What Is Body Dissatisfaction?

Everybody has a different opinion about their body. Some may feel that there needs to be a change and others have learned to love their body. In the end what is the cause of body dissatisfaction? Is the image many see in media false advertising or is it a rude awakening to what the media has been driven to? Or is the media corrupt? By establishing unattainable standards of beauty and perfection, the media drives ordinary individuals to be dissatisfied with their own body, thus causing mental and physical disorders, a rise in unrealistic social expectations, and low self-esteem.

Seeing model-thin bodies that seem if they were starving themselves and male models with bodies with outrageous muscle mass give men and women a sense that something

This gives children, teenagers, and even adults this factor. “In this media-driven age, it seems most people are dissatisfied with their bodies. Recent studies show that kids as early as third grade are concerned about their weight” (Maynard 6). To repeat on what Maynard stated, third graders are worried about their weight. What the media feeds to children gives them the sense of that it is something that they should be. Seeing thin models and looking back at themselves seeing that there is a big difference between the two. At this young of an age, they do not know anything about what the dirty truth is. What the media does to the pictures, photoshopping the flaws and enhancing the shape of face. Rollero conducted an experiment with college students giving them four images that were digitally altered. Results showed that retouching salience can reduce the level of internalization of beauty ideals and thus the negative effects of media images exposure, such as negative mood and decrease in self-esteem (Rollero 199). With this being said Rollero’s experiment shows that the digitally altered photos give the college students a false sense of beauty and a decrease in self-esteem. Giving these false ideals of beauty make men and females feel insecure about their bodies make them feel that there they need to fix the ‘imperfection’. What the media does not realize is not everyone can look the same, with these images

While many people try to avoid the media it enters their daily lives against their will. But that does not mean they have to give in to societal expectations. Parents can sit down with their children, making sure that what the media is showing shouldn’t be a standard that they should be held to. Making their own choice in what they want to be viewed as can be a step to increase self-esteem and making sure these individuals are not suppressed by the media. As for someone who is going through body dysphoria make sure that what they see in the media isn’t a standard they need to hold up to. Rather they should love their body and realize they are unique in their own