The Medias Impact on the Body Image of the Youth Ages 14 to 18 - Essay Example

Thin and Slim is Sexy: The Media’s Impact on the Body Image of the Youth ages 14 to 18 In today’s world, body image and physical appearance plays ahuge role in a person’s emotional, social, mental, and physical health. Body image or the manner in which a person perceives his or her own body and physical appearance remains to be one of the very serious issues tackled in health, psychology, sociology, and education (Snow, 2000). In 1935 or 1950, Schilder defined body image as “the picture of our own body which we form in our own mind” (quoted in Cash & Pruzinsky 2002, p. 7). Body image is a complex phenomenon with multidimensional facets (Cash & Pruzinsky, 2002). Body image may be criticized from sociocultural, neurocognitive, psycho-dynamic, behavioral, and even feminist viewpoints (Cash & Pruzinsky, 2002). Although body image includes many facets of issues within its context, body image is most often associated with self-esteem issues being that it is the level of one’s satisfaction with his or her physical self (Jones, 2001). As body image greatly affects a person’s development from early childhood to adulthood, it is important to study how influential factors affect a healthy body image perception. For adolescents, the concept of body image is crucial in their development to becoming healthy adult individuals. As such, at the very heart and core of adolescence and youth lies the concept of body image as they search for identity and make their stamp in the world (Ferron, 1997). There are many factors that affect a person’s perception of his or her body image. However, it is the media and the celebrity culture that goes along with it that plays a more significant role. In this study, the effects of the media, specifically magazines and the celebrity culture, on the youth 14 to 18 years old. Hypothesis The youth’s concept of body image is greatly affected by the media’s steretypical portrayal of what is ideal. Objectives In the proposed working title, “Thin and Slim is Sexy: The Media’s Impact on the Body Image of the Youth Ages 14 to 18,” the main focus of the problem as stated is: “To determine the effects of the media’s portrayal of body image to the youth ages 18 to 25.” To determine the dominant perception of the youths aged 18 to 25 on their body image To identify the characteristics that point to an ideal body image for these youth To determine the image that media and celebrity culture portray on body image To determine whether this image poses negative effects or threats to the general well-being of the youth To determine how the media has affected this body image that the youth hold. Methodology of Research Vital to the success of this study is first and foremost the research materials gathered that would support the hypothesis of the study entitled “Thin and Slim is Sexy: The Media’s Impact on the Body Image of the Youth Ages 14 to 18.” The design chosen by the researcher is the non-probability sampling design. The researcher recognizes the fact that availability of respondents may pose a problem. Hence, a non-probability sampling of the accidental or haphazard type, which is made up of those who come at hand or who is readily available will be utilized. Quota sampling may also be used wherein a sample of a fixed size are obtained from predetermined subdivisions of the population. Only young men and women who belong to the age group of 18 to 25 years old will be chosen for the data gathering of this study. This age group will be chosen due to the fact that during puberty, an adolescent’s body image greatly affects how he or she views the world, therefore undergoes a great deal of pressure to conform to the norms or ideals of society (Snow, 2000). Surveys of 40 young women and 40 young men of the ages 18 to 25 years old will be gathered using a questionnaire to attain the abovementioned objectives. As one of the weaknesses of a survey is the limited amount of information that the respondents may provide, it is essential that the questionnaire be of multiple question format so as to be able to better and more easiy tally the results and so that respondents may not have a difficult time answering the survey. Like the meta-analysis of Homstrom (2004) regarding the effects of media in body image, the variables to be used for body image would be body satisfaction and body size estimation will be used. In addition to the survey, as most people young people may not be comfortable of talking about their perceptions on their own body image, especially when people of the other sex is around, a focus group discussion of each gender will be conducted separately. In this group discussion, issues relating to body image and its depictions in the media will be discussed, following a set of given questions. In this manner, the respondent will be able to elaborate on the effects that media has on their body image, and more data will be gathered. In this focus group discussion, a number of magazines will be shown to be discussed with the participants in relation to the concept of body image. In this manner as well, the media’s depiction or portrayal of body image may be further discussed by the members of the group. As these focus group discussions will be held separately, the data analysis will as well be separate between the male and female groups. On the contrary, a comparative analysis between the effects of the media on men and women will not be done. Review of Related Literature and Studies In the 1940s, Sheldon and Stevens conducted a study that revealed that the lean and slender body types were frowned upon and were perceived as nervous and socially withdrawn (Turner et al., 1997). However, some 50 years later, this slender and slim body type was perceived to be most sexually appealing (Turner et al., 1997). In magazines and other forms of media, the thin woman has always been depicted as attractive and ideally beautiful, which leads women and the youth to believe that this should then be achieved by them as well (Holmstrom, 2004). On the cover of fashion magazines, different models or celebrities are featured – all sporting a thin physique. For some people, however, the constructs that media depict on body image are unrealistic, hence causing them to become dissatisfied with their body (Holmstrom, 2004). For instance, Girlguiding UK discovered that of 3,200 young women, more than 50 percent claimed that the media has made them feel that “being pretty and thin” was one of the most important concerns, with the most influential role models such as Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham (quoted from Henry, 2007). In this instance, it is apparent how the celebrity culture of the western world today is very influential in the perception of youth on body image. In addition to this, the government of Britain’s minister of women’s unit Tessa Jowell said that “young women are tired of feeling second-rate because they cannot match the thin ideal that the see so often in the media. For many, poor body image can lead to low levels of self-esteem; for some, it is far more dangerous, leading to eating disorders and other forms of self-abuse” (quoted from Morant 2000, p. 1495). This statement was issued in response to the June issue of Elle magazine with Calista Flockhart on the cover, who has then been receiving much attention and criticisms due to her flailing weight (Morant, 2000). If the ideal body image portrayed by media for women are thin, for men, it is the lean, muscular body. During the 1990s, the cultural norm for male body image has been becoming increasingly muscular with a well-toned upper body, thin hips, and a six-packed abs (Cash & Pruzinsky, 2002). A well-toned muscular body is healthy. However, this ideal male body image depicted in magazines sometimes exceed what is actually attainable by healthy means, without using anabolic steroids, a substance that if used long term, may result to harmful and potentially fatal effects (Cash & Pruzinsky, 2002). According to Havighurst (1972, quoted in Turner et al. 1997, p. 603), the acceptance of one’s physicality is a necessary factor in adolescence development. As such, the effects of media portrayal on the body image of the youth are very influential in this developmental aspect. Snow (2000) stated that “when children and the youth develop a negative body image, they may have less confidence and decreased self-esteem. They may also engage in eating disorder behaviors, such as dieting excessively or bingeing and purging. Over time, these behaviors can become full-fledged eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, or compulsive overeating.” When people are repeatedly exposed to this ‘thin culture’, there is a tendency for them to internalize these images as ideal and use them as a vantage point in judging their body image (Turner et al., 2002). It is not only eating disorders that these negative body images brought about by the celebrity culture encourage in the youth. In “Lessons from the Brit Pack: What Celebrity Culture Tells Us and Why We Shouldn’t Listen,” Jessica Inman delves deeper into the effects of a negative body image brought about by celebrity culture (2007). In this article, Inman implied that because of this celebrity culture, a reckless behavior and self-destructive lifestyle is sexy and beautiful, as manifested by the lives of celebrities like Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, and Britney Spears (Inman, 2007). In another study by Polce-Lynch etal., (2001) entitled “Adolescent Self-Esteem and Gender: Exploring Relations to Sexual Harassment, Body Image, Media Influence, and Emotional Expression”, the questionnaire inquired upon wether the adolscents’ thoughts and feelings were influenced by movies, TV, and advertisements. It was revealed that the respondents felt that when they look at the models, they feel inadequate in their own body or physicality (Polce-Lynch et al., 2001). In 2001, Diane Carlson Jones conducted a social comparative study on the attractiveness comparisons to models and peers among adolescent girls and boys to be able to identify the specific features that define attractiveness for these adolescents. This study found that the perceptions regarding attractiveness were the same for both genders, and that the more likely role models that these adolescents copy are their peers instead of fashion models, probably due to the social attributes within the school context (Jones, 2001). On the other hand, Christine Ferron’s (1997) study entitled “Body Image in Adolescence: Cross-Cultural Research” conducted a quantitative survey focusing on the culture differences of adolescents. This research studied adolescents from different cultural backgrounds and countries like the United States and France (Ferron, 1997). This study revealed that attitudes toward sexuality and gender, health perceptions, familial upbringing, and reactions to pubertal changes greatly affect body image perception more than media influences (Ferron, 1997). Critical Evaluation of the Research Proposal As evidenced by the related literature presented, there have already been many studies conducted regarding the body image of the youth with regard to the influences that media and celebrity culture. However, the studies presented differ in variables used, research design, and methodology. As this study mainly focuses on the effects that the media and celebrity culture on the body image of the youth, this study will not cover the demographic, ethnic, and socio-cultural background of the given population. In the study it must be clearly stated wether comparisons will be made between the body image perception of the females versus the males. In analyzing the effects of media and celebrity culture on body image, there are a lot of criticisms that may be made. First, is the question of the definition of body image, given that body image is multidimensional in essence and structure, and the terms related to the concept. The accuracy of the study would greatly depend on the clarity of the operational definition of the term ‘body image’. In relation to this, there is the term ‘body image dissatisfaction’ that which needs to be accurately defined as well. There must also be precise measurement variables to which body image dissatisfaction may be measured. In the study, eating disorders as a habit and as a disease is necessarily mentioned. It must also be clarified to what extent eating disorders are to be discussed. A question remains of wether eating disorders are directly correlated with ‘body image’ and ‘body image dissatisfaction’. This needs to be clearly stated in the study. In addition to the above mentioned concepts, the term self-destructive lifestyle brought about by the celebrity culture was also mentioned. Here, two variables are seen: self-destructive lifestyle, and celebrity culture. These must both be clearly defined as well. As Holmstrom (2004) states: “Claims must necessarily be consistent with measures. Since researchers and the public are primarily interested in the effect of media on eating disorder development, it is important that the outcome measure in these studies actually be an indication of eating disorder symptomatology. If a researcher measures womens body dissatisfaction in response to a media manipulation, then it is incorrect to claim that media cause the development of an eating disorder, since eating disorder symptomatology is not directly measured.” In addition to the following comments or recommendations on clarity of term definition and the measurement of the abovementioned variables, the extent of magazine viewing and reading must also be measureable to be able to determine the effects of these magazines on the perception of body image. Otherwise, the extent of the effect or the results of the study would again be questionable as other respondents may not read or view fashion magazines as much as the others. Hence, the sample population must as well be properly picked. This is so it may be overruled that the effect size was merely dependent on the longevity of media viewing of the respondents. For instance, it may be said that the results of the survey is questionable because it may be that those with poor or negative body image viewed more media and immersed themselves more in the celebrity culture than the others who claimed to have been satisfied and content with their body image. In addition to this, the type of media must be properly chosen. For instance, in this study, would film and television portrayal of the body image of men and women be included? Just as well, if print media is to be the main scope, would it be just fashion magazines, or would it also include newspapers, print advertisements, billboards, and posters? In this context, it may also be added that images are to be separated from text as the interpretation of an image or picture is different from the interpretation of a text or article in a magazine or other print medium. The type of media must also be clearly identified so as to be able to control the design of the study better. The age of the respondents must as well be considered, given that the older ones may be more affected than what they see, as compared to the youger ones partly because they have been exposed to the medium longer than the others and that they have had more time to accept these images as reality and as ideal (HolmStrom, 2004). The third methodoligical criticism that may me made in this study is the research design. The questionnaire must be concise and direct-to-the-point. It must go hand in hand with the specific objectives given, and variables in the attainment of these objectives must be seen in each question in the survey form. As it is “effects and impact” that is being studied, there is a tendency for quantitative designs to go beyond its actual scope, thus giving the study a broader scope than what was actually intended. It is common for survey designs to include more participants, but in this study, only 80 are used, and they are divided between male and female respondents. In the analysis of data, it is also important to clearly separate the results of the male and female population, without the necessity of doing a comparative interpretation and analysis of results, as teenage girls and boys differ with regard to body image concerns. It may, however, be correlated with each other. Lastly, to narrow the scope of the study, it may as well be noted that the researcher may just choose to focus between eating disorders or self-destructive behavior. However, if the researcher is able to reconcile the two terms with regard to the concept of the study and if the researchers deems that it is defendable, then it would be better to be able to relate the connection between the two. In addition to this, as eating disorders may be considered as a self-destructive behavior, the line between the two, or the difference thereof, must be clearly identified. However interesting the study is, all in all, it is deemed that the methodology of this study needs further evaluation with regard to its variables and operational terms. It is, on the other hand, feasible. In conclusion, the proposal for this study is in general acceptable as there is sufficient background research. Bibliography Cash, Thomas F. & Pruzinsky, Thomas. eds. (2002) Body image: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice. New York, Guilford Press. Ferron, Christine. (1997) Body image in adolescence: cross-cultural research—results of the preliminary phase of a quantitative survey. Adolescence, 32(127), p. 735. Henry, Julie. (2007) Head Attack size ‘zero’ and celebrity culture, Telegraph Media Group, [Online]. Available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1568961/Head-attacks-size-zero-and-celebrity-culture.html Holmstrom, Amanda J. (2004) The effects of the media on body image: a meta-analysis. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 28(2), p. 196. Inman, Jessica. (2007). Lessons from the brit pack: what celebrity culture tells us and why we shouldn’t listen, Focus on the Family, [Online]. Available at http://www.trueu.org/dorms/womenshall/A000000726.cfm Jones, Diane Carlson. (2001) Social comparisons and body image: attractiveness comparisons to models and peers among adolescent girls and boys. A Journal of Research, p. 645. Morant, Helen. (2000) BMA demands more responsible media attitude on body image. British Medical Journal, 320, p. 1495. Polce-Lynch, M., Myers, B.J., Kliewer, W., & Kilmartin, C. (2001). Adolescent Self-Esteem and Gender: Exploring Relations to Sexual Harassment, Body Image, Media Influence, and Emotional Expression, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 30(2), p. 225. Snow, Stephanie T. (2000) Fostering positive body image in children and youth. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 9(3), p. 187. Turner, S.L., Hamilton, H., Jacobs, M., Angood, L.M., & Dwyer, D.H. (1997). The influence of fashion magazines on the body image satisfaction of college women: an explanatory analysis. Adolescence, 32(127), p. 603. Read More