Media's Effect On Body Image

Lauren Pomet

Ms. Mariano

English 102

April 27, 2017

Society and The Media’s Affect on Body Image American society is obsessed with body image. Body image is the way that a person sees themselves (“Body Image”). It is basically how a person feels about themselves. This it includes perception, imagination, emotions, and physical sensations (Brazier). Our body image is formed as we receive and internalize messages about our bodies from those in our external world (“Social Influences”). These messages influence ideas about what is considered desirable or not acceptable about the body (“Social Influences”). We receive these messages from our immediate surroundings such as our family, our friends, and from the larger society that we are part of

In her article, effects of the media on body image, Allie Kovar, discusses the effects of fictional television shows and movies. Kovar states, “Fictional characters in television shows and movies are almost always portrayed as thin and beautiful.” She explains with examples including the movie Shrek where the “ugly” princess is green, overweight, and more masculine and the “beautiful” princess is thin and extremely feminine. She continues by discussing the negative effects of reality television. She uses examples like America’s Next Top Model, The Hills, and The Real Housewives of Orange County, which promote unrealistic body image. In these particular shows, real life women are symbolizing the “average woman” in America. “These women are the prime examples of how our culture’s standard for attractiveness has reached an unhealthy level,” says Kovar. She points out that these women possess scarily thin bodies, however they are constantly discussing dieting, exercise to lose weight, and how they aren’t thin enough. It wasn’t bad enough that supermodels were bombarding our culture with negative body image references, but now these “reality shows” with “real people” are portraying the same

in her article, “Uncomfortable in our own skin,” Eva Wiseman discusses the pressures distorting the way we think and feel about ourselves. Wiseman states, “More of us than ever hate the way that we look. It’s making us anxious, unhealthy and disempowered.” For some of us, the body becomes a source of great dissatisfaction. Body dissatisfaction is a term used to express the feeling that people may have that their actual physical appearance is not how they would ideally like it to be (Kovar). We internalize the idea that we can only feel good about ourselves if we meet society’s unrealistic ideal standard of perfection. Having unrealistic expectation for one’s body image creates a greater chance for body dissatisfaction. People experiencing body dissatisfaction can become fixated on trying to change their body shape (“What is Body Image?”). This unhealthy fixation can lead to unhealthy practices with food and exercise (“What is Body Image?”). These practices don’t usually achieve the desired outcome and can result in intense feelings of disappointment, shame and guilt and, ultimately, increase the risk of developing an eating disorder (What is Body