Media And Body Image Essay

1083 Words3 Pages

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.

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