...to a range of physical and mental health problems, including eating disorders and low self-esteem. Body Image: Self-Esteem and Identity Several individual variables predict or influence the relationship between media exposure and body disturbances. Most of the research has been done with women and girls, for whom the “body perfect” ideal is ultra-thin, and whose media models are typically underweight (Tantleff-Dunn, 1999). To determine whether viewing images of thin models influences how women feel about their bodies, there were many studies done using the social comparison framework, finding that women engage in “upward social comparisons,” comparing themselves to the thin models depicted in the media. When women believe that they do not measure up to the models, they feel more negatively about their own weight and body. For example, Lin and Kulik (2006) found that college women experienced decreased body satisfaction and confidence of attractiveness after viewing a single image of a thin woman. Another study by Lin and Kulik assessed the effects of media images on weight satisfaction. Female undergraduate students were exposed to thin models, average size models, and plus-size models, and results showed that weight...
Words: 1421 - Pages: 6
...over an extended period of time. These dangerous, habit-forming practices occur while the sufferer is trying to keep their weight under a self-imposed threshold. It can lead to potassium loss and health deterioration, with depressive symptoms that are often severe and lead to a high risk of suicide. Bulimia nervosa is nine times more likely to occur in women than men. The majority of those with bulimia nervosa are at normal weight. The majority, about 80 to almost 90 percent of individuals with bulimia are women. However, males do develop the disorder and some studies suggest that the prevalence among males is higher than previously believed. Among women, adolescents are the most at risk. A survey of 496 adolescent girls reported that more than 12 percent experienced some form of eating disorder by the time they were 20. Over the years the size and weight of the average woman has increased with improved nutrition, but there has also been an increased message from the media to be thin. The media projects a thin ideal rather than a healthy ideal, and this can be a cause for women and young girls working toward having a thin body even if it means purging. The term bulimia comes from Greek βουλιμία boulīmia, "ravenous hunger", a compound of βοῦς bous, "ox" and λιμός, līmos, "hunger"; literally, bulimia nervosa...
Words: 3440 - Pages: 14
...Running Heading: Discrimination or Inequality: The Ideal Women Body Shape Kelly Rowland Research Paper: SOC – 412 - 341 Tarleton State University- Central Texas Professor: Dietert, Michelle Summer, 2008 Discrimination or Inequality: The Ideal Women Body Shape When I think of how the American culture views the woman body shape as the epitome of feminity, I get a little worried. In our society and in many other cultures, women are judged according to their physical appearance. Whether it is Africa, Asia, or the United States, women psychic can make life easier or harder for them. Many women become obsessed, depressed, and compulsive about their body shape. Body dissatisfaction can lead to eating disorders and low self-esteem Research on eating disorders have been concentrated on the effects of the wafer thin western Europe and North America body types (Forbes, Doroszewicz, Card, and Adams-Curtis, 2004, pg 333). Being wafer then started between the 1940’s and 1950’s. Very slim fashion models paraded across the run ways wearing the latest fashions on display to the world. As we all know, fashion models are seen as some of the most beautiful women in the world. Thus the ideal woman body shape surfaced. Rodin, Silberstein & Striegel- Moore are just a few of the researchers who have concluded that women who achieve extreme slender body types is unhealthy and unobtainable for long period of time ((Forbes, Doroszewicz...
Words: 3613 - Pages: 15
...media has no problem letting women around the world know they are slacking. In today's society, women are plagued with images of the so-called "perfect woman”; this causes a catalyst of effects in the women of today's society. Over the years the average woman’s weight has increased while the average fashion model’s weight has dropped. “This growing difference has had a well-documented and pronounced negative effect on the body image of the women and girls who read women’s magazines” (Qtd in Kramer). Throughout history women have been constantly pressured to have the “ideal” body image. As the years went by, the women in the magazine became less realistic and more idealistic. When we look into the magazines today we are bombarded with thin models. In 2004 a journal “Eating Disorders,” women were portrayed in the media as having ideal bodies weighed approximately 15 percent less than average women, making the ideal body difficult, if not impossible, for most women to attain” (Qtd in Kramer). Since women today are feeling so much pressure to look a certain way they will believe any Magazine ad that they see for weight loss. Some even think that they need to go through extremely dangerous procedures to look like “Americas Next Top Model.” With fashion being one of the biggest social class acceptors in today’s society, it too puts pressure on women to look “perfect”. Women frequently compare their bodies to those they see around them. Dissatisfaction with their bodies causes many...
Words: 1255 - Pages: 6
...the television and fashion magazines bring to the 15-30 years old women. I proposed that the negative effects that television and fashion magazines bring to young women is more serious than people expected. I do intend to cite the relatively few statistic data and clinical studies that have been conducted on media’s negative effects on women’s body image. My audience will be the 15-30 years old women who do not aware enough of the problem that I describe or who was struggled by the problem that I describe for a long time. Nowadays, a woman’s identity is linked strongly to her physical appearance. In this situation, coverage of women in media mostly concerns women’s appearance and set them as sexual objects. Most social commentators agree that the media reflects current social norms (Grogan, 1999). Body image is the picture of the size, shape, and form of people’s bodies that people see in their mind’s eye (Honigman & Castle, 2007). It is also central to the self-concept and to self-esteem, influencing psychological functions and diverse behaviors (Cash & Pruzinsky, 2002; Halliwell & Dittmar, 2006). Therefore, women, especially those who are under 40, are most concerned about their body images in their life. Media has very strong influences on women’s body image building. Ultra-thin female models are drastically over-presented in magazines and television, so that only the tiniest minority women have the body size shown in virtually all...
Words: 2939 - Pages: 12
...Since its beginnings, the media has been the driving force behind the public’s beliefs and perceptions about the idea of beauty. It is constantly conveying falsified and misleading information. The media manipulates information in order to convey certain messages to the public. It is currently one of the most influential sources of information. The media establishes the societal norms: how people should act, dress and look. It perpetuates the idea perfection in every aspect of life, especially physical appearance. Increased exposure to the unrealistic beauty ideals of the media has detrimental psychological effects, including negative and distorted body image, low self-esteem and even eating disorders. The media intensifies distorted body images,...
Words: 1457 - Pages: 6
...successful, they must be thin. So-called “plus-size” models are a growing presence on magazine covers, television and lingerie catalogues but at the Fashion Weeks of New York and London they are still the exception. In a reflection of the expanding market for women who defy the super-slender ideals of the catwalk, leading fashion magazine Elle offered its readers a special issue in March featuring larger than normal models and sales jumped. British designer Mark Fast introduced shows last year in which the models were all above a British size twelve, and American size eight, following criticism that his dresses were too skinny. Despite their trailblazing status in the fashion world, when it comes to bigger models New York and London are slightly out of step. The move towards more generously sized models has accelerated since the death from anorexia in 2006 of Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston, which shocked the fashion world. Spain and Italy banned models below a certain body mass index after her death, while Britain stopped short; banning only those aged under sixteen from the catwalk. “Sixteen corresponds to a level of maturity,” said Caroline Ruth of the British Fashion Council. When Frederique van der Wal, a former Victoria’s Secret model, attended designers’ shows during New York’s Fashion Week this month, she was “shocked” by the waiflike models who paraded down the catwalk. They seemed even skinnier than in previous years. “We know seeing super-thin models can play...
Words: 1578 - Pages: 7
...necessarily a direct causal link, between the media portrayal of the “ideal” body and people’s (especially women) reaction to their own bodies. Specifically, it argues that the unrealistically thin women and well-muscled men shown on television and in film show a body image that most people cannot attain, no matter how much they diet and exercise. Despite this, society insists that these distorted images are the “ideal,” leading some people to develop eating disorders or other psychological problems such as low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction when they fail to attain these impossible standards. Discussion As noted, the argument over whether there is a direct link between media images and body dissatisfaction is still a matter of debate; what is no longer debated is that “negative exposure effects” do in fact occur (Dittmar, 2009, p. 1). That is, it no longer in doubt that some individuals are affected negatively by what they see in the media. What studies are attempting to do now is to determine what “diverse factors” make these people susceptible to the impact of the media images, while others are not affected. Dittmar argues that research now aims to support “a qualified and complex picture of media effects or influences, highlighting the importance not only of individual differences, but also psychological processes, related to self and identity” (2009, p. 1). This is far more detailed and multi-layered than simply...
Words: 1999 - Pages: 8
...company he is seen as a strong, commanding leader. Women are often seen as bossy or unapproachable. Although women make up 46.7% of the workforce, they still aren’t receiving equal pay compared to their male coworkers (Patten and Parker). According to lecture, the Gender Wage Gap reports women currently earning 78 cents to a man’s dollar. So one can infer that about half of the workforce is earning twenty-two cents less the other half just because of their biological makeup. This leads to thousands of dollars in lost wages, or lost income that would help drive the economy (Garlough). There are negative effects to women’s role in work because of how society is socially constructed. For example, being a stay at home mom is a twenty-four hour job and has the stigma of being lazy or not hardworking. On the other hand, women who hold positions are often seen as neglectful to their children. However, there are still positive aspects of women participating in work including a need to pay for their expenses and personal self-fulfillment. For example, more women than men say that being successful in a...
Words: 1183 - Pages: 5
...Body image is how one views their own body, for example, how it looks, how it feels and how it moves. One’s perception of their body is molded by insight, emotion, and physical perceptions, but can change depending on the mood and environment. Because adolescents undergo significant physical transformations to their bodies during puberty, they are likely to experience highly distorted images of their bodies. Body image is strongly affected by self-esteem and more so than by opinions of others. It can, however, be strongly influenced by the cultural messages and standards of society regarding appearance and what is deemed attractive. Given the prevalence of thin and toned female images and the strong and likenesses of the lean and muscled male, which is common to most American societies, body image issues have become widespread among teens and adolescents. The issue of body image come into the spotlight in recent years because of the incidence of obese people in America. The ideal body, as...
Words: 1785 - Pages: 8
...The media and womens body image Its been argued that the western culture is a culture so consumed by image that those with fame give praise for being thin and disapproval for being fat, birthing a generation of women and girls that are often extremely self conscious about their appearance and body image. Media images of the unattainable thin body can be found almost anywhere. There has been continual interest in women’s body image throughout the years. Is there truth in the fact that women’s self-esteem and eating patterns are affected by what a woman sees in the media? Have this been researched enough to show the link between poor body image and the media’s portrayal of women and could this research allow for successful interventions to be evaluated and implemented. Could and intervention lead to fewer cases of anorexia and bulimia and could this lead to increased self-esteem and a more positive body image amongst women? The question many people want to know is if this is the case, where did these stereotypes come from exactly? Is it from the movie, television industry, fashion and beauty magazinesor is it from social and cultural influences , or maybe its just something we learn naturally. Does it really affect women and adolescent females selfworth, or does it go beyond that, leading to serious medical conditions? This paper explores the different factors that influences women body image and if the media is soley responsible for how adolescents and women view their body...
Words: 2149 - Pages: 9
...platforms such as Victoria Secret or Instagram that promote an ideal body image that has made people religiously focus on achieving this ideal body image. There have been many people with different professions that have examined this new focus and how it has affected America, specifically teenage girls. The article “Fat and Happy?” by Hillel Schwartz points out how society disavows fat people and exposes how poorly they are treated. Roberta Seid takes a slightly different approach in her article “Too ‘Close to the Bone’” and explores the idea that girls obsess over a perfect body and this obsession takes a large toll on...
Words: 1293 - Pages: 6
...spectrum, businesses and corporations are convinced that having thinner, more beautiful models to represent their product is more appealing to the eye and draws in the customer. This is working for them; beauty tends to draw attention of the consumers. Thin, tall, and flawless is what is considered the standard of beauty in today’s society; by this standard, putting these types of models on billboards is logical, since they are trying to appeal to a broad spectrum of consumers. The opposing side...
Words: 2436 - Pages: 10
...that homosexuality is a risk factor for disorder eating in men, there has been some speculations regarding whether sexual orientation mediate with eating pathology specifically or with other psychopathologies in general. The study from Russell & Keel (2001) reported that, in compare to heterosexual men, homosexual men have greater body dissatisfaction and higher levels of bulimic and anorexic symptoms. Moreover, gay men generally report higher depression, lower self-esteem, and less comfort with their sexual orientation, as these variables often contributing as risk factors for other psychological disorder, including eating disorder. After controlling these variables, sexual orientation still continuously accounts...
Words: 1111 - Pages: 5
...nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder (Staff). Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric disorder characterized by an unrealistic fear of weight gain,self-starvation, and conspicuous distortion of body image. The individual is obsessed with becoming increasingly thin and limits food intake to the point where their health is compromised (Web 7). Bulimia nervosa is a serious and sometimes life threatening eating disorder affecting mainly young women. People with bulimia consume large amounts of food (binge) and then try to rid themselves of the food and calories by fasting, excessive exercise, vomiting or by using laxatives (Web 8). Binge eating disorder is characterized by a loss of control over eating behaviors. A binge eater consumes unnatural large amounts of food in a short period, but unlike a bulimic, does not regularly engage in any inappropriate weight-reducing behaviors following the binge episodes (Web 9). Estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder, 7/8 are women and 1/8 are men (Web 3). Some of these people may not realize...
Words: 2469 - Pages: 10
