Media and Body Image

Media and Body Image

Exposure to media has increased drastically in the last decade. Everyone is familiar with the popular media such as magazines, television, and movies, but not many people give a thought as to how much the media has an effect on today's young people. The admired body image for a woman today is a slim figure. This image is supported by magazines and models that are thin and fragile. The effects this has on the people who observe this are negative. People become more concerned about their looks, they develop body dissatisfaction, and eating disturbances.

At a young age, possibly thirteen, a girl would start looking at herself differently. They look through a magazine, watch shows on television and in their eyes, the actors or models they see all have the same figure and look perfect. Automatically they believe they have to look like what they see. They start to worry about what they look like and how they are judged by their peers. It changes their perspective on what they think is more important such as what is on the outside than what is in the inside and leads them to believe that the only way they can be accepted in the society is if they are thin. Not only does it have a huge impact on the younger but also on the adults who see these advertisements which affect their self-worth, leading to feelings of depression, body dissatisfaction and preoccupation with diet and exercise.

The increasing idea of being slim causes the person to have a negative body image. When someone has a negative body image they doubt themselves and become more vulnerable to what they see in magazines or television. In magazines for teens such as Seventeen or Cosmo Girl, there are an abundance of images that show people of their age, who have no flaws. They would think that they are not pretty enough and therefore might get low self-esteem.

Not only does this affect the way they see themselves but also the way they eat. Many people came to believe that the media is the reason why some young people get eating disorders. When looking through tabloids you see various young actresses who appear thinner than they were about three months ago. The reader thinks its okay to have an eating disorder because a "role model" had one also. Since exercising and dieting has become an important part of America today, there are various dieting pills and formulas that promise to make you skinny, when