Body image is defined as how one views their own body, for example, how it looks, how it feels and how it moves. One’s perception of their body is molded by insight, emotion, and physical perceptions, but can change depending on the mood and environment. Because adolescents undergo significant physical transformations to their bodies during puberty, they are likely to experience highly distorted images of their bodies. Body image is strongly affected by self-esteem and more so than by opinions of others. It can, however, be strongly influenced by the cultural messages and standards of society regarding appearance and what is deemed attractive. Given the constant barrage of thin, toned female images and the strong likenesses of the lean and
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There is a constant flow of images from any source imaginable; social media, television and the internet all have pictures of skinny men and women and insinuate that we should all want to look like the “beautiful people.” Granted, obesity is an epidemic and a healthy lifestyle should be a life goal, but when children see the models displayed in the advertisements and they are toned, thin and tanned, how can they distinguish what is healthy and what is not? The ideal body, as exhibited by the media, has been steadily changing since the 1960's but the push towards thinner models has been developing since the early 1900’s. The idyllic female body became curvier during the Great Depression and after the end of World War II, the media was displaying a different type of feminine body. This body form was the image of Marilyn Monroe, with her larger hips and small waist. This ideal womanly form did not last long and through the 1960’s and 1970’s the ideal form became more slender. The thinner one was, the more attractive they were thought to be. Models like Twiggy, with her waif thin frame were touted as beautiful. Also, the rock star looks of the overly …show more content…
80). This constant exposure to what the ideal body form should be only serves to further lower the self-esteem of the ones viewing the media in which the images are portrayed. Today’s adolescents and teens are growing up in a world in which the mass media has flooded our consciousness. Statistics reveal that, on average, a child or adolescent watches up to five hours of television per day and spends an average of six to seven hours viewing the various media combined (Clark & Tiggemann, 2007, pp. 85-86). For an adolescent or teen that already has a low self-esteem problem, looking at the images of the models may only further serve to lower their self-esteem, especially those who are struggling with weight
There is a constant flow of images from any source imaginable; social media, television and the internet all have pictures of skinny men and women and insinuate that we should all want to look like the “beautiful people.” Granted, obesity is an epidemic and a healthy lifestyle should be a life goal, but when children see the models displayed in the advertisements and they are toned, thin and tanned, how can they distinguish what is healthy and what is not? The ideal body, as exhibited by the media, has been steadily changing since the 1960's but the push towards thinner models has been developing since the early 1900’s. The idyllic female body became curvier during the Great Depression and after the end of World War II, the media was displaying a different type of feminine body. This body form was the image of Marilyn Monroe, with her larger hips and small waist. This ideal womanly form did not last long and through the 1960’s and 1970’s the ideal form became more slender. The thinner one was, the more attractive they were thought to be. Models like Twiggy, with her waif thin frame were touted as beautiful. Also, the rock star looks of the overly …show more content…
80). This constant exposure to what the ideal body form should be only serves to further lower the self-esteem of the ones viewing the media in which the images are portrayed. Today’s adolescents and teens are growing up in a world in which the mass media has flooded our consciousness. Statistics reveal that, on average, a child or adolescent watches up to five hours of television per day and spends an average of six to seven hours viewing the various media combined (Clark & Tiggemann, 2007, pp. 85-86). For an adolescent or teen that already has a low self-esteem problem, looking at the images of the models may only further serve to lower their self-esteem, especially those who are struggling with weight