In recent years, a lot of emphasis has been placed on the role that the media plays in affecting individuals’ body image. On magazine covers, on television, and everywhere we go, it seems, the media is present to remind us that appearance is of the upmost importance and that we need to be thinner, wear expensive clothes, and just look perfect, basically. So the real question is, to what extent is the media dominating the opinions that individuals have of themselves?
This process of body image destruction begins early, as little girls are exposed to Barbie dolls and other toys that seem to set up expectations for them that they retain for years to come. It is no coincidence that the recent surge in the prevalence of eating disorders is likely linked to an increase in body image issues. On television programs and in commercials, tall, thin women that weigh around 100 pounds are almost always casted to portray the everyday woman, when, in reality the everyday woman is actually around 5’4 and around 140 pounds, on average.
The counterargument in this debate is that the media does not, in fact, have such extreme bearings on the way that individuals view themselves. An abundance of studies and experiments have been tested which reveal that there is, indeed, a strong correlation between the media and body image, refuting the counterargument. I intend to research a variety of case studies on these effects and, in turn, discover a lot of new information based on observed evidence regarding body image.
Through the UF Library, I have found some wonderful articles that I believe will really enhance my understanding of the topic and help me to dig deeper and write a more interesting and cohesive paper. Thus far, I have found three very interesting sources: “Women's exposure to thin-and-beautiful media images: body image effects of media-ideal internalization and impact-reduction interventions,” The Media and Body Image: If Looks Could Kill, and “The Role of the Media in Body Image Concerns Among Women: A Meta-Analysis of Experimental and Correlational Studies.”
The impact that the media has on body image in people of all ages has interested me and fascinated me for a while now. I do know a lot of background information on this topic, but I am hoping to develop a much more vast knowledge of all the real implications of this subject after researching and writing this paper!
Cool. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Susan Bordo's article on Male body image ("Re-Discoverign Male Beauty" --in WR)
ReplyDeleteYou may be able to find more counterarguments than you think--look and think hard for objections that people will have for your thesis.
This brings me to the question, although it is clear that the media "affects" a woman's body image--what are you claiming that it leads to? What is consequence of this effect? Eating Disorders? make sure to specify that.