Media And Body Image Essay

1083 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The negative sides of beauty standards

Media and Women’s Body Image In the last ten years, media has changed dramatically. In 2004, newspapers, especially on Sunday, were the best way to discover current news. Ten years ago, television mainly consisted of broadcasts (Maunder). Now television has evolved into a world of reality shows (Ashikali, Dittmar, and Ayres 2). This evolution of media has had a negative effect on the way woman view their own bodies. Media has changed for the worse with new cosmetic surgery and modeling shows. These changes has lead to body dissatisfaction in women worldwide which can cause mental and physical health problems, With the current media, the “thin ideal” is a growing problem for women. Many forms of media portray the average woman as skinny as …show more content…

Mental health is one issue in women that has been discovered because of body dissatisfaction from media. This is the most common negative effect from media on women’s body image. For example, “low self-esteem,” is a mental health issue that can arise either by itself, or accompanied by physical health issues. A deteriorated self esteem is not the only mental health issue, depression is also very common. With both of these, eating habits are likely to change, leading to physical health problems, (Grabe, Ward, and Hyde …show more content…

“The Effect of Cosmic Surgery Reality TV Shows on Adolescent Girls’ Body Image.” Psychology of Popular Media Culture 3.3 (2014): 141-153. EBSCOhost. Web. 6 October 2014. Grabe, Shelly, L. Monique Ward, and Janet Shibley Hyde. “The Role of the Media in Body Image Concerns Among Women: A Meta-Analysis of Experimental and Correlational Studies.” Psychological Bulletin 132.3 (2008): PsycARTICLES. Web. 6 October 2014. Hensrund, Donald, M.D. "Why Do Doctors Recommend a Slow Rate of Weight Loss? What 's Wrong with Fast Weight Loss?" Mayoclinic. N.p., 24 June 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. Kovar, Allie. "Health Psychology Home Page." Effects of Media on Body Image. Vanderbuilt University, 30 Apr. 2009. Web. 13 Oct. 2014. Maunder, Peta K. "A Decade of The Media: What’s Changed over the past 10 Years?" Themediaonline. N.p., 26 Oct. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. Serdar, Kasey L. "Female Body Image and the Mass Media: Perspectives on How Women Internalize the Ideal Beauty Standard." Westminster College. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. Supplee, Suzanne. Artichoke 's Heart. New York: Dutton, 2008.

Show More
Related

  • Media and Body Image

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hass, Cheryl J., et al. "An Intervention for the Negative Influence of Media on Body Esteem." College Student Journal 46.2 (2012): 405-418. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • White Washed World

    767 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beauty is often described as being in the eye of the beholder. However in modern western culture, the old adage really should be beauty is in the eye of the white makeup artist, hair stylist, photographer, photo shop editor, and advertiser. Beauty and body ideals are packaged and sold to the average American so that we can achieve vocational, financial, social, and recreational successes. Mass media and advertising has affected the way that women perceive and treat their own bodies as well as their self-concept. Women are constantly bombarded with unrealistic images and hold themselves to the impossible beauty standards. First, we will explore the role of media in the lives of women and then the biggest body image issue from a diversity stand point, media whitewashing.

    Read More

  • Media Influence Over Body Image

    1260 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Sociological Impact of Media Body Induced Image on Women

    1905 Words  | 4 Pages

    Body image is the perception, both thoughts, and feelings concerning an individual’s physical appearance. Research has suggested that exposure to an ideal standard of what it may mean to be beautiful is the norm for the media to expose a woman to. The results of an idea of feminine beauty can be disastrous for women, leading to depression, and an unrealistic body image. According to Posavac & Posavac in the article titled Reducing the Impact of Media Images on Women at Risk for Body Image Disturbance: Three Targeted Interventions...

    Read More

  • The Media's Effect on Women

    1110 Words  | 3 Pages

    . Romo, Samantha. "As Body Image Issues Grow in Society Be Aware of Medias Influence." The Crimson White 7 Mar. 2012: n. pag. Print.

    Read More

  • Female Body Image and the Mass Media

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Reasons Why Women Develop a Negative Body Image

    1161 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dittmar, Helga. "How Do "body Perfect" Ideals in the Media Have a Negative Impact on Body Image and Behaviors? Factors and Processes Related to Self and Identity." : Sussex Research Online. N.p, 6 Feb. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • The Media Influence on Body Image

    926 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Social Media Has a Negative Effect on Body Image and Self Esteem

    1204 Words  | 3 Pages

    Yamamiya, Y., Cash, T. F., Melnyk, S. E., Posavac, H. D., & Posavac, S. S. (2005). Women's exposure to thin-and-beautiful media images: Body image effects of media-ideal internalization and impact-reduction interventions. Body image, 2(1), 74-80.

    Read More

  • Media's Influence on Body Image

    1544 Words  | 4 Pages

    The media have been criticized for portraying the thin women as “ideal” .This research plans to look at the effects of media on the body image of women. This cumulates the findings of empirical studies that observe the effects of media on body image. This study will also look at the different social comparison theories that relate media and body image. It will also investigate the different sources of media that have an impact on the body image of women. It also scopes to find out which sources have a greater consequence than the others. Furthermore it also researches about how the women could be prevented from comparing their body image from that of the models and actresses portrayed in the media.

    Read More

  • Effects of Media on Women’s Body Image

    689 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this age, media is more pervasive than ever, with people constantly processing some form of entertainment, advertisement or information. In each of these outlets there exists an idealized standard of beauty, statistically shown to effect the consumer’s reflection of themselves. The common portrayal of women’s bodies in the media has shown to have a negative impact on women and girls. As the audience sees these images, an expectation is made of what is normal. This norm does not correspond to the realistic average of the audience. Failing to achieve this isolates the individual, and is particularly psychologically harmful to women. Though men are also shown to also be effected negatively by low self-esteem from the media, there remains a gap as the value of appearance is seen of greater significance to women, with a booming cosmetic industry, majority of the fashion world, and the marketing of diet products and programs specifically targeting women.

    Read More

  • Article Analysis: How the Media Keeps Us Hung Up on Body Image by Shari Graydon

    1259 Words  | 3 Pages

    Graydon, Shari. “How the Media Keeps us Hung Up on Body Image.” Herizons Summer. 2008:

    Read More

  • Teenage Girls and Body Image

    1282 Words  | 3 Pages

    The pattern is similar for the portrayal of women on television, magazines, and other parts of the media. The way media represents women are for them to be thin-like models and other women on television to be the high standard of “attractiveness” to others. The advertising involved targets young teenage women and feature these models that are portraying desirable items, and the “norm” is for these women to be slender and beautiful (Vonderen & Kinnally, 2012). Research has been done to prove that media’s pressure on being thin causes women to be depressive and negative feelings about themselves . Women’s view are skewed and perceived incorrectly of what the typical female body should be (Haas, Pawlow, Pettibone & Segrist, 2012).

    Read More

  • Has the Media’s Portrayal of Women Negatively Affected the Body Image of The Wykeham Collegiate Senior School Girls?

    3125 Words  | 7 Pages

    Women and girls seem to be more affected by the mass media than do men and boys. Females frequently compare themselves to others, finding the negative rather than looking at the positive aspects of their own body. The media’s portrayal of the ideal body type impacts the female population far more than males, however, it is not only the mass media that affects women, but also influence of male population has on the female silhouette too.

    Read More

  • Negative Effects Of Primary Socialization And Two Agents Of Socialisation

    1718 Words  | 4 Pages

    Vargas, L E. (2013) The Negative Effects of The Media on Body Image. Personal.psu.edu. Retrieved 30 Nov. 17 from:

    Read More

More about Media And Body Image Essay

Open Document