Images of the unobtainable thin body can be seen anywhere. The media has many different outlets; television, movies, magazines billboards, and the internet. I myself can attest to watching television and thinking why isn’t my body like that. I know what it feels like to not feel beautiful because the image of beauty that the media portrays is the complete opposite of myself. The media portrays tall and thin as the “ideal” image of beauty.
The National Eating Disorder Association (2012) reports that the media and its portrayal of beauty is acknowledged as one of the factors contributing to the rise of eating disorders. In our culture, the media portrays tall and thin as the ideal image of beauty. Magazines, television , movies, commercials, and more portray attractive women as being extremely thin. It is nearly impossible to escape the influence of the media and children today are being exposed to these portrayals earlier and earlier in life. Since we have immediate access to all sorts of media, could the constant reminder of the “ideal” body type cause a negative body image and low self-esteem?
Body image as defined by Dina L.G. Borzekowski and Angela M. Bayer is “the internal representation of one's own outer appearance which reflects physical and perceptual dimensions.”(Borzekowski & Bayer, 2005) They also state that body image is closely related to self-esteem and self-concept. During one’s juvenile years, poor body image is especially harmful, because all of the rapid physical and mental changes occur during puberty. Also, teenagers are becoming more and more exposed to the media and the media keeps getting more and more provocative. Young girls are looking to women with unobtainable body shapes as role models. In today’s media, a “normal” looking woman is hard to find. The “ideal” body type is constantly advertised, some researchers believe that this constant reminder of the “ideal” body shape may be brainwashing our youth making them think and feel that this is normal. However, it’s not normal and never will be. In order to reach such a level of thinness one would have to take drastic measures which may cause a state of shame or guilt, this is both physically and mentally unhealthy.
The media broadcasts the “ideal” body shape in just about every way possible. Not only are the models on the covers of magazines and in advertisements embodying the “ideal” body shape, but even the fictional characters in television shows and movies are almost always portrayed as thin and beautiful. This portrayal of beauty in television and movies teach children and adolescents that beauty only come is one shape. Many researchers also state that the models of today are drastically thinner than the models of earlier years. As the years go by, the front cover models and the A-List celebrities reach new levels in achieving the “ideal” body image , even reaching a level thinner than the criteria for anorexia (Grabe, Hyde, Ward 2008). Another media craze is the numerous “reality shows” that are being played on major television networks. Shows like America’s Next Top Model, The Hills, and The Real Housewives of Orange County, have real life women, not actresses or models, that are supposedly symbolizing the “average woman” in America. These women are the prime examples of how our culture’s standard of beauty has reached an unhealthy level. Not only do these women possess the “ideal” body type, but they constantly discuss dieting, exercise to lose weight, and how they aren’t thin enough.