of delivery that forces its audience into interest and attendance. Women are bombarded with messages from every media source to change their bodies, buy specific products and redefine their opinion of beauty to the point where it becomes not only a psychological disease, but a physical one as well.
Researchers have used various abstract foundations for examining the relationship between media and body image ( Holmstrom, 2004). Here I review the theory that has been used by researcher in the area. Bandura’s Social cognitive theory (1994) assumed that “people learn and model the behaviors of attractive others”. The supporters of this theory suggest that young women find slim models in the media attractive and try to imitate them through dieting which leads them to eating disorders.
The sociocultural approach to the issue of body image among women states that women receive harmful and negative cultural messages about their bodies. These messages can come from the media as well as from family and peer influences (Swami, 2015). By promoting the thin ideal for attractiveness, the media contributes to women rating their bodies more negatively and thus increases their likelihood of developing eating disorder symptoms (Spitzer, Henderson & Zivian, 1999). In a meta-analysis studying the effects of media images on female body image, Groesz and Levine (2002) found that women’s body image was significantly more negative after viewing thin media images than after viewing average or plus size models. Harmful body messages from family can be direct, such as verbal criticism or teasing, or in...
Brown, Amy, and Helga Dittmar. "Think "Thin" and Feel Bad: The Role of Appearance Schema Activation, Attention Level, and Thin-Ideal Internalization for Young Women’s Responses to Ultra-Thin Media Ideals." Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 24.8 (2005): 1088-113. ProQuest. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
Vargas, L E. (2013) The Negative Effects of The Media on Body Image. Personal.psu.edu. Retrieved 30 Nov. 17 from:
Eighty percent of women report that they are insecure because of the images on television and in movies. This was admitted in the article “How Do I Look?” in an issue of People’s magazine in 2000. Only ten percent of the women that were interviewed said that they are completely satisfied with their body. How could the media have this much control? According to this poll ninety percent of women are not completely satisfied with how they look. The statistics are even worse for teenagers and children. Many steps need to be taken as a world wide community to lessen the media's effects on young women; young women are choosing unhealthy methods to lose weight, young women are thinking less of themselves because of the media, and overall the media has too much say in what the average citizen should do and say.
The media have been criticized for portraying the thin women as “ideal” .This research plans to look at the effects of media on the body image of women. This cumulates the findings of empirical studies that observe the effects of media on body image. This study will also look at the different social comparison theories that relate media and body image. It will also investigate the different sources of media that have an impact on the body image of women. It also scopes to find out which sources have a greater consequence than the others. Furthermore it also researches about how the women could be prevented from comparing their body image from that of the models and actresses portrayed in the media.
The pattern is similar for the portrayal of women on television, magazines, and other parts of the media. The way media represents women are for them to be thin-like models and other women on television to be the high standard of “attractiveness” to others. The advertising involved targets young teenage women and feature these models that are portraying desirable items, and the “norm” is for these women to be slender and beautiful (Vonderen & Kinnally, 2012). Research has been done to prove that media’s pressure on being thin causes women to be depressive and negative feelings about themselves . Women’s view are skewed and perceived incorrectly of what the typical female body should be (Haas, Pawlow, Pettibone & Segrist, 2012).
Body Image affected by social media Young people spend their time looking at magazines noticing how the media embraces just one type of body which is having flawless skin, thin, having a nice skin tone and having an amazing body. Unfortunately, these images can leave a negative impact on these young, impressionable people. Research has found that “47 percent of girls interviewed were influenced by magazine pictures to want to lose weight, but only 29 percent of them were overweight” (“Body Image”).
Women and girls seem to be more affected by the mass media than do men and boys. Females frequently compare themselves to others, finding the negative rather than looking at the positive aspects of their own body. The media’s portrayal of the ideal body type impacts the female population far more than males, however, it is not only the mass media that affects women, but also influence of male population has on the female silhouette too.
However, it is evident that the media usually presents and sexualizes women who are “young, fit and beautiful” hence probably creating self esteem issues more than confidence especially in younger women who are religious towards the media’s expectations. This stereotype of being a desired body shape only forces women to meet unattainable perfect physical standards (Gill 2015). The media bombards the youth with gender representations and the types of bodies that are deemed to be attractive. Many teenagers all around the world are desperate to lose weight to be “beautiful”.