Media Influence On Body Image Essay

It’s a typical Sunday night. My roommates and I are sitting in the common room awaiting the new Kardashian episode. I sit, engaged and listening to the conversation around me. We speak about our day, our classes, what we ate, if we worked out. All of our statements, I realize, are brought back to ourselves, and are followed by a put down. “I’m so hungry, but I ate so much today. I can’t eat anymore.” Or “How is she (a female on TV) so skinny? Why can’t I look like that?” Followed by “she is probably anorexic.” As these words are said, I realize that our reactions, feelings and statements are caused by our responses to what we are seeing on TV. It brings one to question, has the media created these societal pressures that we are all subconsciously …show more content…
The influence of the media on ones body image was studied in children (for the purpose of this paper, I will be focusing on girls). The article “Media Influence on the Body Image of Children and Adolescents” By Z. Lawrie, et al. states that “The implications of childhood exposure to the mass media, which portrays these particular images of body size and shape, are concerning, as there is an increased probability of the child becoming discontent with his or her body if his or her appearance differs from the so-called norm.” This study focuses on children from ages 9-14. These are the ages during which perception of ones self is being molded, meaning that one is especially open to and influenced by the media’s ideal of beauty at this age. As shown above, if children do not fit into the standards and ideals set by the media, there is a greater probability of body discontentment. This exposure expands beyond media with young children being bombarded with body image ideals through the toys they are given to play