The Effect of Skinny Models in Advertising on Egptian Women's Self-Perception

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Introduction
The effects of the exposure to the idealized images presented in advertisements have been an area for extensive media research for a long time. Many researchers suggest that watching repetitive messages presented in advertisements influence people’s behaviors, attitudes and perception. One area that many researchers are concerned about is how the idealized model figures in advertisements affects women’s perception of the ideal body weight. Some researches claim that when women watch skinny models who are perceived in the society as the ideal feminine figures intentionally or unintentionally they compare themselves to those models. This comparison can cause insecurities, body dissatisfactions and it also can affect women’s confidence and self-esteem. Some researchers suggest that this may eventually cause women to engage in unhealthy eating behaviors or excessive exercising to lose weight; moreover it may cause eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.
Problem statement:
This paper’s purpose is to measure and analyze the effects that the exposure to skinny models in advertisements has on Egyptian women perception of the ideal body weight. Moreover, this paper attempts to discover if watching skinny models in advertisements affects Egyptian women’s self-esteem and eating habits.
Literature review
As mentioned above a lot of researches have been conducted about the effects of advertising on women. According to Leon G. Schiffman, Leslie Lazar Kanuk, and Joseph Wisenblit (2010), advertising is a part of every one’s daily life, we are all exposed to advertising every single day that’s why it affects people greatly. A single advertisement may have no effect on people however when this advertisement is repeated on re...

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...pounds” Sheldon explained that young females are affected greatly with this unrealistic image because we live in a world in which looks are very important, social support is very low and the pressure to be ideal is increasing. Moreover, she stated that “According to research studies 1 out of 100 American adolescents are starving themselves, sometimes to death, and 4 out of 100 binge and purge or use laxatives to help maintain their “normal” weight.”
To sum it up according to the above studies advertisements can affect women’s perception of the ideal body shape, moreover in many cases it can affect women’s self-esteem. Also consciously or unconsciously women compare themselves to models in advertisements and this comparison may make women less confident which may drive them to engage in weight loss practices or even more it may make them develop eating disorders.

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