How Media Images Promote Body Dissatisfaction

Body image and beauty standards have changed drastically over the years. By establishing impossible standards of beauty and bodily perfection, the media drives people tobe dissatisfied with their bodies. This dissatisfaction can result in disorders of behavior as people try to achieve unreachable goals with unhealthy

A body image is a subjective combination of all the thoughts, emotions, and judgments that an individual may perceive about his or her own body. Each individual has a unique perception of his or her own body. This image is strongly influenced and often times skewed due to the increasing pressure created from outside, societal factors. With a world that is continuously creating new forms of social media and entertainment, individuals are constantly exposed to images that supposedly define bodily perfection and are then expected to resemble these images in order to fit in and/or please society. The expectations that have been put in place by society has created unwanted pressure on individuals who feel as if they need to resemble these images to get society’s approval.

A very prominent and controversial issue related to media-idealized images is that of eating disorders and eating problems. Eating problems include binge eating, purging, and unhealthy eating problems. These disorders are seen in young adolescents who are at a very fragile stage of life. Teenagers experience bodily changes as well as peer pressure and new experiences of going into high school. According to Dakanalis et al. the media portrays individuals with an extremely thin build for females and a slim-muscular build (i.e., muscles along with minimal body fat) for males is considered to be the cause of body displeasure and eating pathology. There is no solid evidence to prove that the media is to blame for the degree of eating disorder symptoms and negative body-image feelings that many feel, hence the reason it continues to be a highly debated topic. There has although, been continuous research and theories comprised over objectification. This occurs when men and women are sexually objectified. A person is treated as a body, where beauty and attractiveness of a person are important and valued. This theory can be found nearly anywhere because of the amount and variety of social interaction. It is common because of the way media represents body images. The media has ideals of men and women’s body images and individuals are compared to how well

It is known today that media and body image are closely related. Particularly, how the body image advertising portrays effects our own body image. It has been documented in adolescents as they are more at risk for developing unhealthy attitudes toward their bodies. They are at a time where they 're focused on developing their individual identities, making them susceptible to social pressure and media images. A major reason many people have a negative body image is because of the impact that media has had on our perception of body image.

Media is a significant force in modern culture, particularly in America. Sociologist refer to this as a mediated culture where media reflects and created culture. Communities and individuals are bombarded constantly with messages from a multitude of sources. These messages promote not only products, but moods, attitudes, and a sense of what is and is not important. The messages that the media portray are conflicting and it is impossibly hard to achieve both messages since one is orientated toward fast food consumption and the other it orientated toward an extremely thin ideal. Many researchers have hypothesized that the media may play a central role in creating and intensifying the phenomenon of body dissatisfaction and consequently,

Eating disorders is one of the many causes that women deals with. The effect of media on women’s body dissatisfaction, thin ideal internalization, and disordered eating appears to be stronger among young adults than children and adolescents. Anorexia and bulimia are serious public health problems in the United States and other industrialized countries. In Japan, young adult women, are most impacted by negative body image about 30% of Japanese women in their 20s are categorized as underweight. Japanese women between the ages of 20 to 59 have become thinner (BMI of less than 18.5). This is due by the modern beauty standards on how we should look like. The media plays a role on women by showing only thin

Chronic dieting, low self-esteem, depression and, high levels of body dissatisfaction were among the major issues women face when addressing their body image (Gingras, Fitzpatrick, & McCargar, 2004). The severity of body image dissatisfaction have increased to such a dangerous state that it was added to the DSM-IV as a disorder now called body dysmorphic disorder (Suissa, 2008). One of the main reasons for the prevalence of these conditions in women was due to contemporary Western media, which serve as one of the major agent in enforcing an ultra-thin figure as the ideal for female beauty (Saraceni & Russell-Mayhew, 2007). These images and models presented by the media have become the epitome of beauty, pushing women who internalized these images to dangerous extent to attain these norms. According to evidence from previous studies, contemporary Western cultures have influenced women to an acquired normative state of discontent with their bodies, which have become the source of maladaptive eating practices, negative psychological outcomes, and, chronic health conditions associated with eating disorders (Snapp, Hensley-Choate, & Ryu, 2012). The seriousness of these body image conditions among youths and women have also led to congressional actions.

Media has developed to become omnipresent in the day to day lives of the westernized societies. The media is considered a gigantic umbrella that houses a plethora of different outlets underneath it such as television, music videos, magazines, commercials, video games and social media. In this paper, the effects of media and various media types are examined to understand their potential outcomes. Focusing on how and if media affects body image in girls and women, the themes of dieting awareness, thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction and behaviours are a few of the themes that reoccurred throughout various recent journal articles. Since the media is an ever-growing presence, it potentially has negative effects not only on our

Ever since we were little, humans were defined by numbers and sizes, and judged by the silent eyes of humanity, and trying to fit ourselves into the undefined definition of perfect. Though there is no correct or incorrect way to look, no two human bodies will look alike (Godsey, “Male Body Stereotypes”). Thus, defining a certain ideal body type to define males or females would not allow the population of girls or boys to achieve those views. Although the media’s intentions are not primarily to degrade any human’s current body state, the media and the people utilizing social media exploit people within a society’s views on an ideal body image that is both unrealistic and nearly impossible to attain. Through negative perceptions of the body, the media influences ideal body structures for each gender, body modifications, and mental and eating disorders.

Teenagers spend as much as seven hours observing media daily according to researchers (Spur, Berry and Walker); the need to reach the ideal body image becomes overwhelming due to emphasis on looks in the media and time spent viewing it. The National Eating Disorder Association did a study that concluded 80% of women were unsatisfied with their appearance and girls as young as nine had begun to practice dieting (Chittom and Finley). Through the use of the language of morality, the media has lured people into buying and using dieting products. Due to the staggering different proportions between the average woman and average model – an average woman measures 140 pounds at 5”4 while a model weighs 117 pounds at 5”11 – the ideal body image becomes, not only exceedingly difficult to achieve but extremely dangerous (Chittom and Finley). According to Body Mass Index calculations, 18.5 and below is dangerous for the human body to endure and means it will not function at an optimal rate – the average model calculates to a BMI of 16.3. However, media has been making an effort to correct the problem of body

The first was a study done by Virginia M. Quick and Carol Byrd-Bredbenner that focused on disordered eating and the socio-cultural media influences, body image, and psychological factors among a racially/ethnically diverse population of college. In their study they addressed the fact that college age women are at a higher risk for body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and even is quoted saying ‘ their desire to fit in with peers and/ or achieve the media’s ideal body shape likely promotes body dissatisfaction”. Another source was another study by Shelly Grabe, L. Monique Ward, and Janet Shibley Hyde. The topic was “The Role of the Media in Body Image Concerns among Women” and it examined the relationship between the media and the decline in positive body image. Some quotes from the study are “Approximately 50% of girls and undergraduate women report being dissatisfied with their bodies”, “Among the many forces believed to play a role is the increasingly thin ideal dominating the media”, and “Media’s presentation of women’s bodies is so skewed, showcasing an ideal that is out of reach for most, adopting this reality may lead to decreased satisfaction with one’s own body”. Also, I have discovered more recent sources while building my annotated bibliography. One of the being an article named “Fat is Not a Feeling: How to Combat a Negative Body Image” by Laney Cline King,

Social media plays an immense role in the way that stereotypes about attractiveness is conveyed in regards to body image. As Gerbner and Gross wrote in 1976, the cultivation theory states that high frequency viewers of television are more susceptible to media messages and the belief that they are real and valid. The subjection to social media can cause an idealistic view amongst young girls and women alike. Among the mechanisms of human agency none is more central or pervasive than beliefs of personal efficacy (Bandura, 1997). This belief that these body types are achievable can lead to females being dissatisfied within their own skin. The result of the discontent can potentially lead to eating disorders. Body dissatisfaction occurs when views of the body are negative and involves a perceived discrepancy between a person 's assessment of their actual and ideal body (Cash and Szymanski, 1995 and Grogan, 2008). It is estimated that approximately 50% of adolescent girls report being unhappy with their bodies (Bearman, Presnell, & Martinez, 2006). Surveys have revealed that the exposure to social media can cause body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms’ and the concept that thin is “beautiful” amongst young girls and women (Botta 1999; Harrison and Hefner 2006; and Stice et al. 1994). With media influence, the question is the strength of the effect, studies indicate the effects are small in scale; they are likely to operate in accordance with particular differences in

Exercising for hours, starving one’s self, crash diets and fixatedly recording and calculating calories are some of the processes people go through to achieve society’s perception of the idealistic body type. Throughout history in the western culture and cultures around the world this emphasis on the perfect body is associated with being successful, having wealth and other socially desirable traits. Because society constructs this image that is considered to be the norm some individuals strive at all cost to meet the bar that has been set and when they perceive they haven fallen short dissatisfaction with their body occurs. This ideal human physique is seen in the media and every facet of society; it is has integrated into cultures and the

Media is a wonderful and powerful source of technology, which allows society to connect and share on a whole new level. Even though media is wonderful it has its downfalls, including promoting a negative body image. According to Carla, body image “is an individual's perceptions, thoughts and feelings about her body, and how they're shaped through interactions with others and within a larger societal context”(Mooney, Carla). When people begin to obsess over their body image it can lead to eating disorder and other health concerns. Although media influences eating disorders by setting high body expectations in advertising and on social media, there are companies and individuals which promote a healthy body image.

“The attention-grabbing pictures of various high-flying supermodels and actors on different magazine covers and advertisements go a long way in influencing our choices” (Bagley). The media is highly affective to everyone, although they promote an improper image of living. Research proved says those with low self-esteem are most influenced by media. Media is not the only culprit behind eating disorders. However, that does not mean that they have no part in eating disorders. Media is omnipresent and challenging it can halt the constant pressure on people to be perfect (Bagley). Socio-cultural influences, like the false images of thin women have been researched to distort eating and cause un-satisfaction of an individual’s body. However, it