Adolescent Body Image

What are some of the major issues that almost every adolescent faces? That was the question I asked myself when assigned a project around the topic of media in my psychology of adolescence & early adulthood class at Nazareth College. To begin to answer this question, I first looked back on my own time as an adolescent. A big concern of mine during this time was the way in which I presented myself. This could include several aspects my self-concept of body image, the ways in how I presented my sexuality, and ways in which I was fitting into society as a member of the male gender. All of these concerns seemed to be relatable topics, as I later realized, to many other adolescents. With these experiences and the overall concept of media in mind, …show more content…
First, we must define the main idea of media. Media is considered to be any form of communication, like the internet, radio, television, or magazines, that reach or influence people widely. A role model is a person whose actions and behaviors can be emulated by others, whether you know this subject or not. The term body image can be defined as the internal representation of one’s physical appearance which is often constructed through self-observation. Lastly, the perceived social and cultural expectations of a certain gender can be defined as a gender stereotype. Overall, it is important to note a few key words like influence, self-observation, and perceived views in these definitions. All of these highlighted words imply that most of the body image and gender stereotype concerns that people face is from their observation of others. What we will find out is that the media, which has a huge presence and power to influence people’s views, is often negative in …show more content…
It is important to point out, however, the significance of the time period of adolescence. Adolescence is a critical time for development. Not only are adolescents developing physically, but also biologically and cognitively. The viewing of flawless models in magazines, for example, have a huge effect on a developing adolescent. Putting the age of the subject to the side for a moment reveals that these images widely lead to the development of eating disorders, low self-esteem, and poor body image. In fact, women who read fashion magazines are more at risk for developing these conditions, according to Conley and Ramsey. If this is the case for early adulthood subjects that are reading these magazines, what could be the effect on adolescents? I am afraid to answer this question. It is also important to point out that men can also develop these conditions, as often times popular culture and only presents and advocates for women’s concerns. Not surprisingly, other studies conducted have shown a rise in men with eating disorders than ever before. Additionally, we can conclude that male adolescents often achieve unrealistic standards from reading and viewing these magazines. This can arise many problems as not only are male’s concept of women’s bodies skewed, but they see the acceptable, at least according to media, treatment of women. Because men’s