The Media’s Influence on Body Image and Eating Disorders
Today there is a real issue preying on our youth. We live within a culture where the media dictates what we should wear, how we should think, and even narrows down to how we should look, and eat. The media’s circuits have grown exponentially within the last few generations. We now have magazines, television shows, radio shows, and social media influencing the society we live in. Unfortunately the negative ramifications that occur from these outlets have grown to be detrimental. With growing emphasize on looks, body, and image – more and more individuals are suffering from various body image disorders, which is becoming an even greater catalyst for eating disorders - due to body image …show more content…
“The influence of men’s attitudes and behaviors about thinness may extend well beyond themselves. The vast body of literature exploring the topic of eating disorders yields additional influences that may work in tandem with the mass media to promote disordered-eating attitudes and behaviors in young women. One potential influence is men’s aesthetic preference for slimness in women. Bandura and Walters (1963) explained how men’s estimations of a woman’s appearance may affect her social value: “A female who does not match the standards of beauty within her society evokes far fewer positive responses, especially from males, than one who possesses these socially esteemed characteristics. The slender, petite female has been highly admired in North American culture” (p. 27). The approval of young men appears to function as a social brass ring for many young women, motivating them to become and stay thin as a method of winning male approval. If television and magazine exposure is related to women’s endorsement of thinness in women, it stands to reason that television and magazine exposure is also related to men’s endorsement of thinness in women, such that the more men consume these media, the more they view thinness as an important feminine characteristic.”
Today there is a real issue preying on our youth. We live within a culture where the media dictates what we should wear, how we should think, and even narrows down to how we should look, and eat. The media’s circuits have grown exponentially within the last few generations. We now have magazines, television shows, radio shows, and social media influencing the society we live in. Unfortunately the negative ramifications that occur from these outlets have grown to be detrimental. With growing emphasize on looks, body, and image – more and more individuals are suffering from various body image disorders, which is becoming an even greater catalyst for eating disorders - due to body image …show more content…
“The influence of men’s attitudes and behaviors about thinness may extend well beyond themselves. The vast body of literature exploring the topic of eating disorders yields additional influences that may work in tandem with the mass media to promote disordered-eating attitudes and behaviors in young women. One potential influence is men’s aesthetic preference for slimness in women. Bandura and Walters (1963) explained how men’s estimations of a woman’s appearance may affect her social value: “A female who does not match the standards of beauty within her society evokes far fewer positive responses, especially from males, than one who possesses these socially esteemed characteristics. The slender, petite female has been highly admired in North American culture” (p. 27). The approval of young men appears to function as a social brass ring for many young women, motivating them to become and stay thin as a method of winning male approval. If television and magazine exposure is related to women’s endorsement of thinness in women, it stands to reason that television and magazine exposure is also related to men’s endorsement of thinness in women, such that the more men consume these media, the more they view thinness as an important feminine characteristic.”