The Media and Peer Influences on Body Dissatisfaction”

1744 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: In conclusion for media influence on body image

One day 6 year-old Taylor came home from school and asked her mother, “Mommy, why is my tummy so fat?... A girl in the bathroom at school asked me why I was fat"(Canning and Wynn 1). The article “Appearance Culture in Nine- to 12-Years-Old Girls: Media and Peer Influences on Body Dissatisfaction” by Levina Clark and Marika Tiggermann tells us that is been said that adolescence is the point when it is most likely for body dissatisfaction to arise, but a growing amount of research suggest that it may develop earlier during childhood. Many studies have shown body dissatisfaction in girls as young as six years old (628).Stephanie Hanes article, “Little Girls or Little Women? The Disney Princess Effect”, says The University of Central Florida did a poll and found the 50 percent of 3-6 year old girls worry that they are fat (482-483). The percentage of preadolescence girls who desire a thinner body size is between 28 to 55 percent. With this body dissatisfaction at a young age it can lead to dieting and related behaviors that are risk facts for chronic body image problems, weights cycling, obesity, and eating disorders. To contribute to this dissatisfaction of ones body there are many influences such as media and peers (Clark and Tiggermann 629). The way body image is portrayed in the media and influences from peers it is having a negative effect on young girls and they are are starting to have body dissatisfaction at younger ages. In Opposing Viewpoints article “Body Image”, Carla Rice a health professional defined body image as “an individual's experiences of his/her body. It is the mental picture a person has of his/her body as well as the individual's associated thoughts, feelings, judgments, sensations, awareness, and behavior”... ... middle of paper ... ... Fat To Be A Princess? Examining The Effects Of Popular Children's Media On Young Girls' Body Image." British Journal Of Developmental Psychology 28.2 (2010): 413-426. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. Hellmich, Nanci. "Do Thin Models Warp Girls' Body Image?." USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. Hellmich, Nanci. "The Fashion Industry May Be Linked to Poor Body Image and Eating Disorders." The Culture of Beauty. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. USA Today. 25 Sept. 2006. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Kowalski, Kathiann M. "Body image: How Do You See Yourself? How You Feel About Your Body Has A Big Impact on Your Health. Learn to Like The Person You See In The Mirror! (focus)." Current Health 2, a Weekly Reader publication Mar. 2003: 6+. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • The Effects of Media on the Body-Image of Preadolescent Girls

    1991 Words  | 4 Pages

    Media is infamous for having a tremendous effect on teenage girls. The mass media have long been criticized for presenting unrealistic appearance ideals that contribute to the development of negative body image for many women and girls (Harrison & Hefner, 2006). Whether it’s the influence on their choice of friends, school, or their self image, media has played an important role in affecting those decisions. A growing number of experimental studies have demonstrated a causal link between acute exposure to "thin-ideal" images (i.e., images of impossibly thin and attractive female beauty) and increased body dissatisfaction (Hargreaves & Tiggemann, 2003). It has recently been brought up that media influences girls in preadolescence, which is highly likely since most young girls idolize Barbie (Rintala & Mustajoki, 1992). “Were Barbie a flesh-and-blood woman, her waist would be 39% smaller than that of anorexic patients, and her body weight would be so low that she would not be able to menstruate” (Rintala & Mustajoki, 1992). Most young girls wish that they could look like Barbie when they grew up, but if they knew the reality of having her measurements their perceptions would probably change. Children frequently fantasize about who they will be, what they will do, and how they will look when they grow into adulthood.

    Read More

  • The Sociological Impact of Media Body Induced Image on Women

    1905 Words  | 4 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • The Media Influence on Body Image

    926 Words  | 2 Pages

    Body image refers to a person’s unique perception of his/her body. It is how we perceive ourselves, how we think we appear to others, and how we feel about our looks from “our own internal view” (cash, 1990b, p. 51).This internal view is associated with a person’s feelings, thought, and evaluations (positive or negative). (Cultivation and social comparison, p. 3).

    Read More

  • Media Influence Over Body Image

    1260 Words  | 3 Pages

    The media has had an increasingly destructive effect on young people who are becoming worryingly obsessed with their body image. The media is saturated in sexual imagery in which young people have to face every day. The sheer volume of sexual imagery in the media today has resulted in the vast majority of young people to become hooked on looking as near to perfection everyday by using the latest products and buying the latest fashions. This used to be enough but lately the next step to achieving perfection is cosmetic surgery. Everyone wants to look attractive, especially teenagers who are not only put under massive strain to succeed but to look beautiful and climb the ranks of the social ladder, and it seems that the only way to achieve the much desired beauty is to turn to drastic measures.

    Read More

  • The Media's Influence on Body Image Disorders

    1487 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is the perfect body type? Throughout our adolescence ages into the adult hood stage many of young women struggle to answer this question. Our idea of what the perfect body type is ever changing however it is always influenced by the Medias perception of what the perfect body image should look like. We all idolize these images we see on television and in magazines and some of us would do anything to look just like them. This image forces us to have self esteem issues.These advertisements are damaging both our mental and physical state of being Many young girls who take extreme measures to live up to the Medias perception of the perfect body type are more likely to develop one of the many body image disorders. The average age a girl starts to diet is eight ("Media and Eating Disorders" 1). When a girl becomes obsessed with dieting and looking better, they can easily become anorexic or bulimic. 79% of teenage girls who vomit are dedicated readers of woman's magazines ("Media and Eating Disorders" 2). The Medias standard of perfection puts stress and pressure on young girls to become skinner. Eating disorders, excessive exercise, and depression are a result of the Medias influence on their self image. The media have negatively influenced the self image of young girls by forcing their unrealistic perception of what women should look like onto them .

    Read More

  • The Effects of Divorce on a Family's Well Being

    2436 Words  | 5 Pages

    Boy meets girl. Girl and boy fall in love and get married. Girl and boy have children and life could not possibly get any better. Many years later: Boy and girl start to notice something different in their relationship, something wrong. They decide that their relationship is over, whether they’re both happy with that decision or not and they divorce. Boy and girl’s children see them divorce. Children process the divorce in different ways, and it stays with them for the rest of their lives. People who experience a divorce are affected by it, whether they want to be or not. More often than not, those effects are negative. Before any parents make a rash decision, and before any children put judgment on their parents for messing them up, let’s take a look at the thing people call DIVORCE and how it affects those involved.

    Read More

  • Divorce’s Effects on Children

    1584 Words  | 4 Pages

    Demo, D. H., & Acock, A. C. (1988). The impact of divorce on children. Journal of Marriage

    Read More

  • Effect of Divorce on Children: What About The Kids? by Judith S. Wallerstein and Sandra Blakeslee

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    While divorce gives parents a novel opportunity to begin a new life, it leads to an unfortunate twist in lifestyle for the children. In “What About The Kids? Raising Your Children Before, During, and After Divorce” Judith S. Wallerstein, Ph.D., a psychologist who spent 25 years of her life studying the effects of divorce on children, and Sandra Blakeslee, a scientist writer who has spent nearly all of her profession writing for New York Times, wrote, “Each decision to divorce begins a long journey that holds surprising, unexpected turns.”. Divorce leads to many unforeseen negative consequences for the children involved. Some frequent symptoms such as, anxiety, depression, guilt and grief emerge in the children’s behavior.

    Read More

  • Media and its Affect on the Teenage Body Image

    866 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Introduction to Body Image: Teen Decisions." Body Image. Ed. Auriana Ojeda. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003. Teen Decisions. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 May 2014.

    Read More

  • Effects of Media on Women’s Body Image

    689 Words  | 2 Pages

    The overwhelming idea of thinness is probably the most predominant and pressuring standard. Tiggeman, Marika writes, “This is not surprising when current societal standards for beauty inordinately emphasize the desirability of thinness, an ideal accepted by most women but impossible for many to achieve.” (1) In another study it is noted that unhealthy attitudes are the norm in term of female body image, “Widespread body dissatisfaction among women and girls, particularly with body shape and weight has been well documented in many studies, so much so that weight has been aptly described as ‘a normative discontent’”. (79) Particularly in adolescent and prepubescent girls are the effects of poor self-image jarring, as the increased level of dis...

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Body Image

    1622 Words  | 4 Pages

    Body image, according to Webster’s dictionary is a subjective picture of one’s own physical appearance established both by self-observation and by noting the reactions of others. Body image refers to people’s judgment about their own bodies and it is molded as people compare themselves to others. Since people are exposed to numerous media images, these media images become the foundation for some of these comparisons. When people’s judgment tell them that their bodies are subpar, they can suffer from low self-esteem, can become depressed or develop mental or eating disorders.

    Read More

  • Understanding Eating Disorders

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    M.D. “Body Image: A Clouded Reality”. Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self Knowledge 2.2 (2004): 58-65 pg. Web. 18 Nov 2013.

    Read More

  • Media's Influence on Body Image

    1544 Words  | 4 Pages

    Body image dissatisfaction is increasingly identified as an essential target for public health action ( Paxton , 2002, P. 2) Body image refers to a person’s unique perception of his or her body. It is how we perceive our selves, how we think we appear to others and how we feel about our looks from “our own internal view”. ( Nio, 2003, P3). This internal view is associated with the person’s feelings thoughts and evaluations. It can either be positive or negative. Negative body image could be associated with low self esteem. This could include low willingness to be involved in activities due to poor body image. Self-esteem is an important psychological need of human beings. It is very essential for a person to have a positive body image in order to face and overcome challenges in life. It helps to boost motivation and mental attitude.

    Read More

  • Essay On Effects Of Divorce On Children

    3252 Words  | 7 Pages

    Does divorce have more of an impact on the way American children act today than originally thought? Long ago divorce was a rare occasion and generally people feared it. Nowadays, fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce. With that being said, the amount of children subjected to divorce is increasing. Individuals seem to believe a divorce is subjected to just the husband and wife relationships but research has found this not to be the case. Children today are becoming more distant from their parents and peers; some consider divorce as the reason. In research and studies done, it is proven that divorce does have an impact on American children and their emotions. Paying attention to children’s attitudes and the way they interact with other children is one of many ways to know there could be a problem in their life. Adults typically overrun the reality of a child’s feels, especially if they were subjects of intact families as children and aren’t familiar with the feeling of parental divorce. Most children do not want to upset their parents so instead of talking to them about their thoughts and feelings, they choose to stay quiet and distance themselves from everybody. The currency of divorce in modern society damages not only our children’s emotional development, but also their social attitudes.

    Read More

  • The Influence of Self-Assessed Body Image on Confidence and Self-Esteem

    2460 Words  | 5 Pages

    Studies of body image in the past have gained varying results as to the groups that are affected, as well as the amount of impact body image has with these groups. There has also been much debate over the validity of methods used to judge body image, and how well the measurements used actually correlate participants’ actual views of body image (Cash, Morrow, Hrabosky, & Perry 2004). Some factors that have led to this discrepancy in answers are questions that were framed to be more suitable to attain the attitudes of one gender over another. The initial studies of body image focused upon simply body shape which seemed to be more important to women, whereas body image affects were seen for men when questions of muscle definition were included into the questionnaire process (Ridgeway, & Tylka, 2005).

    Read More

More about The Media and Peer Influences on Body Dissatisfaction”

Open Document