Educator Marshall McLuhan once stated that “All media exist to invest our lives with artificial perceptions and arbitrary values.” A superficial media portrays women who are absolutely beautiful, and this is what young girls grow up viewing. The questions that arise from this relationship of media to viewer are how does the mass media influence body image, and is there a direct correlation between a negative body image and eating disorders? This paper will examine scholarly journals that look at the question of mass media’s effect on body image and whether or not there is a connection between a negative body image and eating disorders. Research continues to suggest that the media’s use of unrealistic body types relates to both how young women
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Ellen Ruppel Shell discusses the media’s role in this new ideal of thinness and how harmful it is. Shell suggests that the mass media’s influence on body images has created a culture of thinness in society. Everywhere in America, advertisements features the “ideal woman.” The media today would probably describe her as being tall (5’10”), skinny (110 pounds), and toned (Shell). She is the essence of Barbie with blonde hair, white skin, and blue eyes (Shell). Although many women do not hold these qualities, the media teaches women to admire them (Shell). The paradigm that best reflects this issue is the social-conflict approach. The social-conflict approach is “a framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change” (Macionis 13). The media portrays unrealistic perfection, and this creates conflict within our society. These pressures not only encourage, but shame women into conforming to these ideals (Shell). As women conform to these ideals, body image distortion and eating disorders may result. An eating disorder is “a potentially life-threatening neurotic condition, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, usually seen in young women” (Dictionary.com). Sadly, trying to become today's ideal woman can have serious …show more content…
However, if this drive for thinness leads to a behaviors of binge eating, dieting and other eating disorders, then this correlation is important. It is also an illustration of social conflict theory. Two segments of society, the parents and the media, are fighting for the health of their daughters. Even though the media images may not be the direct cause of these disorders, the data that follows suggests that young people with certain predispositions may be at risk. Rodgers, Paxton, and Chabrol discuss how the factors of family, peer, and media relate to eating disorders and depression. In the abstract they say “Among girls, eating disorder symptoms were directly affected by sociocultural influences, in particular media influences, as well as by depression” (393). The team of researchers observed that the media’s use of thin ideals is promoted by not only peers, but family members as well (393). To reach this conclusion, they had girls as well as boys fill out a questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of many items. First, they use the Centre for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (Radloff 1977). It includes 20 questions based on mood and negative feelings (395). It essentially identifies the level of depression in each student (395). The next scale is based on the influence of the students’ peers (396). The basic assessment is how they feel their peers viewed body
Ellen Ruppel Shell discusses the media’s role in this new ideal of thinness and how harmful it is. Shell suggests that the mass media’s influence on body images has created a culture of thinness in society. Everywhere in America, advertisements features the “ideal woman.” The media today would probably describe her as being tall (5’10”), skinny (110 pounds), and toned (Shell). She is the essence of Barbie with blonde hair, white skin, and blue eyes (Shell). Although many women do not hold these qualities, the media teaches women to admire them (Shell). The paradigm that best reflects this issue is the social-conflict approach. The social-conflict approach is “a framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change” (Macionis 13). The media portrays unrealistic perfection, and this creates conflict within our society. These pressures not only encourage, but shame women into conforming to these ideals (Shell). As women conform to these ideals, body image distortion and eating disorders may result. An eating disorder is “a potentially life-threatening neurotic condition, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, usually seen in young women” (Dictionary.com). Sadly, trying to become today's ideal woman can have serious …show more content…
However, if this drive for thinness leads to a behaviors of binge eating, dieting and other eating disorders, then this correlation is important. It is also an illustration of social conflict theory. Two segments of society, the parents and the media, are fighting for the health of their daughters. Even though the media images may not be the direct cause of these disorders, the data that follows suggests that young people with certain predispositions may be at risk. Rodgers, Paxton, and Chabrol discuss how the factors of family, peer, and media relate to eating disorders and depression. In the abstract they say “Among girls, eating disorder symptoms were directly affected by sociocultural influences, in particular media influences, as well as by depression” (393). The team of researchers observed that the media’s use of thin ideals is promoted by not only peers, but family members as well (393). To reach this conclusion, they had girls as well as boys fill out a questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of many items. First, they use the Centre for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (Radloff 1977). It includes 20 questions based on mood and negative feelings (395). It essentially identifies the level of depression in each student (395). The next scale is based on the influence of the students’ peers (396). The basic assessment is how they feel their peers viewed body