Media Impact on Youth's Body Image - Research Paper Example

? How Does the Media Impact Youth's Body Image and Self Esteem? ID Number & Total Number of Words: 1,695 Introduction Developing a positive self-esteem is important as its affects how each person feels about their self worth. In line with this, the ability of a child to establish a positive body image is very important in terms of his or her psychological, emotional, and physical health development. As compared to individuals who are not satisfied with their body image, people who are happy with their body image are the ones who are able to develop a positive self esteem. Media includes the use of billboards, fashion designers, films, television, magazines, movies, newspapers, videos, radio, and websites. Due to excessive mass media exposure, there is a risk wherein the youth may or may not feel good about their body image (van Vonderen & Kinnally, 2012). In relation to the adverse psychological effects of mass media with regards to how a person feels about himself, this study aims to prove that mass media can either create a positive or negative impact over the youth’s body image and self esteem. Applicable to both male and female, this study will gather some peer-reviewed evidences to explore how mass media exposure could affect a child perception about what an ideal body is all about. Thesis Statement Either positive or negative, the media has a significant impact on youth’s body image and self-esteem. Literature Review A child is able to develop an ideal feminine beauty and a universally accepted masculinity through mass media exposure (van Vonderen & Kinnally, 2012; Dittmar, 2009; Barlett, Vowels, & Saucier, 2008). Since the ideal masculine and feminine figure has been continuously portrayed in the media, the young adults are either consciously or unconsciously exerting too much effort to make their body image fit in either the ideal masculine or feminine figure (Nikkelen, Anschutz, & Ha et al., 2012; Dittmar, 2009; Barlett, Vowels, & Saucier, 2008). In relation to a strong identity, there is a link between having high levels of self esteem and a positive body image. Based on what the media is portraying, the ideal female body should be sexy, underweight, ultra-thin and lean whereas the ideal male body should be show a lot of muscles (Nikkelen et al., 2012; van Vonderen & Kinnally, 2012; Dittmar, 2009; Hobza & Rochlen, 2009; Barlett, Vowels, & Saucier, 2008). Aside from having lots of muscles, Hobza and Rochlen (2009) mentioned that a typical body image for men is often characterized by a having a lean and fit body image. As a result of stereotyping the ideal body image of men and women, people are unconsciously creating a new set of cultural standards with regards to the ideal body image. It means that more adolescent girls are developing the wrong belief that being extremely thin is the only way for them to become famous and socially accepted by other people (van Vonderen & Kinnally, 2012; Robles, 2009). Therefore, the number of unsatisfied and depressed youth increases over time. It is wrong to believe that the media can only affect the young adolescent girls when it comes to body image and self esteem. In the process of trying to make them fit in the universally accepted body image, a lot of men and women are becoming totally dissatisfied with their own body image (van Vonderen & Kinnally, 2012; Barlett, Vowels, & Saucier, 2008). The only differences between men and women is that men’s visual attention when watching another man’s body image on mass media is totally different from how women’s visual attention is being caught by the media images (Nikkelen et al., 2012). This explains why more adolescent girls are affected by the media when it comes to appreciating their own body image. Even though it is more common for the adolescent girls to feel depressed, unhappy and unsatisfied with their body image as compared to the adolescent boys, the fact that there are some adolescent boys who are consciously becoming dissatisfied with their body image could also mean that this group of young individuals can be at risk of developing a certain degree of psychological, mental, emotional, and physical disorders (Nikkelen et al., 2012; Hobza & Rochlen, 2009; Barlett, Vowels, & Saucier, 2008). To closely examine the impact of media on one's body evaluation, and self-perceptions of attractiveness, Tyler, Lopez and Flores (2009) conducted a research survey study among 302 undergraduate men and women. Based on the research study findings, the authors found out that people with positive appearance evaluation are most likely to feel that they are attractive and that the presence of media which continuously portray an ideal body image decreases the students’ body- and self-esteem (Tyler, Lopez, & Flores, 2009). According to Dittmar (2009), being dissatisfied with one’s own body image is not good because of its negative psychological effects with regards to their self esteem. In line with this, a lot of adolescent girls are experiencing mental and physical health problems such as eating disorder, excessive dieting which can lead to self-starvation, excessive exercise, depression, anxiety, dysmorphic disorder, taking weight-loss pills, low levels of self confidence (Dittmar, 2009; Robles, 2009). Since the process of becoming physically attractive could somehow open more opportunity for people to become successful in life, the young individuals who failed to meet the standards of their desired body image become unhappy with regards to their own shape of the body and overall physical appearance. As a result, van Vonderen and Kinnally (2012) revealed that there are some women who are continuously using their body image and weight as a way to measure their self worth and social value. To avoid feeling anxious and unhappy about their body image, some women are resorting to different weight loss programs (van Vonderen & Kinnally, 2012). In the long run, these young adolescent girls are unconsciously developing poor eating habits which could result to a long-term eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa, binge eating, or bulimia whereas others may end up undergoing unnecessary cosmetic surgical intervention (van Vonderen & Kinnally, 2012; Dittmar, 2009; Robles, 2009). On the other hand, the male counterparts are either abusing the use of anabolic steroids or spending excessive amount of time trying to increase the size of their muscles using some gym equipments (Dittmar, 2009; Hobza & Rochlen, 2009; Barlett, Vowels, & Saucier, 2008). Discussion Most of the empirical studies that were presented in this paper strongly suggest that mass media can indirectly make the youth feel bad about their body image (Nikkelen et al., 2012; van Vonderen & Kinnally, 2012; Dittmar, 2009; Hobza & Rochlen, 2009; Robles, 2009; Barlett, Vowels, & Saucier, 2008). Even though mass media can make young people feel dissatisfied about their body image or make them develop a very low level of self esteem, this study strongly concludes that the use of mass media will not always create a negative attitude and behavior with regards to a person’s body image. In general, mass media such as billboards, fashion designers, films, television, magazines, movies, newspapers, videos, radio, and websites is a form of communication medium that people can use to effectively convince or persuade people to accept something and make it a part of what is culturally acceptable within the society. Considering the fact that mass communication media are common tools that most people are using to send out messages to the senders’ target audiences, it makes sense that anybody can also make use of the same communication tools in trying to convince people that becoming ultra-thin or getting a breast implant from a cosmetic surgeon are not a good example of feminine beauty. The same concept applies when it comes to the adolescent men. For example, instead of allowing the advertising companies to stereotype the idea that ideal female body should be sexy, underweight, ultra-thin and lean, a large group of healthcare professionals can intervene to make people understand about the psychological and physical health risks associated with trying to lose weight below the normal BMI. By educating to the public about the adverse health and mental consequences of eating disorders that can lead to the development of anorexia nervosa, binge eating, or bulimia, the young individuals can somehow think that being underweight or ultra-thin is a wrong perception of what an ideal female body should look like. In the case of an ideal male body image, excessive portrayal that strong men should show a lot of muscles on the arms and abs, keep their waist narrow or develop a well-built chest can build a lot of misconception on what real men should be like. In general, having a lot of muscles does not necessarily make a man a real man. For this reason, professional psychologists can make use of mass media tools to clearly explain to the youth that body image is not a real basis of what masculinity is all about. By making the adolescent boys understand what makes men a real men, this group of people will be able to develop a positive self esteem without the influence of their body image. Conclusion and Recommendations As a form of communication tools, the mass media plays a significant role in developing either a positive or negative impact with regards to the youths’ body image and self esteem. Given that mass media is effective in terms of persuading people to accept ideas and facts based on what they see, read, or hear, the general public should be educated with regards to being satisfied and happy with one’s own body image. Through self acceptance, the process of continuously stereotyping that an ideal female body image should be underweight and ultra-slim whereas an ideal male body image should show a lot of muscles will not greatly influence how young people develop their own self esteem. Developing a positive self esteem is important in terms of making the young people become more confident about their own personality, skills, and talents. Since mass media can make a lot of people develop a wrong perception on what an ideal male and female body should look like, school teachers together with a large group of counselors and professional psychologists should work together in guiding the youth about the importance of proper nutrition and exercise while maintaining an accepted BMI. References Barlett, C., Vowels, C., & Saucier, D. (2008). Meta-analyses of the effects of media images on men's body-image concerns. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 27(3), 279-310. Dittmar, H. (2009). How do "body perfect" ideals in the media have a negative impact on body image and behaviors? Factors and processes related to self and identity. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 28(1), 1-8. Hobza, C., & Rochlen, A. (2009). Gender Role Conflict, Drive for Muscularity, and the Impact of Ideal Media Portrayals on Men. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 10(2), 120-130. Nikkelen, S., Anschutz, D., Ha, T., & Engels, R. (2012). Influence of visual attention on male body dissatisfaction after idealized media exposure. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 13(3), 308-323. Robles, D. (2009). Thinness and Beauty: When Food Becomes the Enemy. The International Journal of Research and Review, 2, 16-29. Tyler, K., Lopez, S., & Flores, L. (2009). The Media, Body Evaluation, and Perceptions of Physical Attractiveness Among College-Aged Women and Men. Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, 14(1), 25-33. van Vonderen, K., & Kinnally, W. (2012). Media Effects on Body Image: Examining Media Exposure in the Broader Context of Internal and Other Social Factors. American Communication Journal, 14(1), 41-57. Read More