The Bombardment of Barbie’s and the Branding of Beauty
analytical Essay
1743 words
“[In] a poll done by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) of 3,000 fourth to tenth graders revealed that most girls can’t look in a mirror and say, ‘I’m pretty!’ or even ‘I’m okay!’”(Cordes 4). Social media, avenues of peer and parental influences, and role models of “beauty” cause young girls of today’s society to develop distorted views of beauty for themselves. America over time has reached a level that depicts beauty as an unrealistic and unachievable model of the “perfect beautiful girl.” According to research by Shelly Grabe, Janet Shibley Hyde—both staff of the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison—and L. Monique Ward of the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan, half of the population of females younger than twenty-four confess to being dissatisfied with the way they look (Grabe, Hyde, and Ward 460). Females of today’s society look to their culture to derive what exactly beauty is, and recently the depiction of beauty has been tainted. There is a plethora of speculated causes for this trend of negative self-perception in young females, and many of these causes eventually lead to dangerous extreme measures by girls striving to reach the “idealized level of beauty.” Peer influences such as appearance conversations and friendship cliques have proven to have direct correlation with young girls and body image. Gathered from the research of two professors from the School of Psychology at Flinders University Levina Clark and Marika Tiggermann, “poor body image in children has been associated with teasing by peers and conversations with peers about appearance” (Clark and Tiggermann 1125). Peers easily persuade young girls, and if a girl’s peer group considers the unreal... ... middle of paper ... ...e Effect of Experimental Exposure to Images of Dolls on the Body Image of 5- to 8-year-old Girls." Developmental Psychology 42.2 (2006): 283-92. PsycARTICLES. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. 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 134.3 (2008): 460-76. PsycARTICLES. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. Smolak, Linda. "Eating Disorders in Girls." Handbook of Behavioral and Emotional Problems in Girls. Ed. Sharon L. Foster, Eric J. Mash, and Deborah J. Bell. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum, 2005. 463+. SpringerLink. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. Stice, Eric, and Kathryn Whitenton. "Risk Factors for Body Dissatisfaction in Adolescent Girls: A Longitudinal Investigation." Developmental Psychology 38.5 (2002): 669-78. PsyARTICLES. Web. 29 Nov. 2011.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that social media, peer and parental influences, and role models of "beauty" cause young girls of today's society to develop distorted views of beauty for themselves.
- Explains that peer influences such as appearance conversations and friendship cliques have a direct correlation with young girls and body image. parents encourage strict diets and enforcing dietary restraint for their children.
- Explains that the unrealistic depiction of beauty emulated in barbie dolls has detrimental effects on the foundation of body image development in young girls.
- Analyzes how pressure plays a part in the distortion of self-perception in little girls. smolak suggests that parents are influential by making derogatory remarks about their appearance in front of their children.
- Argues that society, peer, and media have sculpted a mold that claims to be the epitome of perfection for female beauty.
- Explains that runway models and pageant queens are portrayed as tall, thin, and flawless in media. dissatisfaction with one's body is linked to destructive criticism of one’s appearance.
- Describes the findings of a prospective study of sociocultural and individual psychological predictors of body image in young girls.
Related
- analytical
- explanatory
- Media Eating Disordersanalytical essayThe aim of this literature review is to describe the main causes of eating disorders among teenagers aged 12 to 18 years old in high schools globally, and to also explain to what extend do some of these causes influence eating disoders. Recent studies have indicated a major increase in the eating disorder habits and body dissatisfaction in adolescence over the past few decades. This crisis seems most prevalent in females`` than males with 20 percent high school females exhibiting poor eating habits and about 60 percent undergone weight loss attempt (Pritchard and Wilson, 2005). Most affected youngsters endeavor various solutions to cope with this dilemma and in most cases, drug and alcohol abuse and suicide are the worst outcomes that have raised concerns to the society. The information about this top was gathered after analysis of scholarly journals although the detail is limited since the articles are not entirely current.
In this essay, the author
- Explains the aim of this literature review to describe the main causes of eating disorders among teenagers aged 12 to 18 years old in high schools globally, and to explain how some of these causes influence eating disoders.
- Explains that underweight people undergo self-starvation and have a determined pursuit to lose weight. they become socially isolated making this condition difficult to reverse. pritchard and wilson (2005) describe it as over evaluation of shape and weight causing this disorder classification to have high mortality
- Explains that fairburn and harrison define bulimia nervosa as uncontrolled overeating followed by self-induced vomiting. anorexics are ashamed of this practice and seek help faster.
- Explains that eating atypical disorders have features of both anorexia and bulimia and might last longer.
- Analyzes how media influences body image among indigenous and non-indigenous australian teens from urban areas. both groups were eager to lose weight and gain muscles.
- Explains that the femininity or masculinity of a sport impacts eating habits in female athletes, as girls in sports that demand sleekness like athletics see themselves to be overweight than nonathletic. high levels of stress and the development of eating disorders are connected.
- Analyzes how barth believes that every eating related symptom results in desperate psychological, emotional, social, physical, and cultural factors.
- Explains that studies were conducted to investigate the way parents rated their adolescence bodies. they found that most parents perceived their teens’ physical appearance positively than did the teens themselves.
- Concludes that the literature review has clearly explained the various classifications of eating disorders and their characteristics, such as anorexia, bulimia, and a typical disorders.
- Describes the major causes of eating disorders among teenagers aged 12 to 18 years old in high schools globally.
- Explains that the independent variable for the first sub question is media and the dependant variable is likelihood of influence on eating disorders.
- Explains that there are various causes of eating disorders amongst teenagers aged 12 to 18 years in high school globally, which impact teens to a greater extent.
- Explains that college students with eating disorders. clinical social work journal, 31(2), 139-153.
- Analyzes body image and disorder eating among indigenous adolescent australians.
- Explains the journal of physical education, recreation & dance, 78(2), 8.
- Explains that activities on body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and self-esteem. the journal of genetic psychology, 162(2), 133-42.
- Explains that mothers' and fathers' perceptions of their adolescent daughters' shape, weight, and body esteem are accurate.
1593 wordsRead More - Are Looks Worth It?explanatory essaygNews Briefs: Disordered Eating Attitudes and Behaviors Among Teenage Girls.h Healthy Weight Journal 16.2 (Mar- Apr 2002): 18. FactSearch. Camden- Carroll Library Morehead State University. 2 Dec 2003
In this essay, the author
- Describes how they noticed a young girl sitting next to the window in parris island, sc, who ate all the time but couldn't gain weight. they wanted to stand up for her, but after hearing the comments, they realized they were not anorexic.
- Explains that eating disorders affect between 5 million and 10 million young women in the united states. thinness is often what people view as physical attractiveness.
- Explains that bulimia nervosa can lead to serious and even life-threatening problems, such as depression, anxiety disorders, heart damage, kidney damage and severe dental damage.
- Opines that people who don't feel in control of their lives turn to eating, as itfs one thing they have power over.
- Explains that eating disorders require a complete treatment plan involving medical care and monitoring, psychosocial interventions, nutritional counseling and, when appropriate, medication management.
- Cites charron-prochownik, denise, and silva arslanian for geating disorders a meter tells the real story.
1458 wordsRead More - Beauty's Illusionanalytical essayElizabeth, Heubeck. "Girls and Body Image: Media's Effect, How Parents Can Help." WebMD. WebMD. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.
In this essay, the author
- Defines beauty as a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form that pleases the aesthetic senses.
- Explains that society is giving an image of thin being a key element in being beautiful.
- Explains that media can be a powerful tool to be used for the public's viewing. teen girls take drastic measures to emulate the countless media images they view.
- Analyzes how jessica sparks a body image revolution.
- Analyzes how society can advert one's perspective on their own exterior appearance. in the novel frankenstein, the creature felt detached from the characters.
- Describes elizabeth, heubeck, and kathryn maguire's research on the influence of magazines on college-age females' bodyimage.
774 wordsRead More - What Causes Eating Disorders in Teens?explanatory essayThompson-Brenner, H., Boisseau, C. L. & Satir, D. A. (2010). Adolescent eating disorders: Treatment and response in a naturalistic study. Journal of Clinical Psychology,66(3), 277-301.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that this research plan is about the causes of eating disorders among teenagers. environmental and personal factors play important roles in determining eating patterns.
- Explains that eating disorders are taking on a great significance in the modern world. there are biological, social, environmental, and psychological causes of eds.
- Explains that before considering eating disorders, it is necessary to understand what is meant by a relatively normal eating pattern in adolescents.
- Explains that although the ratio of females to males with eds is on a scale of 10:1, there has been an increase in the number of men with eating disorders.
- Explains that the main psychological factor which leads to the development of eds is stress and ensuing depression.
- Explains that a child moves from the close-knit nuclear family to the wider society at the age of 15-19 years and develops an individual identity and sense of control.
- Explains that the causes of eating disorders are many and varied. many factors interact and lead to the point where eds are created.
- Explains that eds can cause difficulty with normal functioning and are associated with characteristically unhealthy behaviors. only by understanding their precipitating factors is it possible to determine the best treatment and how it can be administered.
- Asks whether eating disorders affect a specific age-bracket among teenagers or are all teens equally vulnerable to them?
- Describes the connection between eating disorders and homosexual teenagers.
- Asks whether eating disorders affect a specific social class or group of teenagers, or does it affect them all irrespective of social background.
- Describes the link between physical or sexual abuse suffered as a child and eating disorders in teenhood.
- Analyzes the causes of eating disorders, with emphasis on teenagers, since most eds are often first diagnosed in adolescence.
- Explains that the target group is the 15-19-year-old age group of adolescents, generally between 11 and 19 years old.
- Explains what is happening in society as of now, currently, in the immediate present we are living.
- Explains the inability of the adolescent to provide the proper amount and type of social and emotional support.
- Opines that ideal people possess all the viable and desirable qualities worth having in the society.
- Analyzes the meaning of child abuse in the context of the fear of a sexual relationship.
- Explains that homosexuals are fairly accurate to determine their gender rather than their sex.
- Opines that it is the perfect model to be followed at all costs.
- Explains that the psychoanalytic model of the five sexual stages of development isn't related to the classic psychoanalysis model, but rather to psychological aspects of sexual life.
- Explains that an evaluation of a body image intervention based on risk factors for body dissatisfaction: a controlled study with adolescents.
- Explains thompson-brenner, boisseau, c. l., and satir, d. a. treatment and response in a naturalistic study.
- Cites victor, f., and ida. psychosexual development and eating disorders. adolescent medicine, 14, 61.
- Explains that eating disorders include self-critical, negative thoughts and feelings about appearance and food, and eating behaviour that harms normal body composition and functioning.
- Explains that eds may have as causes inherited factors, such as an, bn and bed. the genetic trait that is responsible is the uncontrollable, and perhaps irrational need to do something.
- Explains that the immediate family is a primary mediator of larger sociocultural attitudes and values. child abuse is associated with disordered eating behaviour.
- Explains that the main social cause of eds is directly linked to body dissatisfaction among teenagers. the media portrays an idealized and sometimes unhealthy view of thinness as the way of living.
- Explains that maj, halmi, lopez-ibor, and sartorius, n. (2003). eating disorders volume 6.
2334 wordsRead More - The Mother Daughter Relationship and Self-Imageanalytical essay...ly to late adolescence." International Journal of Eating Disorders 39.8 (2006): 729-740. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how caucasian women are often socially ostracized for being too thin, despite community and family standards that stress slender figures.
- Explains the journal of eating disorders 7.4 (1988): 453-460. academic search premier. ebsco.
- Explains the journal of nutrition education & behavior 35.5 (2003): 236-248. academic search premier. ebsco.
- Explains that american minority groups: a review." international journal of eating disorders 19.3 (1996): 239-248.
- Explains that evaluation of children's body shapes." international journal of eating disorders 19.3 (1996): 257-263.
- Explains that concerns from early to late adolescence." international journal of eating disorders 39.8 (2006): 729-740.
- Explains transgenerational food and diet communication in an underserved group. journal of cultural diversity 11.1 (2004): 12-17.
- Analyzes how the structure of female gender is fluid and specific to time and place — family life contains strong parental influences that alter the gendered spaces and gender perception of children.
- Argues that assimilation and racism may exacerbate contemporary latinas' desire to develop a leaner figure.
- Explains that their adolescent children. journal of child & family studies 8.1 (1999): 91-108.
1790 wordsRead More - Gender Roles and Socialization in Adolescenceanalytical essayAdolescence is one of the most difficult times for development. This difficulty is experienced very differently for boys and girls. This paper will examine how gender role socialization effects girls more specifically, the emergence of eating disorders and depression in adolescent girls.
In this essay, the author
- Cites pipher's reviving ophelia: saving the selves of adolescent girls.
- Reviews mary pipher's book, "reviving ophelia: saving the selves of adolescent girls".
- Analyzes how pipher's writing is clear and inviting. each chapter examines a different problem that adolescents face, from families to depression, sex to drugs and alcohol.
- Analyzes how pipher's "reviving ophelia" introduces the concept of culture and self-esteem in "infants and children."
- Argues that if the answer to the question were easy, there would not be any problems facing adolescent girls.
1530 wordsRead More - Disordered Eating Behaviorsexplanatory essayFor proper development, it is imperative that adolescent females have adequate energy and nutrient intake. While the risk of developing an eating disorder may be increased as a result of these untreated behaviors, an increased risk for excess weight gain and obesity has been found to be a consequence as well. In a recent study analysis, adolescents who participated in disordered eating behaviors were at two to three times greater risk for becoming overweight just five years later, compared to adolescents who did not participate in disordered eating behaviors at the baseline assessment1. Disordered eating behaviors include: chronic dieting, weight fluctuations, extremely inflexible and often unhealthy food and exercise regimes, feelings of guilt when unable to control food and exercise habits, pre-occupation with food, body and exercise that causes extreme distress with a result in a negative impact on quality of life, compulsive or emotionally-driven eating, and use of compensatory measures such as: restrictive eating habits, purging or laxative use, and excessive exercise3. Early identification of disordered eating behaviors can lead to an early intervention, improving not only the quality of life for that individual, but also morbidity and
In this essay, the author
- Explains that disordered eating behaviors are common occurrences among female adolescents, and can lead to serious health complications in later stages of life.
- Opines that adolescent females must have adequate energy and nutrient intake for proper development. disordered eating behaviors include chronic dieting, weight fluctuations, inflexible and unhealthy food and exercise regimes, feelings of guilt, compulsive or emotionally-driven eating, and compensatory measures.
- Explains that the eating attitudes test-26 is a commonly used standardized screening tool to assess symptoms or behaviors of eating disorders.
- Explains that adolescent females are girls between the ages of 14-18 years old. disordered eating behaviors include: chronic dieting, weight fluctuations, extremely inflexible and often unhealthy food and exercise regimes, feelings of guilt when unable to control food
719 wordsRead More - Teenage Girls And Body Imageanalytical essayA mirror is deceiving and spiteful and does not display the results many would like to see. But is what is reflected back at the onlooker the only prominent aspect of oneself? Has even the safe haven of one’s own mind been corrupted by the harsh expectations that have arose in the era of beauty? The trigger, the battles, and the aftermath surround society in a suffocating grasp. Plastered all over are campaigns promoting beautiful bodies, but then flyers spreading awareness on body image issues. One heavily affected percentage of the population, teenage girls, grow up in a confused dazed undecided on the correct design to make. The ebb and flow of these young women’s prepubescent minds are cast out into a world where body image seems to be
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how a mirror is deceiving and spiteful and does not display the results many would like to see, but is what is reflected back at the onlooker the only prominent aspect of oneself?
171 wordsRead More - Bulimia And Eating Disordersexplanatory essayMany young girls struggle with accepting their body image. In the 21st century with the influences of media and current fashion it doesn’t leave room for a young girl who is plus sized. With these pressures to fit in young girls turn to risk behaviors to make themselves look like everyone else. Because of this eating disorders are on a all time high, “A new study estimates that approximately a half million teens struggle with eating disorders or disordered eating” (http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org) “which is a nationally representative sample of 10,123 adolescents ranging from 13- to 18-years-old”. One example of an eating disorder is bulimia nervosa; which is the act of binge eating then purging everything that was consumed. When young girls are unhappy with their body image they turn to these eating disorders and don’t realize the lasting effects that they have on the human body. Bulimia causes harmful effects to the digestive, excretory, skeletal, reproductive, and nervous systems.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that bulimia nervosa causes harmful effects to the digestive, excretory, skeletal, reproductive, and nervous systems.
- Explains that bulimia has a large impact on the digestive system of the body.
- Explains that the kidneys remove toxins and dangerous substances from foods to keep them from entering the bloodstream. the skeletal system is negatively impacted by bulimia and osteoporosis.
- Explains that the female reproductive system is often over-looked as being effected by bulimia. the body is focused on trying to fix all of the other things that are going wrong, resulting in infertility.
- Explains that bulimia affects the nervous system, which causes depression, anxiety, inability to make decisions, and self-harm.
- Explains that learning more about the effects of bulimia on the human body was interesting to understand the feelings that a friend of mine did suffer from.
849 wordsRead More - Social Media Has a Negative Effect on Body Image and Self Esteemanalytical essayTo begin, social media has created unrealistic standards for young people, especially females. Being bombarded by pictures of females wearing bikinis or minimal clothing that exemplifies their “perfect” bodies, squatting an unimaginable amount of weight at a gym while being gawked at by the opposite sex or of supermodels posing with some of life’s most desirable things has created a standard that many young people feel they need to live up to. If this standard isn’t reached, then it is assumed that they themselves are not living up to the norms or the “standards” and then therefore, they are not beautiful. The article Culture, Beauty and Therapeutic Alliance discusses the way in which females are bombarded with media messages star...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that social media has become one of the most popular sources of communication for the upcoming generation.
- Analyzes how social media has created unrealistic standards for young people, especially females. the article culture, beauty and therapeutic alliance states that idealized women in today's society are white, slim, helpless, young, feminine, and submissive.
- Analyzes how the increase in popularity of social media has created a new and separate subculture when it comes to young people.
- Analyzes how social media has had a negative impact on the way young people view their bodies. eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa and anorexia are prevalent in today's society.
- Analyzes how social media has had a negative effect on the way young people, particularly females, view their bodies.
- Explains carneiro, zeytinoglu, hort, and wilkins, e. (2013). culture, beauty and therapeutic alliance.
- Cites carneiro, zeytinoglu, hort, & wilkins, e. (2013). culture, beauty, and therapeutic alliance.
1204 wordsRead More