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Impact of media on child development
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Given the existence of modern technology, individuals are immersed in the mass media now more than ever before. Media, especially television, is a source of entertain for adults, adolescents, and also young children. According to research, children reportedly spend approximately 2.5 hours a day watching television (Larson, 2001). However, there has been increasing awareness of the potentially problematic implicit messages that may be communicating to children through media consumption (Smolak & Murnen, 2001; Freeman, 2007; Levine & Murnen, 2009). Disney, one of the most successful establishments in the film industry with a target audience consisting mainly of children, should not exception to this scrutiny. Though a majority of its movies are …show more content…
Research suggests that experimental exposures to the thin ideal in television commercials was correlated with lower body satisfaction in females (Levine & Murnen, 2009; Slevec & Tiggemann, 2011). Girls were also found to have higher food consumption after playing with an averaged-sized doll compared to girls who played with a thin Barbie doll, and researchers propose that more realistic dolls may have reduced the pressure of feeling the need for restrictive diets (Anschutz & Engels, 2010). Studies examining the impact of Disney movies on young children indicate similar findings. Kindergarten girls who were exposed to Disney movies with female themes reported significantly lower body image satisfaction than the children exposed to Disney movies with nonhuman themes (Asawarachan, 2014). However, Hayes and Tantleff-Dunn’s (2010) findings report that girls ages 5-6 years old selected a thinner ideal self after Disney movie exposure, while children ages 3-4 did not, suggesting that there may be a relationship between developmental shifts and changes in body …show more content…
First, the content analysis will focus on the physical deviation of both female and male Disney characters’ body from the average woman and man using the measurements of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-chest ratio (WCR) for each population, respectively. The average WHR and WCR of women and men are based on Crossley, Cornelissen & Tovée’s (2012) research. Based on the existing literature indicating the unrealistic body images in media, we hypothesize that the WHR and WCR for both female and male Disney characters, respectively, will be less than the average, healthy woman and man. Sexualization of Disney characters was also examined, focusing only on female Disney characters. Our coding scheme was developed based on Hatton and Trautner’s (2011) study measures on the sexualization of women in the Rolling Stone. Although Hatton and Trautner’s (2011) findings suggest that sexualization of females was greater in the 1990s until the 2000s, we approached conducting the measurements of sexualization of Disney female characters as an open
Disney owns multiple television networks, is a large producer of box office hits, owns multiple theme parks and resorts across the world, and is a major supplier of children’s toys (Junn, 1997). For these reasons, and because of Disney universality, meaning its popularity worldwide, it has the ability to be globally influential on society’s youth. The potential for gender stereotypes in Disney movies was the reason for this study as it could have significant ramifications in the future (Thompson & Zerbinos, 1997). In an attempt to analyze the potential gender differences in Disney movies, we watched and coded five popular Disney movies, noting the character’s name, gender, and the occurrence of four predetermined behaviors, giving order, aggressive behaviors, performing domestic duties, and primping. Therefore, in the current study on the occurrence of gender stereotypical behavior in Disney tales and based on previous studies by Thompson and Zerbinos (1997), (Junn,1997), and Leaper et al (2002), first, we predicted that male characters would exhibit masculine stereotypical behaviors such as giving orders and being aggressive, more often than feminine stereotypical behaviors and women would display feminine stereotypical behaviors such as performing domestic duties and primping, more often than masculine stereotypical behaviors in Disney movies. Second, we hypothesized that women would have more fluidity in these
Disney’s gender roles and female body ideals are the elephant in the room that most people ignore. For decades, Disney movies have been very popular amongst young girls who are looking for role models to guide them, and to look up to. However, these movies help girls reinforce the female ideal that society has created, teaching them how a “real” girl dresses and acts. What are the psychological effects Disney movies have on young girls’ ideal of body image and female gender roles? The Princesses in Disney movies are portrayed as young, voluptuous, and beautiful while the female villains are usually older, heavyset or emaciated , and considered “ugly” or undesirable. These perceptions can give young girls an inaccurate view of what beauty should look like and what they should strive to be. This causes negative effects on how young girls view themselves and can lead to eating disorders later in life. Not only do the Disney movies portray body image inaccurately but they also reinforce gender stereotyping. Throughout each movie the princesses are “damsels in distress,” naïve, and cook and clean while wearing very
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.
Imagine being a 5 year old girl playing with baby dolls and brushing your Barbie doll’s hair and feeling fat. A 5 year old feeling fat sounds crazy, right? Well with the influence Barbie has had for years is causing girls younger and younger to feel that their body is not “perfect”. Eating disorders, unrealistic expectations, and self-confidence are all at jeopardy once a young girl is rewarded with her first Barbie doll.
In recent years, sociologists, psychologists, and medical experts have gone to great lengths about the growing problem of body image. This literature review examines the sociological impact of media-induced body image on women, specifically women under the age of 18. Although most individuals make light of the ideal body image most will agree that today’s pop-culture is inherently hurting the youth by representing false images and unhealthy habits. The paper compares the media-induced ideal body image with significant role models of today’s youth and the surrounding historical icons of pop-culture while exploring various sociological perspectives surrounding this issue.
His work in modern media was revolutionary. Moreover, he broadened communication and made it easier to learn about new cultures. Disney’s movies play a vital role in children’s development and their productivity when they enter the “real world”.
In “Little Girls or Little Women? The Disney Princess Effect,” Stephanie Hanes covers the sexualization of young girls and women in every aspect of the media that influences children and teens. She explains that girls see media figures, movies, and sports being sexualized, and how this is causing children to associate looking and acting a certain way to being ‘the perfect women’. Hanes believes the hypersexualized media is causing girls to obtain a negative body image and it’s killing their self-esteem. The author proposes what she believes society should do about overcoming this obstacle, and how people can crush the stereotypes about women; to her everyone is responsible and should aid in fixing these problems. She explains that the media
Presently, Disney known for its mass media entertainment and amusement parks technically bring warm feelings to many children and some adults. Personally, Disney elicits magical fantasies that children enjoy and further encourages imagination and creativity. For decades Disney has exist as an unavoidable entity with its famous global sensation and reach. Furthermore, Disney is a multibillion dollar empire with an unlimited grasp on individuals and territories. An empire per se, since they own many media outlets, markets, shops, etc., you name it they got it. However, the film Mickey Mouse Monopoly presents an entirely new perspective on the presumed innocence projected in Disney films. This film exposes certain traits Disney employs and exclusively portrays through its media productions, specifically cartoons for directing and nurturing influence beginning with children. Mickey Mouse Monopoly points out camouflaged messages of class, race, and gender issues in Disney films that occur behind the scenes intended to sway viewers towards adopting Disney values.
The debate over the good and bad aspects of Disney movies has been going on for years. It has become a part of pop culture in a way never expected through things such as YouTube videos and meme’s. While looking at multiple Disney movies may give a wider range of example of both the good and the bad in Disney movies, to help depict the effects the movies actually have on kids it is most beneficial to study just one movie. Zia’s essay argues that Disney movies have a good influence on children by teaching them good life morals. However, one of her examples, Mulan, is not an example of achievement through hard work like Zia explains, but rather a change made through magic, and example of the horrible historical inaccuracies made in Disney movies and the lack of parental respect that they teach children.
Herbozo, Sylvia, Stacey Tantleff-Dunn, Jessica Gokee-Larose, and J.Kevin Thompson. “Beauty and Thinness Messages in Children’s Media: A Content Analysis.” Eating Disorders 12 (2004): 21-34. Print.
In today’s modern age, young children are being raised by their TV screen. Reining from the original tales of Perrault and the Grim Brothers, the Disney princess line has been a staple on the screens since the 1930s (Do Rozario 1). However, these princesses have gone through dramatic changes to remain relevant to todays youth. The effects that can be influenced by the roles expressed in these types of films send mixed messages to the audience, causing them to ask themselves whether or not they should believe what the princess is expressing on the screen.
Towbin. M. A. et al. (2008). Images of gender, race, age, and sexual orientation in Disney
Giroux thinks that Disney movies have a negative impact on children for teaching them stereotypical ideas. One big problem seen in Disney Movies is false body image. Take “Sleeping Beauty” for example, with her stunning beauty, small waist and perfect hair, she is portraying that her look is the ideal and women should look like her. Young girls seeing these Disney Princesses might think that the only way they can look good is if they have a model’s physique, which is wrong because children shouldn’t be concerned about appearance and impressing others. But they are, and parents are seeing it.
Since the introduction of Disney films into our society, there has been a sea change
Television programs that are targeted towards children, such as cartoons, can affect children in both positive and negative ways. I examined a variety of cartoons on both commercial and public television to observe the content of children's programming and determine the effects, both positive and negative, that programs have on children. The cartoons contain a wide variety of subject matters that can influence children in many different ways. I found that the majority of cartoons choose to use violence and inappropriate subject matter to entertain children. These images and stories can have a tremendous negative impact on children because the violence is rewarded without consequences, is glorified, and idealized. Children look up to the characters that have a negative impact by distorting their views on conflict resolution. There are, however, cartoons that contain little or no violence and often try to incorporate educational lessons that concern values and morals that are important for children to learn, thus having a positive impact.