Media’s Portrayal of Unrealistic Body Images

The issue of today’s media portraying unrealistic body images causes substantial intrapersonal difficulties in the minds of young girls. As a result of this negative influence, the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology shows that “Teen-age girls who viewed commercials depicting women who modeled the unrealistically thin-ideal type of beauty caused adolescent girls to feel less confident, more angry and more dissatisfied with their weight and appearance.” The communication they are exposing to their viewers and readers is the image to be “skinny”, which is considered the only form of beauty. The context of this problem is the print media of “women’s magazines” as well as the televised media. The celebrities and supposed role models are the starving victims who are sending a message to young girls across the world that it is “ok” to go hungry in order to look acceptable.
The actual problem is that women are being influenced to buy beauty, diet products and any other means in order to copy these women within the spotlight. This is a negative form of communication because the consequences of diet pills or starvation result in health issues and even death. The Common Sense Media stated online, “In 2003, Teen magazine reported that 35 percent of girls 6 to 12 years old have been on at least one diet, and that 50 to 70 percent of normal weight girls believe they are overweight”. This horrifying fact should force the industry to take a step back and realize that girls between those ages are being highly influenced and have started to ruin their bodies before they even graduate from 8th grade.
Some argue that peers and parents may influence the pressures of this sociocultural ideal; however, the media communication seems to be the ultimate source of the problem. It is difficult to flip through the pages of a magazine without being bombarded with diet pill advertisements, or even reading the cover of a current issue of Life & Style, where three beautifully portrayed celebrities are accused of not eating. Nonetheless, it is deceiving because these three women look beautiful in their ball gowns and their hair flawlessly curled. These celebrities may have an eating disorder, but the pictures the magazine prints, make them look ideal and glamorous.
Girls are in a real danger and few people are taking notice of this concern. Girls are trying to look like their pop idols on TV and will go to any length to accomplish that. Studies have shown, according to SADD Statistics, that “Nationwide 12.3% of high school students had gone without eating for 24 hours or more to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight during the last 30 days.” How is this going unnoticed in our society? We have plenty of information on how Nicole Richie became increasingly smaller as the months past, why is society not noticing the consequences it is having on young girls who read these magazines and watch network TV? Interestingly enough, the Journal of Social Issues reported that restrictive dieting and eating, relating to body imaging, could be attributed to the specific types of programming girls watch on TV. Therefore, it can be said, that not all types of media influences the body conscious of young girls, but much can be attributed to the specific shows—most popular are the soap operas and music videos. The attractive women that continually show up on these shows impact these young viewers every day of their lives. It is inevitable.
I feel that this is a large issue in our society because I know people close to me who are affected by this on a daily basis and have struggled with eating disorders. The constant “diet” ads in each magazine girls pick up influences them in one way or another. It may not result in bulimia or anorexia; however, it does mold a so-called “correct” image of beauty in their minds.
- Monica Augustyn