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Media's effect on body image
Media's effect on body image
Media's effect on body image
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The Media and Body Image
Abstract
This research examined the media and how it affects fitness and body image.
This was assessed by collecting data from surveys taken by three groups of ten
high school students, five of each sex. Two of the three groups were exposed to
different media packages, one depicted images of unnaturally thin individuals,
the other depicted athletic figures, while the third group was exposed to no
prior data. The results indicate the students attitudes towards social fitness
views and self-acceptance. It was my hypothesis that a correlation between
media and the fitness concept will be found but the idea of a personal body
image will remain fixed as body image is a determined part of one's psyche. A
significant correlation was discovered between those who viewed the thin package
and their attitudes on social fitness. However a low score in the self-
acceptance scale in all three groups suggests a low self-concept within all
participants. This supports my statement that there would be a connection
between the fitness concept and the media packages as well as a constant self-
concept maintained by all participants.
In assessing personal attitudes it is often important to measure not only what
an individual feels towards others but also his/herself. Prior research
indicates this is especially important when measuring attitudes towards physical
issues. It has been found that opposing views may be held simultaneously by
individuals in regards to themselves and others. Also concern for how a
response will reflect upon his/herself may negate an individual expressing his
or her true attitudes. This research sought to assess the attitudes of high
school students towards fitness and body image in the presence of different
physical media icons. By monitoring the individuals response to both a third
person scale and a personal scale, true attitudes can be assumed. In this study,
the different groups were the independent variable, here in described as Group A,
those exposed to the thin images, Group B, those exposed to athletic images, and
Group C, those exposed to no images or the control group, whereas the groups
score was the dependent variable. The surveys were distributed to thirty
students, ten in each group, five of each sex. The dependent variable, in the
Social Fitness Attitudes Scale, reflects the individuals attitude towards
fitness in society and in a dating atmosphere. The higher the individuals score
the more they are influenced by society, with a score of 46 being the accepted
indication of society influence. In the Self Acceptance Scale, the lower the
individuals score the lower their self concept with scores between 36-110
There are three variables that affect the body image one perceives about themselves, the first according to Thompson and Stice is “internalization if the thin-deal, that is, the endorsement of the media-prescribed ideal as part of one’s own personal belief system” (Thompson & Stice qtd. in Ashikali et al. 143). (Alvarez 4)
Media contributes in a way we see our body such as in an attractive or unattractive way such as Rebecca J.Donatelle in “ Enhancing your Body Image” explains. The way we assume about our physical appearance can lead to health problems and other side effects we can come across throughout our lifestyle. For instance the body image myths that the author states in the paragraph shows some effects on how our society feels today. And the changes one can make to become better to be better therefore changing our life for the better can combat in a lifetime experience.
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.
Mass media is designed to reach large audiences through the use of technology. Its purpose is
Picture the world controlled by the media. Could you imagine how ugly, scarce, and hateful it would be. What would you do if a magazine or a television show told you that your body weight had to be twenty pounds lighter to be all most perfect? Would you actually consider the fact or let ignore it? Teens, mainly girls, will be sucked into these magazines. (National Eating Disorders Info Centre 15) These could be magazines like Seventeen and Cosmo Girl. In addition with many others of course. All though, the media is a bad example at times it is not precisely the main issue for negative body image. (National Eating Disorders Association 1) All though, these constant screaming messages the media produces can progress to something more serious. (National Eating Disorders Association 1) More serious as in an eating disorder.
...e of women defined nineteenth century womanhood, as they refused the cultural norms that previously defined them. Photos of women displayed doing work in the clerical field, wearing voluminous trousers with short skirts, smoking cigarettes, and enjoying social outings empowered conservative women to follow who may have originally rejected these new values. For most, these new symbols were the representation of the ultimate social and political emancipation for women.
The media is a fascinating tool; it can deliver entertainment, self-help, intellectual knowledge, information, and a variety of other positive influences; however, despite its advances for the good of our society is has a particular blemish in its physique that targets young women. This blemish is seen in the unrealistic body images that it presents, and the inconsiderate method of delivery that forces its audience into interest and attendance. Women are bombarded with messages from every media source to change their bodies, buy specific products and redefine their opinion of beauty to the point where it becomes not only a psychological disease, but a physical one as well.
We live in a world where the media makes us believe that looking good is important, especially for women. Young women today, are caught up in their body image and some of them turn to eating disorders because they think it will help them get the body that “perfect” in the eye of the public. According to the findings of Reinkin and Alexander (2005), the number of female college athletes from 1971 to 2000 increased by more than 500% (Reinkin & Alexander, 2005). Female athletes are more prone to eating disorders than men because, they are expected to look a certain way and look attractive. In the research of Greenleaf, Petrie, Carter and Reel (2009) it states:
In the early 1900’s the ideal woman would be dressed with long dresses and would normally have long hair. Several events such as World War I, in July of 1914, changed women’s role in society. They were not only taking care of the children and the household but they were also taking the role of a man. As men went to war, women replaced them in factories. This caused woman to be more independent. Women realized that having a job was something that could be done; their sex didn’t restrict them from taking this action. This was extremely important as it lead to women being more confident and capable. In the 1920s young women began to change. They went from having long dresses and long hair, to a short haircut and wearing dresses that were above the knee. Women developed a greater interest in looking attractive. According to Russell L. Johnson, the beauty industry grew rapidly as cosmetic expenses sky rocketed from 750 million to 2 billion dollars (Johnson 3). This was one of the causes of the sexual revolution. Women became “ less formal but more expressive (Mag...
The executive branch. Retrieved June 9, 2008, from Welcome to the Whitehouse Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/exec.html
Freeman S. (2004). In Style: Femininity and Fashion since the Victorian Era. Journal of Women's History; 16(4): 191–206
Women used to dress very conservatively and strict before the turn of the decade. Clothing consisted of fitted dresses, long skirts, and corsets in lady like manners. Since the 1920’s brought women’s rights along, young women decided that they were not willing to waste away their young lives anymore being held down to the rules; they were going to enjoy life. The younger generations of women were breaking away from their old habits and their fashion statements changed their roles in society completely. Women were modeling their lives after popular icons...
Holmstrom, A. (2004). The effects of the media on the body image: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 48(2), 196-217.
Even before the creation of the Federal Reserve, banks were used by the public just as we use them today. Deposits were made into savings accounts. Loans were taken out to mortgage a home or finance a new business. Banknotes were issued and spent when the public borrowed from the banks. Borrowers spent these banknotes just as paper money is spent today. These bank notes were valued as money since they were backed by the promise that they would be exchanged on demand for either gold or silver.
For many celebrities, addiction develops as a family pastime. Anthony Kiedis’ father was a drug dealer, and his father introduced his son to the drug scene. Kiedis’ first experienced with marijuana when he was 12 years old; his father took pictures to commemorate the event. Kiedis’ father steered him into using cocaine and heroin by the age of fourteen. Kiedis thought nothing was unusual about this drug experimentation or his father’s encouragement to experiment. “I didn’t see it as a road to death and insanity, I just saw it as a beautiful, beautiful feeling.” Other celebrities use drugs to escape their family pain. As Robert Downey, Jr. said, “Pick a dysfunction and it’s a family problem.” In his autobiography The Heroin Diaries, Nikki Sixx comments several times that he saw drugs as a way to escape pain and his childhood. “I wish I knew what this hole in my soul is all about. Cause let’s be honest, this isn’t about now, it’s about then,” Sixx said. “I guess maybe the drugs are part of me killing the pain.” Sixx said, “Now my dream is here and I don’t have the tools to undo the damage done to me as a child.” Sixx’ colleagues recognize the role of his unhappy childhood in his later addiction; Bob Timmons comments, “Addictions are just symptoms of underlying issues, and in my view Nikki self-medicated the emotional pain of his childhood.” Sixx al...