Thesis: Although accepting more normal body types has become a recent trend, mass media continues to create negative effects on American body image by escalating body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, and excessive preoccupation with appearance.

Body Dissatisfaction
T: The thin-ideal portrayed as beautiful is unattainable and by comparing, women experience discontent with their body size and shape ranging in degrees of seriousness.

a. College-age women who viewed models had lower body self-esteem (source 2 P 5)

b. Even when people know its not real, they still compare and feel inferior (source 1 P10, source 6 P 3)

c. Women with bigger self esteem are less effected by the images, while those with low self-esteem and body disturbance compare themselves more. (source 3) (source 1 P 7 moderators)

a. With American women larger than ever, more extreme measures have to be taken to reach the thin ideal, which is smaller than ever. (Source 1 P 2)

b. Discrepancies in comparison lead to unpleasant emotions which lead to the misuse and abuse of food. (Source 1 P6)

c. Models have collapsed because of eating disorders and health inquiries have begun and measures taken (Source 1 P 2) C: Health is threatened and self-esteem plummets when body hatred encouraged by media images drives a person to abnormal eating behaviors. (source 4)

Excessive Preoccupation with Appearance
T: Dieting and exercising and a desire to lose weight is considered normal for American women. Media portrays being thin and beautiful as the most important qualities a woman can attain.

a. "Constant dieting and the relentless pursuit of thinness has ecome a normative behavior among women in Western Society" (source 4)

b. 89% of women in a study of 3000+ women wanted to lose weight (source 4)

c. "Dieting is a common practice among adolescents, esp girls (source 4)

C: Time that could be spent developing talents, enjoying hobbies and mental stimulation is being lost because of a negative body image. (source 1 P 16)

Conclusion:

It is important to recognize the effects of media on women and girls' self esteem and body image; the idea of beauty and worth needs to be broadened or women and girls will continue to suffer unnecessarily.