Have you ever heard, "I wish I was taller! If only I had curly hair I would be pretty. I would be happy if I was skinner! Why can’t I look like her?" These are all comments commonly made by young girls, whom are feeling pressure to have the ideal physical features. This pressure builds and builds as the girl is aging and being effected by her environment. This strain reaches a maximum point when the girl is crossing into womanhood. The external influences change throughout a life time but they constantly play a significant role. These influences can be their favorite toy, the way classmates treat them, a commercial during their show, models on the runway, and television shows. As infants girls are constantly learning traits and characteristics from their parent’s behavior and habits, and the way they are treated. The things the individual learns directly relates to the way they view the world and themselves. Mass media also plays a large role in shaping a person’s outlook on the world. Girls feel pressure to live up the standards of the media outlets, and it can have a negative effect on the girl’s self worth, and body image. The girls are often young and vulnerable to the influence of potential role models. They can take this to unhealthy extremes, and cause physical damage to their bodies. The fashion industry also plays a role in this; with not only what they make available to the girls, but the models they use to advertise the clothing. Body image is a person’s opinion of their physical appearance. It is believed that body image begins to develop as early as infancy. Society puts little girls in pink, and tells them to behave like a princess or doll. Sue Palmer, author of Toxic Childhood says, "We are creating little fluff... ... middle of paper ... ...eb. 24 Mar. 2011. Steele-Carlin, Sherril. "Barbie: History of a Living Doll." Fifties Sixties Fashion, TV, Movies, Hair, Food, Cars, 50's 60's Facts and History about 1950's and 1960's - Clip Art and Information. Rewind the Fifites. Web. 27 Mar. 2011. "Teen Health and the Media." UW Departments Web Server. National Institute on Media and the Family, National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. "A Weight Watchers Support Network." Weight Watchers Support Network. Health Discovery. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. Winterman, Denise. "BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | What Would a Real Life Barbie Look Like?" BBC News - Home. 06 Mar. 2009. Web. 27 Mar. 2011. Yaqoob, Tahira, and Jason Mitchell. "Catwalk Girl, 18, Dies Six Months after Her Model Sister Starved Herself to Death | Mail Online." Home | Mail Online. 15 Feb. 2007. Web. 21 Mar. 2011.
This website article provides the history of Barbie and her newly inspiring images for young women. Barbie was the new popular doll during World War 2 because she provided something inspiring for young girls and something that mothers felt strong about, independence. Barbie helped with what was being told to women, that they didn’t have to settle for being just a housewife or a stay at home mother. Women around the country could have a variety, a choice to work and have a career. “Barbie’s early professions were limited
For starters the title, “Barbie Doll” holds a meaning. It symbolizes the ideal figure of a female body. Society creates this ideal that is embed into every century. It is never ending. It is intended that she must have the twig like arms and legs, the minuscule waist and nose,
Martin, Melanie. “Negative Effects of Barbie on Girls.” eHow. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
Throughout the century, the ideal image of a woman has changed drastically, which can be directly attributed to the powerful persuasion of media. This ideal image has transformed from a voluptuous, size 14, 1950’s Marilyn Monroe to a 5’9, 100 pound, 1990’s Kate Moss. The most shocking aspect is specifically what young girls are now doing to achieve this “Kate Moss” image. Through the utilization of advertisements and stars on the big screen, this female portrayal directly targets the physical and mental well-being of females in cultures across the globe.
Body image is defined as “… the multifaceted psychological experience of embodiment, especially but not exclusively one’s physical appearance” (Cash, 1). Self-esteem, overall appearance and body satisfaction are some of the values that one may perceive when it comes to body image but the perception of body image differ based on individuals. External factors also affect one’s perception on body image.
Paragraph 1- Girls can become victims of eating disorders because of society's promotion of an ideal thin female body. Models and stars shown in the fashion industry, magazines, movies, and other forms of media often appear very thin. These models are not a true reflection of the average female. Many are unnaturally thin, unhealthy or airbrushed. One former Victoria Secret model was shocked by the waiflike models that were shown on the runway during designer shows. A study referenced in the the article “Do Thin Models Warp Girls Body Image” describes how studies of girls as young as first grade think the culture is telling them to model themselves after celebrities who are svelte and beautiful. The same studies showed girls exposed to fashion magazines were most likely to suffer from poor body images. Psychologist and eating disorder experts agree the fashion industry has gone too far in showing dangerously thin images that women and young girls may try to emulate. The use of super slim models and stars, is sending the wrong message to young impressionable girls. These harsh influences lead us to think that thin is ideal body size. Seeing super thin models in the media plays a role in anorexia. Society’s promotion of a thin female body contributes to eating disorders for females striving to achieve this ideal bod...
It has recently been brought up that media influences girls in pre-adolescence, 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. Advertisers use women that are abnormally thin, and even airbrush them to make them appear thinner.
Due to these unrealistic images and ideals during this impressionable developmental stage, it is not surprising that adolescent girls make up 95% of individuals who suffer from eating disorders (ANAD, 2013). Clearly, media images and messages greatly contribute to the development of eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa (Edwards, 2008, Maclagan, 1998). Dokter describes an eating disorder as, “a reflection of a person’s degree of unhappiness with themselves” (1995, p.208). Mitchell adds that eating disorders are a “disturbance of delusional proportions in the body image and body concept” (Brooke,2008,p.15). Eating disorders include: anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge eating, and other non-specified eating disorders. It is crucial for individuals with eating disorders to seek treatment due to the fact that it is life threatening. Of all mental disorders, eating disorders bear the highest mortality rates (ANAD,2013).
Body image includes an individual’s perception and judgment of the size, shape, weight, and any other aspect of body which relates to body appearance.
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.
Stone, Tanya Lee. The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us. New York: Penguin Group, 2010. Print.
The advertising involved targets young teenage women and features models that portray desirable items, and the “norm” is for these women to be slender and beautiful (Vonderen & Kinnally, 2012). Research has been done to prove that the media’s pressure on being thin causes women to be depressive and have negative feelings about themselves. Women’s views are skewed and perceived incorrectly of what the typical female body should be (Haas, Pawlow, Pettibone & Segrist, 2012). Body image for women has always been stressed for them to look a certain way and to try to obtain “physical perfection.” But due to the pressure on women to be this certain way, it is common for the mass media to be destructive to the young, impressionable girl.
Barbie was first launched in March 1959, after Ruth Handler, president of Mattel, Inc., went on a trip to Europe and discovered a unique German doll, “Bild Lilli.” The aforementioned doll was special in that she was an adult, whereas man...
Body image is a part of human nature, and it leads people all around the world to be influenced by their culture and their surroundings. It reflects the way both men and women view themselves, both esthetically and internally. Body image can have negative psychological and physical effects on members of American society, consisting of inducing eating disorders, prompting low self-esteem, causing Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and inciting cosmetic surgery.
Body image is the mental image of one 's own body. Body image is very important because the majority of people think about their appearance and how they look all day long. Many people today have a very poor body image. The causes of poor body image include: body size, bullying, media, low self-esteem, depression, and even gender. Body image also has some very unhealthy effects on men and women. Body image in our world today is at an all-time low, but there are many ways to help improve it. The most important ways are to focus on the good and positive talents he or she has and to not compare his or her body to another individual’s body.