...Literature of MEDIA’S INFLUENCE ON BODY IMAGE and its AFFECTS Introduction Body image is a central part of mental and physical well-being, and because the mass media are pervasive communicators of social standards, they greatly influence people’s perception by setting unrealistic standards for what is “normal” for body weight and appearance. Thus, reinforcing people to emulate and believe what they see and hear. There is an extensive amount of studies on the effects of media exposure on body dissatisfaction and the experience of negative thoughts and esteem about one’s body, which is linked to a range of physical and mental health problems, including eating disorders and low self-esteem. Body Image: Self-Esteem and Identity Several individual variables predict or influence the relationship between media exposure and body disturbances. Most of the research has been done with women and girls, for whom the “body perfect” ideal is ultra-thin, and whose media models are typically underweight (Tantleff-Dunn, 1999). To determine whether viewing images of thin models influences how women feel about their bodies, there were many studies done using the social comparison framework, finding that women engage in “upward social comparisons,” comparing themselves to the thin models depicted in the media. When women believe that they do not measure up to the models, they feel more negatively about their own weight and body. For example, Lin and Kulik (2006)...
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...Review Pressure to be Perfect Media has become an increasingly important aspect of today’s society. People interact with many different forms of media on a daily basis. Because of the frequent usage of media, it is reasonable to assume that it has its effects on people. The topic discussed in this paper is the impact social media has truly had on society. Focusing on the main factors that cause an influence to the general well being of people in modern society, this paper will discuss how the effects of media are determined and explore what is believed to be the two main categories in which media affects today’s society: mental illness and body dissatisfaction. In reviewing the literature on the different effects that media has on society as a whole, ten pieces of literature that discuss the effects that media has on the psychological well being of society will be shown, and that ultimately what is at stake in this conversation is the health of our society. In reviewing the literature regarding the health impacts of social media on society, the authors used in this paper discuss either mental illness or body dissatisfaction. Authors such as Dohyun Ahn, Sheri Bauman, and Sandee LaMotte discuss the mental illnesses in their articles (“Is the Social Use of Media…”, “Associations Among Bullying…”, and “The Health Risks of Cyberbullying…” respectively. The remaining seven authors who focus on body image and how it is influenced by the media can be separated by three subcategories...
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...Review Pressure to be Perfect Media has become an increasingly important aspect of today’s society. People interact with many different forms of media on a daily basis. Because of the frequent usage of media, it is reasonable to assume that it has its effects on people. The topic discussed in this paper is the impact social media has truly had on society. Focusing on the main factors that cause an influence to the general well being of people in modern society, this paper will discuss how the effects of media are determined and explore what is believed to be the two main categories in which media affects today’s society: mental illness and body dissatisfaction. In reviewing the literature on the different effects that media has on society as a whole, ten pieces of literature that discuss the effects that media has on the psychological well being of society will be shown, and that ultimately what is at stake in this conversation is the health of our society. In reviewing the literature regarding the health impacts of social media on society, the authors used in this paper discuss either mental illness or body dissatisfaction. Authors such as Dohyun Ahn, Sheri Bauman, and Sandee LaMotte discuss the mental illnesses in their articles (“Is the Social Use of Media…”, “Associations Among Bullying…”, and “The Health Risks of Cyberbullying…” respectively. The remaining seven authors who focus on body image and how it is influenced by the media can be separated by three subcategories...
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...This article is a detailed, academically supported body of work, designed to retort the following questions: How and why are semantically sexualised women used as a perceptive marketing stunt’ and ‘what role does the media play in legitimizing gender discrepancies through framing and cultivation strategies? Coaxed by the issue of female objectification in the mass media, the following research was conducted both practically, and theoretically, to overtly annunciate the social and democratic problems associated with advertised female subordination. The relative research involves a semiotic analysis of two sources, coupled with a survey of 40 candidates of varying ages. Furthermore, theoretical mechanisms of media framing and cultivation have been deconstructed throughout this article to uncover the impact of magnified female subordination on the domestic expectations of children and young adults. Through the collection of data, it was able to be conclusively recognized the impact of objectification on social attitudes. Results had shown the many conceptions concerning the female purpose, these include; a woman’s role as a domestic and sexual slave to her male partner. Through the convergence of data, semiotic analysis and academic theory, it may be meticulously understood how female objectification in the mass media is a social complication in the construction of an egalitarian future. ‘Women’s bodies are predominantly valued for its use to others’ Fredrickson & Roberts 1997 ...
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...Head: Analysis of 1960s gendered media norms from the perspective of the 1960s and 2000s Analysis of 1960s gendered media norms from the perspective of the 1960s and 2000s Univers Communications 30 Gendered film norms from the 1960s and 2000s: An Introduction From its most primitive years, popular films have discussed the part of gendered norms both on screen and as viewers. Actually, emphasizing its significance to different account and standard patterns, violence against women has been conceptualized as immanent in typical Hollywood and all over more recent popular cinema. Various feminist film theorists have judged conventional filmmaking as comprised of creation and display practices imbricate in a certain set of social and political power relationships. In the procedure, these writers have proposed complicated expression of the relationships between filmic representations and cinema's place in society. The mainstream feminist film theory that grew in the 1970s depended on the idea of cinematic equipment by the help of which film technologies interrelated with the ideological determinants of the cinematic associations. In her work, most remarkably the essay, "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema," (1975) Laura Mulvey stressed the problem of the female aspects in classical Hollywood and, particularly, in films of Josef von Sternberg and Alfred Hitchcock. Female spectators are presented with a choice to make out with either a male character or secondary female characters...
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...Media Inequalities Abstract Today as in the past, mass media plays a very significant role in our lives. Individuals get information about people and places they have never actually met or seen. My research explains the media inequalities shared by minorities and media ownership. It also explains the influence a few companies have over the media industry and how minorities make little progress, whether in front of the camera or in influential positions behind it. In addition, much work has been done to bring forward this issue. With the help of special interest groups and other agencies there is a push to bringing diversity into the mainstream media business. Thesis Analysis of the mainstream media reflects inequalities for minorities and women. Of grave concern is the mass media’s negative approach to educating our society through what we perceive is open knowledge in the media, and poor media oversight. The media is undoubtedly important and there is extensive evidence that it both reflects and shapes society and individuals in both positive and negative ways. The issue of control and ownership of the media, and the extent to which this affects society, remain problematic and predominately white male media ownership. According to the article (Media Stereotyping, 2010) “media stereotypes are inevitable, especially in the advertising, entertainment and news industries, which need as wide an audience as possible to quickly understand information.” The passage...
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...22 Carter, C. (2011) “Sex/Gender and the Media: From Sex Roles to Social Construction and Beyond,” in Ross, K. (ed) The Handbook of Gender, Sex and Media, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN-10: 1444338544; 365-82. ISBN-13: 978-1444338546 Sex/Gender and the Media From Sex Roles to Social Construction and Beyond Cynthia Carter Introduction In the early years of second-wave western feminism, many gender researchers and feminist scholars distinguished between the notion of sex, defined as biological differences between male and female, and ‘sex roles,’ referring to certain behaviors and characteristics attributed to each sex that was a social construction. The resulting media research centered on images of women in the media (much less emphasis was placed on men) in order to draw attention to inequities in their portrayal in relation to men (in quantitative terms as well as in terms of the use of stereotypes). Since the 1970s, however, the scope of social constructionism has greatly expanded in feminist theory. Some suggest that the distinction between the biological and the social has, as a result, eroded to such an extent that it is no longer possible to understand the difference, while others question the need for this distinction. For instance, in queer and transgender theory and feminist cultural studies, theorists have sought to make strange the ‘sex/gender’ distinction. The key argument made is that biology is no less a cultural construct than gender socialization into...
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...The Gender Differences in Eating Disorders: An Analysis Abstract This paper will provide a critical analysis of the issue of eating disorders in the two genders. It has provided a history of the eating disorders, and how they came to be known. Furthermore, the paper has focused on the issue of eating disorders through an analysis of a number of studies. The studies have focused on providing vital information regarding what influences the different genders to have eating disorders. The females are most likely to suffer from anorexia nervosa, while the males suffer from bulimia. A brief summary of all the key points has also been provided. Thereafter, some important recommendations regarding research in some key areas involving eating disorders has been provided as well. Keywords: Anorexia, Bulimia, Females, Males, Study, Eating Disorders, Gender, Media Introduction Eating disorders have now become part of the current culture people live in. In fact, the eating disorders tend to affect different people regardless of their genders and socioeconomic classes. There is even an overall prevalence that is estimated to be about five percent among the population. Many people have a desire to become thin since it is an issue that is always being highlighted by the media. Some of the popular sources of media that influence individuals to become thin include movies, television shows, and magazines, among others. It is such a pity that the prevailing culture, and specifically the...
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...are dissatisfied with their body image. This percentage can be as high as 80 percent according to some psychologists. In the last 20 years, this estimate has grown due to the increased use of digital enhancement used in media advertising, namely Photoshop. (Purtle, 2012) ("Mirror, mirror", n.d.) Studies have shown that American children receive an estimated 5,260 messages of attractiveness through the media, by adolescence. The United States also has the world’s highest rates of obesity and eating disorders. This statistic crosses a melting pot of backgrounds and cultures which eliminates any genetic reason; instead societal messages from the media should be addressed. (Ross, n.d.) Advertising Photoshopped Women Social problem Eating disorders in the United States has been a social problem for many years, with up to 24 million people of all ages and genders affected. 50 percent of these people also fit the criteria for depression and only 35 percent of these receive treatment. Considered a norm violation type of social problem, many eating disorders are directly and indirectly caused by the media advertising digitally altered body images in their campaigns. ("Eating disorders statistics", n.d.) Thus, the problem can now be considered a system-blame problem, which, blaming the system is only part of the truth behind eating disorders, and proves to absolve the person of responsibility for the disorder. (Long, 2012) Manipulation of images used in advertising through...
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...ZYM Sociology of Gender and Sex Instructor BAS Gender Display in Fashion Magazines Advertisements Introduction Images in advertising that depict stereotypical gender roles and displays have long been a major concern in the field of gender studies. Before beginning research of gender display in advertisements, it is imperative to understand that advertising is a significant agent of socialization in modern industrialized societies (Kang, 1997), and is often used as a tool to maintain certain social constructions, such as gender. According to Rohlinger, the bodies in advertisements represent an ideal that individuals seek to achieve, and thus create the foundation for a masochistic relationship with one’s own body (Rohlinger, 2002). This statement is confirmed by the increasing rate of body dissatisfaction, greater weight concern, the development of eating disorders and lower self-esteem. Moreover, gender is a routine, methodical, and recurring accomplishment that actually surfaces in everyday human interaction (West and Zimmerman, 1987), and gender relations are learned through these advertisements, which essentially serve as a distorted reflection of the real world. These sexualized and stereotypical gender images are teaching the viewers a vast array of social cues, a certain way to interpret social reality, and are eventually reconstructing the definition of femininity and masculinity. Various studies have been done regarding the covert ways that magazine advertisements...
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...are greater forces that influence eating disorders such as the mass media, family, stress (sense of identity), community (peers/school), and negative body image (which links to mass media). It is important to know these contributions to eating disorders because, the more one knows about the various factors for an eating disorder, the easier it will become to treat these disorders (help one suffering with an eating disorder cope and become healthier.) Throughout the 21st century, eating disorders have become more common among North American teens. With a higher percentage rate of eating disorders in the 21st century, (Sneddon, 1999, p.35) it shows it is an area that should have greater focus. Not only does it have a negative impact on the individual who is battling it, it has a negative impact on society; an impact that could destroy our society – mentally if we (as a community/society) do not help or treat this in the way it should be. An eating disorder can tear apart someone’s morals, eat at their brain – which means with it becoming more common amongst North American teens, the society will suffer in the long run; therefore it is an area that should be focussed on more so we can save our society for the future. Literature Review Eating Disorders Influenced By Mass Media * General idea of mass media: Television, advertisements, magazines, movies, etc * “Messages from the outside can influence body image/the way...
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...SAFM_1.1_05_art_Jha 1/9/09 3:25 PM Page 65 Studies in South Asian Film and Media Volume 1 Number 1 © 2009 Intellect Ltd Article. English language. doi: 10.1386/safm.1.1.65/1 Looking for Love in All the White Places: A Study of Skin Color Preferences on Indian Matrimonial and Mate-Seeking Websites Sonora Jha Seattle University Mara Adelman Seattle University Abstract A preference for light skinned females is a global bias that affects all areas of human relationships, especially in marital mate selection. Further intensified by the meteoric rise in Internet dating and mate selection, this bias often serves an invalidating function for darker-skinned women. This study (1) analyzed ‘profiles’ and ‘preferences’ of brides and grooms (N=200), and (2) coded ‘success story wedding photos’ (N=200) posted on four Indian matrimonial websites. Results showed an overwhelming bias among males for brides lighter-skinned than themselves. Males were also more likely than females to state a preference for skin color in their prospective brides, and to use qualitative words like ‘beautiful’ and ‘lovely’ to describe their preferred match. Most significantly, the ‘success story’ wedding photos consistently had lighter-skinned brides than grooms. Darkskinned women were almost non-existent in these ‘success stories.’ This research points to a technology-abetted intensification of colorism. That is to say that the powerful profile ‘menu’ options and the visual imagery of predominantly...
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...Women and the Media Samantha Heintzelman Sociology 150-04 October 9, 2014 Women and the Media Abstract: How are young women affected by how the media portrays them? Though there are many articles today in magazines preaching about being body positive; there are still many publications that portray a certain “look” to their models. Long eyelashes, plump lips, messy but still cute hair, thin, and with bigger breasts is the image of the Victoria Secret models that show women that in order to be looked at as “beautiful” or “sexy” you must look like those “perfect” models. I hypothesize that young women are negatively affected by these images of women in the media. Through experiment this proposal will show that even though there are many articles about being body positive the images of the “perfect” looking women will still poorly affect how the women view themselves and will make them strive for an unrealistic perfection. Women and the Media Introduction: Many studies have shown that I women magazines there are more weight loss ads and that women have a harder time dealing with body image than men. Research has also shown that more and more women at a younger age are worried about their weight, and try something whether it be healthy dieting or an eating disorder to try and reach their “ideal” weight. Though all this research is accurate and well put together it still does not answer the question ‘why women who read articles about body positivism still feel negatively...
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...CARTOON PRODUCTION: An Analysis of Selected Examples The purpose of this essay is to explore how media, especially Disney cartoons, affect gender, particularly young girls and how the representations of females within the media affect the viewers through stereotypes or ideals to live up too. THE INTRODUCTION (the explanation of media influences and basic notions of women representations in Disney Production) A good deal of feminist writing in the field of culture has been concerned with the representations of gender and of women in particular, and it is claimed that these representations of females reflected male attitudes and constituted misrepresentations of “real women”. Meehan (1983) analyzed the stereotypes into which women are commonly cast on television and the analysis showed that “good women” are, or are expected to be submissive, domesticated and home-centered while “bad women” are rebellious and independent. She concludes that “American viewers have spent more than three decades watching male heroes and their adventures, muddied visions of boyhood adolescence repete with illusions of women as witches, bitches, mothers and imps “. All researches about the media influence give the same conclusion that the mass media is a powerful resource through which viewers develop their identity and come to understand the role that gender plays in the real world. Disney is one of the largest media corporations in the world...
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...BEAUTY IN THE AGE OF MARKETING Bingqing Yin and Susie Pryor Contact person: Susie Pryor Bingqing Yin Assistant Professor Master’s student School of Business School of Business Washburn University Washburn University 1700 S. W. College 1700 S. W. College Topeka, KS 66621 Topeka, KS 66621 Phone: 785-670-1601 Phone: 785-670-1601 Email: susie.pryor@washburn.edu Email: bingqing.yin@washburn.edu Beauty in the Age of Marketing Beauty, it is said, is in the eye of the beholder. It is, accordingly, subjective and presumably both socially and culturally influenced. From a marketer’s perspective, this is a less than useful perspective, for beauty sells. A body of research suggests, for example, that physically attractive models used in advertising produce consumer expectations of accountability, dynamism and trustworthiness; therefore, marketers tend to use these models to enhance and strengthen the appeal of their advertisements and products (Atkin and Block 1983; Kamins and Gupta 1994). Physically attractive people are known to be perceived by consumers as friendly, warm, dominant, sociable, outgoing, responsive, and possessing both self-esteem and intelligence (Adams, 1977; Adams & Read, 1983; Berscheid & Walster, 1974; Bloch & Richins, 1992; Cann, Siegfried, & Pearce, 1981; Dion & Dion ,1987; Goldman & Lewis, 1977). Individuals favor and are favorably disposed towards physically attractive people...
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