Body image changes dramatically at the onset of puberty, especially with young girls. There has been an ample amount of research on various influences on adolescent girls, but less than adequate research on the same influence on adolescent boys. It’s imperative to study the other perspective due to the fact that far fewer males partake in behaviors such as dieting, restricting, and binging and purging, but rather desire weight gain through supplements, binge eating, excessive exercise, and other unhealthy behaviors that are largely ignored. The age at which all of these behaviors are becoming more prevalent is shocking and disturbing. This particular study had a start age of about 12 and already these adolescents were presenting signs of
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All students completed two surveys, the Body Image and Body Change Inventory and the Sociocultural Influences on Body Image Change Questionnaire. The Body Image and Body Change Inventory assessed body image satisfaction, body image importance, body change strategies to increase and to decrease weight, body change strategies to increase muscle tone, binge eating, and food supplements all with a total of 51 questions. The Sociocultural Influences on Body Image Change Questionnaire assessed the influences of mother, father, peer influence, and general feedback to gain weight and increase muscle tone and feedback to lose weight and increase muscles, as well as assessed the influence of the media and the extent to which television and magazines give adolescents negative ideas of body image with a total of 12 questions (McCabe & Ricciardelli, p. 4). These 63 questions gave the answers to important questions that up until recently have not been discussed nearly …show more content…
Oppositely, fathers were only more likely to give feedback to the highest BMI category and the study indicated that they were more likely to push weight loss and increased muscle tone compared to the other two BMI categories. When investigative peer influences, both male and female peers were perceived to provide more general feedback about weight loss and muscle tone to girls rather than boys. Peers tended to pressure girls to move closer to the societally thin body ideal, but not pressure boys to increase their muscle mass. “The differential messages between male and female peers are clear if the adolescents have a low BMI: male peers are perceived to encourage them to increase bulk, whereas female peers encourage weight loss regardless of BMI” (McCabe & Ricciardelli, p. 13). This toxic mindset has been engrained into society for years through the media. This is a huge influence for adolescent girls especially. It’s very clear to see the ideal female body everywhere you look but there is no set ideal body type for males, with them having multiple body types portrayed. If a female is overweight in a comedy they are often made to be the punchline
All students completed two surveys, the Body Image and Body Change Inventory and the Sociocultural Influences on Body Image Change Questionnaire. The Body Image and Body Change Inventory assessed body image satisfaction, body image importance, body change strategies to increase and to decrease weight, body change strategies to increase muscle tone, binge eating, and food supplements all with a total of 51 questions. The Sociocultural Influences on Body Image Change Questionnaire assessed the influences of mother, father, peer influence, and general feedback to gain weight and increase muscle tone and feedback to lose weight and increase muscles, as well as assessed the influence of the media and the extent to which television and magazines give adolescents negative ideas of body image with a total of 12 questions (McCabe & Ricciardelli, p. 4). These 63 questions gave the answers to important questions that up until recently have not been discussed nearly …show more content…
Oppositely, fathers were only more likely to give feedback to the highest BMI category and the study indicated that they were more likely to push weight loss and increased muscle tone compared to the other two BMI categories. When investigative peer influences, both male and female peers were perceived to provide more general feedback about weight loss and muscle tone to girls rather than boys. Peers tended to pressure girls to move closer to the societally thin body ideal, but not pressure boys to increase their muscle mass. “The differential messages between male and female peers are clear if the adolescents have a low BMI: male peers are perceived to encourage them to increase bulk, whereas female peers encourage weight loss regardless of BMI” (McCabe & Ricciardelli, p. 13). This toxic mindset has been engrained into society for years through the media. This is a huge influence for adolescent girls especially. It’s very clear to see the ideal female body everywhere you look but there is no set ideal body type for males, with them having multiple body types portrayed. If a female is overweight in a comedy they are often made to be the punchline