A. Issue
Should there be mandatory rules regulating the media’s use of unrealistic body image?

B. Importance of Ethical Issue
The media and advertisers often use physical attractiveness and sexuality in an effort to sell their products, service, etc. Through media, companies have a more convenient way of reaching an audience but they do not have any control on how would people interpret the message that they are sending. Media has an overpowering effect on the way people see themselves and their body. It has created the way people see an ideal physical appearance, which emphasises the shape and size of a man and/or woman (Diedrichs, Lewis-Smith & Paraskeva 2015). There was a study conducted by Australian Institute of Family Studies which surveyed 4,000 children. The study found out that more than half of the children from ages 8 to 11 years old wanted a slimmer body rather than an average one (Wilson 2014). There was also a study done by the King’s college London and Harvard, suggests that some children develop early body dissatisfaction due to the pressure received from media, family and peers (Fleig 2015). Another survey conducted by the Today Show and AOL.com discovered that 80% of teen girls compare themselves to celebrities and say that the images that they see make them feel displeased with their body (Common Sense Media 2015). This is alarming because children as young as 8 years old should not have to worry about how pleasing their body looks. Media exposure affects how children perceive their bodies and they can carry these perceptions about themselves when they get older.

C. Facts Relevant to the Issue * The Australian Government was appointed by the National Advisory Group on Body Image in 2009 to develop a code to provide guidance on how they portray beauty in popular media called The Voluntary Code of Conduct on Body Image (Australian government 2009). * Countries like United Kingdom, Spain, Canada, Australia and Israel are taking steps to pursue social policies to lessen the negative influence of unrealistic body image by the media (Diedrichs, Lewis-Smith & Paraskeva 2015) * According to one study, when a person sees an attractive man or woman in an ad it triggers a part of the brain, that would make us buy impulsively (Daily Mail Australia 2011). * The voluntary code of conduct for the media, advertising, and fashion industry has failed to have effects on how the industry operates (Zubcevic-Basic 2013). * Research has shown, that exposure to media that shows the ideal body can be associated with women’s body dissatisfaction (Isis the eating issues centre Inc. 2016). * Models in France must present a doctor’s certificate to prove that they have the right BMI or the employers could face up to six months of jail time and a $81,000 fine (BBC News 2015). * People in the United States perceive that thinness is associated with positive ideas, this also their way into fighting obesity as it is a rising problem in the country. Banning thin people to work in a certain industry maintains the idea that being obese is acceptable (Wise Geek n.d.). * An ideal body are portrayed in movies, music industries, and advertisements as women who are thin and men are muscular. When the audience see these they would look at their own bodies, and compare (Vargas 2013). * For celebrities or models to reach the standard, editors use manipulation tools to make female celebrities look thin or male models look muscular than they already are (Stewart 2010). * According to Mr. Kees, there is a positive effect to the consumers when they see a “regular-size model” in media but the company suffers in the marketplace (Neff 2008) * In previous years advertisers has accepted the idea that ‘Beauty Sells” and that beauty increases the chances that a person would buy the product (Brumbaugh 1993). * When advertisers choose to promote a healthy body image this could improve their sales one example is the Dove’s campaign for real beauty (Jackson 2015) * In 2008, there were 2,200 models, this does not include the freelance models. It is also expected to increase to 2,600 by 2018. Also, a models body requirements is not based on the actual number of weight but more on their proportions (Effron 2011).

D. Knowledge gap regarding the issue * People who are used in media could really have a natural body that is deemed as ‘unrealistic body’. A reasonable assumption is that not all people who appear on media has an unrealistic body image.

E. Consequences regarding the issue
According to John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism’s judgement is based upon the maximisation of net utility or if the positive effects outweigh the negative (Sher 2012). Based on the facts that is presented above these are the possible consequences regarding the issue:
POSITIVE
* People would not be so insecure on what they look like and would slightly decrease the factors that pushes a person to have an eating disorder. * The media would strictly follow the rules because they would not have a choice regarding this. *

NEGATIVE * Companies use their models as one of their ways to entice customers to buy their product, service, etc. If there would be rules regarding the models that they use this might decrease the sales of some of the companies. * If this is implemented, almost all of the models who are employed right now would be out of jobs because all of the models are following the ‘ideal body’ of media. * Either way people are still judging others with the way a person looks which would still affect the way they perceive themselves.

F. Conclusion
If I would look at this in a utilitarianism point of view, the negative consequences outweigh the positive. There will be a lot of people, not just models affected negatively if there are mandatory rules in Media’s use of unrealistic body image.

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