Everyday we are exposed to the media through television, magazines, billboard advertisements and even on the radio. They use catchy slogans, jingles and photographs that leave an unforgettable memory in our heads. These advertisements affect the way we see ourselves and our opinions of others. The media affects a person’s body image because the messages from the media can lead to health issues in males and females of all ages such as eating disorders, it can cause low self-esteem and the media can set physically impossible standards for its potential customers.
One of the most upsetting affects of the media is body dissatisfaction among males and females of all different ages. Often times being unsatisfied with our bodies can lead to us wanting to change our bodies. Many times we may want to be thinner and therefore to get that change, not eat enough. This often times leads to eating disorders. In fact, “Body dissatisfaction has been identified as one of the most potent and consistent risk factors for eating disorders” (Presnell et al). The greatest problem with these statistics is that the amount of people that are unhappy with their bodies is increasing rapidly because of the message from the media. In one study, researchers concluded that 53 percent of 13 year old American girls are not satisfied with their bodies (“Beyond Thin”). This poor body image among females relates back to the media. “In one study, female respondents were shown 12 photographs of models taken from popular magazines, over a 3 minute exposure period. Subsequently, higher levels of…body image dissatisfaction emerged when compared with prior exposure to photographs of average sized models.”(Wykes et al). As already discussed, this poor body image is a cause of eating disorders such as anorexia and nervosa.
An additional problem with the affects of the media to our body image is self destruction instead of self improvement. Often times the advertisements within the media are promoting weight loss programs and cosmetic products that promise us that they will be more beautiful and thin and that “being thin equates to being happy and successful” (Christie). Although these slogans often sound promising, the result is that when we read or hear something like this, it lowers our self-esteem and has no positive affect because we feel that we could never compare to the pictures and messages from the media. Rather than being inspired, we are put down and just begin thinking of ourselves in a negative way. Often times “Use of media that conveys messages about body ideals is consistently associated with greater body dissatisfaction and experimental exposure to images portraying, the thin-ideal result in moderate decreases of self-esteem and increases in body dissatisfaction among females” (Presnell et al). This decrease in self-esteem and self-image can be linked to struggling social relationships later in life as well (“Body image/ Self Image”). Overall, the media destructs the body image of many of us just using words and pictures. This self destruction can sometimes even lead to depression.
Another upsetting influence the media has is the standards it has set for its potential customers. The media uses the advances in technology to create beauty standards, some of which are physically impossible. “These manipulated illustrations start with photos of real models and movie stars and then computer software takes over. They can transform an image -- typically of a woman who is already slender -- into a physically impossibility” (“Beyond Thin”). Often, when we see these distorted advertisements and then invest our money into products that we think will help us to be like the people we see in the magazines and on television, we financially assist these companies and emotionally destroy ourselves. Little do we know the pictures we see are physically unattainable. This results in many of us feeling we cannot “measure up to the media standards of attractiveness” (Christie).
In conclusion, the media does negatively affect the body image of males and females of all ages. The messages from the media can lead to health issues such as eating disorders, can lower self-esteem, and at times, sets impossible standards of beauty for its potential customers. Pressure to be slender like the people shown in the media can lead to eating disorders such as anorexia. The messages the media send can cause low self-esteem and even depression. Also, the advances in technology can be used to edit images so that they are a physical impossibility which gives people ideas of standards that are unattainable. Overall, the media does negatively affect our body image. It is time that - as a nation - Americans recognizes this and take action.
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