Thesis Statement: The mass media play an outsized role in the communication of cultural stereotypes

about the aesthetics of body image.

The study of body image how people perceive their bodies and how these opinions develop was
pioneered by Paul Schilder in the 1920's. His working definition of body image was "the picture of our
own body which we form in our mind, that is to say, the way in which the body appears to ourselves" (as
quoted in Grogan 2008, p. 3). Many contemporary researchers feel that this definition downplays the
complexity of the field, since body image can refer to a variety of concepts from judgments about weight,
size, appearance and normality, to satisfaction with these areas. The term "body image" includes both
how people perceive their bodies cognitively and also how they feel about their bodies. Studies of body
image show that it influences many other aspects of life. People live their lives in bodies, and
understanding how they experience embodiment is crucial to understanding their quality of life
(Pruzinsky & Cash, 2002). Dissatisfaction with one's body image can lead to many problems, ranging
from depression to low self-esteem and eating disorders.

All teens are concerned about how they look. They want to be attractive and they want to fit in with
others. Meeting societys standards for looking good is not always easy, especially for girls. Girls are
judged by their appearance more than boys, and the standards are high (Enotes, 2010). Physical
attractiveness in females is based on pretty features, a good complexion, nice hair, and a well-
proportioned body. Today, however, well-proportioned is popularly interpreted to mean thin. As a
result, many teenage girls are unhappy with their bodies. This is especially true of those who, because of
pressures or problems in their own lives, become fixated on body image as a way of achieving success or
happiness (Enotes, 2010).

The media is a conveyor of socio-cultural values regarding ideal body shape and size, which creates an
understanding of the ideal man and woman (McCabe, Butler & Watt, 2007). There has been increasing
debates on whether womens bodies portrayed in the media are a risk factor for negative body image for
both men and women, particularly in women. Body image has become an important aspect of ones
mental health, self- esteem and well -being. In western society, images of unattainable body ideals fill
magazines, TV advertisements, movies and social media sites, and these images generally reflect those of
the thin idealized women (Cory & Burns, 2007).

All too often, people associate being thin with beautiful, healthy, and successful. On the other hand
however, being fat is usually associated with being lazy, ugly, weak and lacking willpower. ("Body
Image: Loving Your Body", n.d.) Similarly to this idea, "a life-sized Barbie doll would measure a thirty-
eight-inch bust, eighteen-inch waist, and thirty-four-inch hips." (Ojeda, 2003, p.14) What is the media
trying to teach women within the society? Some critics in the American society believe that the unrealistic
ideas of physical looks and personal flaws may cause young children to face insecurities and lead to poor
health choices later on in life.

Past research illustrates that womens body image can be negatively affected by their internalization of
the thin ideal (Cafri Yamamiya, Brannick, & Thompson, 2005). The ultra-thin idealized bodies that are
frequently presented in the media are extremely difficult, if not impossible, for most women to achieve.
Consequently, women who aspire to (i.e., who have internalized) the thin ideal and who fail to achieve
this ideal will in turn experience negative feelings about their bodies. Numerous studies have
demonstrated an association between womens internalization of the thin ideal and their body
dissatisfaction.

Many feminist theorists have reported that often the female body becomes somewhat of an object that is
examined and evaluated or something that exists to be looked at (Spitzack, 1990, as cited in McKinley
& Hyde, p 182). Fredrickson and Roberts (1997) agree with this theory. They state that sexual
objectification occurs when a womens body or sexual functions are separated from her being and instead
looked upon as instruments or that the body exists for the pleasure of others. Fredrickson and Roberts
(1997) report that as a result of this objectification, many women often begin to view themselves in a
similar manner. They begin to become outside observers of their own body and begin self-objectification.
Gordon (2008) claims that women begin to believe that their body belongs less to themselves and that it is
public domain and open for evaluation and criticism.
They begin to internalize what society deems an appropriate look. Women begin to feel that these views
are in fact coming from within themselves and not external pressures such as the media. Mitchell and
Mazzeo (2009) further comment on this issue. They state that sexual objectification promotes the process
of internalization and encourages women to view their own bodies of objects for society and only
valuable for the use of others. They believe that looking like the images in the media will provide more
positive judgments. They start to view themselves as objects. This consent self-surveillance and
objectification produces many negative effects in women. An increase in body dissatisfaction emerges
from the thinking that the thin idealized image in the media is something that needs to be strived towards
(Morrison, Kalin & Morrison, 2004. as cited in Cory & Burns, 2007)
Due to the mass medias vast extension throughout society, Willinge, Touyz & Charles (2006), argue that
it is probably the single most powerful and influential transmitter of the idealized body image for females.
In the past images of beauty and femininity were largely portrayed through the use of art, music and
literature. However the media and its influence have drastically changed and evolved since then, and it is
todays print and electronic media that have come under much criticism for their depiction of the
idealized body image (Thompson & Heinberg, 1999).

Three psychological theories are particularly useful in understanding how media images affect people
differently:

Social comparison theory was developed by Leon Festinger in the 1950's. Festinger theorized
that to evaluate themselves, people compare themselves to others. Psychologists have expanded
this theory and suggested that people compare themselves not only to others in face-to-face
interactions, but also to media images.
Self-schema theory says that people develop a sense of self by considering what makes them
unique and valuable and arranging these into schemas, which are used to process social
encounters. Some people prioritize appearance in their self-schemas; these people are more likely
to place more importance on media images and messages about body image.
Self-discrepancy theory says that people carry an idealized image of the person they want to be;
discrepancies between this ideal and their perceptions of themselves can cause them unhappiness
and stress. Media images can contribute to the formation of the idealized image (Grogan, 2008).

According to Thompson and Heinberg (1999), there are many sociocultural factors that can play a role in
contributing to body dissatisfaction, such as pressure from family, friends, teachers, and coaches, but
media continues to gain the most attention from researchers. Another reason why media is such a popular
topic with researchers is because adolescents are exposed to as many as eight to ten hours of various
media per day (Irving, 2008, p. 7).
Mass media play an outsized role about the aesthetics of body image among women which influence body
dissatisfaction, socio-cultural values and self-esteem.

All teens are concerned about how they look. They want to be attractive and they want to fit in with
others. Meeting societys standards for looking good is not always easy, especially for girls. Girls are
judged by their appearance more than boys, and the standards are high (Enotes, 2010). Physical
attractiveness in females is based on pretty features, a good complexion, nice hair, and a well-
proportioned body. Today, however, well-proportioned is popularly interpreted as thin. As a result,
many teenage girls are unhappy with their bodies. This is especially true of those who, because of
pressures or problems in their own lives, become fixated on body image as a way of achieving success or
happiness (Enotes, 2010).

Body image has become an important aspect of ones mental health, self-esteem and well being.
Dissatisfaction with ones body can lead to many problems, ranging from depression to low self- esteem
and eating disorders. The study of ones body image has been conducted for several times and many
contemporary researchers deem the complexity of the field, since body image can refer to a variety of
concepts from judgments about weight, size appearance and normality, to satisfaction with these areas.
Presently, in society, images of unattainable body ideals fill magazines, TV advertisements, movies and
social media sites, and these images generally reflect those of the thin idealized women. The ultra-thin
idealized bodies that are frequently presented in media are extremely difficult, if not impossible, for most
women to achieve. Consequently, women who aspire to the thin ideal and who fail to achieve this ideal
will, in turn, experience negative feelings about their bodies. These unrealistic ideas of physical looks and
personal flaws causes women especially young teens to face insecurities that may lead to poor health
choices in life later on.

Why is it that so many girls and young women are dissatisfied with their bodies, regardless of the size?
Among the many forces believed to play a role is the increasingly thin ideal dominating the media. Across
movies, magazines, and television programs, thinness is consistently emphasized and rewarded for
women, and thin television characters are overrepresented while overweight characters are
underrepresented. Indeed, the images of women presented in the media today are thinner than past media
images of women, thinner than the actual female population, and often thinner than the criteria for
anorexia. This ideal is pervasive, with fashion models, cartoon characters, movie and television actresses,
Playboy centerfolds, and Miss Pageant winners all having become increasingly thinner over the past
decades. Thus, media aimed at girls, adolescents, and young women are replete with extremely thin
models that portray an ideal that is unattainable to most.

Due to the mass medias vast extension throughout society, it has become a powerful and influential
transmitter of the idealized body image for females. Women begin to internalize these views and begin to
view their own body as a thing rather than a being which, in turn, leads to an increase in body
dissatisfaction. The idea of body dissatisfaction is truly becoming more of a societal norm in which this
consent self-surveillance and objectification produces many negative effects in women. An increase in
body dissatisfaction emerges from the thinking that the thin idealized image in the media is something
that needs to be strived towards.
It is also evident that female adolescents are the most susceptible to other influences for several reasons.
One reason is that as a society we have learned to compare ourselves to other individuals, especially
during adolescence because the body is beginning to develop physically. When females compare
themselves with other females, and their body shapes are not the ideal shapes, they then begin to
agonize about their bodies. Adolescent girls, as well as college women, are most affected by poor body
image since young women are exposed to all types of influences, like brands and products, to create the
ideal image that the media portrays as acceptable.

The media is a conveyor of socio-cultural values regarding ideal body shape and size, which creates an
understanding of the ideal man and woman (McCabe, Butler & Watt, 2007). It is a tool used to transmit
ideas, images, messages, or information to the public. Most often, media uses magazines and television to
promote a product or a service. In our society, media has become the most important and influential factor
of our culture. It can shape trends and ideas used as a tool of politicians, activists, and advertisers. People
typically trust the media which makes it an extremely influential factor in an adolescent females
lifestyle. This often makes them the most targeted group by advertisers. They begin to become outside
observers of their own body and begin self-objectification. They begin to believe that their body belongs
less to themselves and that it is public domain and open for evaluation and criticism. Through the
portrayal of media to a womans body, it is often that the female body becomes somewhat of an object
that is examined and evaluated or something that exists to be looked at.

Cultural beliefs had also impacts on body image. In western societies, cultural prejudice is in favor of
slender body shape, and against overweight. Slenderness is generally seen as the normal body shape to
aspire towards, and it is associated with happiness, success and youthfulness and social acceptability.
Being overweight is linked to laziness, lack of will power and being out of control. Overweight is seen as
physically unattractive and is also associated with other characteristics (Grogan, 1998). There is therefore
prejudice against abnormal body shape.

It has increasingly become a platform that reinforces cultural beliefs and projects strong views on how we
should look, that we as individuals often unknowingly or knowingly validate and perpetuate. The more
we look at perfect images of others and then look to find those same idealised characteristics in ourselves
and dont find them, the worse we feel about ourselves. Its a cycle that breeds discontent. With such
strong societal scrutiny its easy to see how the focus on how we look can slide into the dark side
negative body image. Females ought to be aware of how most mass marketing and consumerism
manipulates the people to make us feel badly of ourselves. We are encouraged to lie to ourselves about
our true value because the worse we feel, the more we will buy. For after convincing us that we are less
than ideal, the media will offer us endless products that claim to fix our prescribed faults. For example, if
marketers convince us that we are not good-looking enough and then offer us products to fix our flawed
appearancemake-up, anti-aging products, dieting aids, hair growth serums, plastic surgerywe are
more likely to buy them.

Self-esteem is so intrinsically linked to thoughts about one's body that physical appearance has
consistently been found to be the number one predictor of self-esteem at many ages (Ata, Ludden, &
Lally, 2006). Body image is the most dominant factor in determining an adolescents feeling of self-
worth. Body image is related to self-esteem, sexuality, family relationships and identity. It has also been
defined as the internal representation of your own outer appearance; your own unique perception of
your body (Thompson et al., 1999). Although it is closely related to sexuality and identity, it can be said
to be most closely related to self esteem. Much research has shown that negative body image and body
dissatisfaction leads to low self esteem. Self-esteem is the experience of being competent to cope with
the basic challenges of life and being worthy of happiness. It is the sum of selfconfidence and self-
respect (Branden, 1969). If one does not take a positive attitude towards their body, it can lead to
feelings of worthlessness and confidence levels can be hindered.

Media has turned the body into a symbol of status and success (Strasburger, 1995). Mass media play an
outsized role about the aesthetics of body image among women which influence body dissatisfaction,
socio-cultural values and self-esteem. Looking thin has become the socio-cultural norm among adolescent
girls; being thin is in and if you are not thin you are out of trend. There are many influences that come
from the media, especially from advertisers and celebrities, who portray the perfect fantasy lifestyle and
body-type. These images and messages can confuse younger adolescent girls. The media is telling them
who or what to be, when that is not necessarily who they want to be. There are many emotional and
physical obstacles that adolescent girls must overcome in order to feel accepted into society. Media often
glorifies the slender and the beautiful and that mentality is supported by advertisers and our culture. In
turn, it becomes harder for adolescents to understand that intelligence and personality can get you far in
life and that looks will only get you so far.

Thus, aesthetic standards based on the ideal stereotype of thin women and muscular men, may lead to
conform idealised cultural values and are considered possible determinants of body image
dissatisfaction. These cultural values are unique in that persons are apparently subject to powerful and
continuous reinforcing mechanisms through exposure to consistent, reiterative and persuasive thin-
ideal images (Blaine & McElroy, 2002; Cusumano & Thompson, 1997; Hogan & Strasburger, 2008;
Wiseman et al., 1992).

There are diverse practices of beauty across cultures. For example, in China, until fairly recently, an
attribute of female beauty was having small feet, leading to the bandaging of young girls feet in order
to stunt growth. This practice was initiated when the girl was between the ages of four and seven, and
was widespread for over a thousand years. In Myanmar, a long neck is associated with beauty. Paduang
women wear coiled brass neck rings to the point of not being able to remove them because of bone and
tissue deformation. In Sumatra, teeth filing was a common practice. Across Africa, skin scarification
where decorative designs are cut into the skin to emphasise beauty as well as ethnic origins has been
practised for centuries. Moreover, some African cultures have seen the deliberate fattening of women
as a sign of beauty, fertility, health and prosperity. Amputation and mutilation have been practiced
amongst the Mongoni tribe in Malawi. In Arabic culture, henna has been used for centuries on special
occasions to decorate the body with bold geometric designs. There are many more examples, perhaps
as many as cultures with their own beauty ideals. Traditional African, Asian and Arabic cultures have
been cited as examples where, at the very least, thinness was not emphasised as a requirement for
feminine beauty (Calado 2011; Soh et al. 2006). However, even across cultures, to attain these ideals of
beauty at times implied subjecting oneself to risk behaviours or practices, mainly as regards the female
gender.