Body Image Self Discrepancy

In this research, the researchers wanted to find out if body image self-discrepancy is really a mediator in the process of social comparison from the exposure to the thin-ideal body by the media, together with the bad effects of such comparison. The participants were exposed with advertisements that consist either with thin-ideal women or without thin women. The researchers found out that the exposure to thin-ideal advertisement induced women’s body dissatisfaction, dropped their self-esteem, produced negative moods, increased their depression level, prone to involve in social comparison and were at greater risk for negative consequences from the disclosure to the thin-ideal images by social media. This research relates to my position that …show more content…
They used three different types of advertisements in their experiment and the participants were exposed to either advertisements that presenting thin models, average size models or advertisements that do not display any model. The researchers tested and measured the effects of the three types of advertisements on women’s body focused anxiety and also the advertising effectiveness. The researchers found out that, women who adopted the thin ideal exposure developed greater body focused anxiety compared to the other two types of advertisements. Besides, they also found out that all the three types of advertisement were similarly effective in persuading people. This research can help me to explain that it does not matter whether the advertisers include thin models in their advertisement or not, the advertisements still have the same effectiveness, so, it is better for them to produce advertisement that not consist of thin models that can affect women’s body image. This research paper also relates to my other source that was written by Bessenoff as both of them found out that exposure to thin-ideal models can affect women’s body image …show more content…
One of the processes that the researchers discussed about is including the individual vulnerability factors and how it can increases women’s body dissatisfaction. The researchers stated that the influence of body image concern among female adolescents is caused by the interactive system of the social media that have strong peer presence and the ability to exchange loads of visual pictures that contained body image related messages. This study also pointed out briefly some effects of social media to male’s body image and body dissatisfaction. This research paper relates to my position that social media can decrease women’s body image because it explained some of the causes and also the negative effects of social media on women’s body dissatisfaction. This paper also related to both of my Victoria’s Secret and Dove’s advertisement that I will use because it discussed about how the body image related images could cause body image concern among women so I can explain the different effect of both of the