Body Image vs. The Media

Introduction

Every day people are inundated by images that the mass media produces. These images

come in various forms (e.g. television, magazines, movies) with people bombarded with images of what mainstream society considers as the "perfect" body type. As a result many researchers have looked at the influence of the media in their efforts to understand how it impacts people's self-image. In particular, researchers are concerned with the negative impact that media has on people's body image and self-esteem.

According to previous research media has been found to have a detrimental effect on people's body image and self-esteem (Kates, 2008; lung, 2001; Lin 2002). Kates found that attractive media negatively affected self-esteem for both males and females. In another study, lung suggested that a negative body image resulted after women were exposed to thin media images. Finally, Lin found that negative results came about when individuals were exposed to thin models.

While the media impacts the self-esteem of both genders, the idealized images of attractiveness differ between men and women. The standard for male attractiveness is usually depicted according to muscle mass while the standard for female attractiveness is portrayed by body weight (Wasserman, 2006). For women, the ideal body image is that of a thin woman, while for men, the ideal body image consists of a muscular man (Furnham, Badmin, & Sneade, 2002), that is "characterized by well-developed chest and arm muscles, with wide shoulders tapering down to a narrow waist." (pp.582-583)

Discussion

Poor body image and low self-esteem are a common type of emotional distress in both males and females. The media transmits that thin is the ideal body type for females and to be muscular is the ideal body type for males. This is shown through the use of television, the Internet, and magazines. If this issue is not addressed when an individual first expresses body dissatisfaction and low-self esteem issues, more serious consequences can occur. Some of these results are: dieting, eating disorders, depression, and plastic surgery. All of these elements must be explored and taken seriously by society in order to confront negative body image in men and women effectively.

When one thinks of high self-esteem, one thinks of an absence of self-hatred and a feeling of being confident; a sureness and acknowledgement knowing that I can achieve anything I set my mind to. For example, a person who has a high self-esteem will feel a sense of freedom. A person with low self-esteem will have feelings of doubt, unacceptance, and self-hatred. One tends to relate self-esteem to body image for several reasons. First, most people care about how others view them. Unfortunately, many people judge others by the clothes they wear, the shape of their body, or even the way they may wear their hair. Individuals may also judge themselves too harshly. For instance, if a person feels that he or she looks different from others, then body image and self-esteem may be affected negatively.

Past research has found that young girls ...