WE DO NOT NEED TO LIVE UP TO MEDIA EXPECTATIONS.
Society's pressures limit men and women’s activity, behavior,
and physical appearance.
For our Action Research Project, our group identified the issue of body image. For both men and women, specific expectations of people’s bodies can limit individuals in their activity, behavior, treatment, and physical appearance. In doing so, these media perpetuated body ideals enforce oppressive stereotypes across gender, race, ability, class, and sexuality. Our project has focused on media portrayal of harmful body image, but it is important to know that similar problems have arisen across the world which at their core police people’s bodies even if they don’t critique the same physical features. For women, the ideal body type is often that of a model; this woman is generally tall, thin, white, and able-bodied. For men, standard of attractiveness is a lean and muscular body that is similarly unrealistic for most men to achieve (Vartanian 96).
Media figures are often viewed as the epitome of success and social desirability. Their body weight and beauty are often associated with their success, while overweight actresses and models are frequently ridiculed in media.
(van Vonderen & Kinnally 42).
Many studies have linked the media perpetuated body ideals to negative behavior. The media presents these perfect, thin body ideals and gives viewing the impression that these are the only acceptable bodies and all others must be scrutinized. Consuming media with these attitudes tends to reinforce negative attitudes regarding weight and body shape (van Vonderen & Kinnally 51). People who are considered overweight are often met with hurtful words and assumptions as others police their bodies (Martin 265). That sort of behavior can drive men and women to dangerous methods of weight loss leading them to develop eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. In some research, a link has been observed between the internalization of societal standards of attractiveness for both men and women with the adherence to these factors being related to bulimic behavior and dietary concerns. (Vartanian 117).
The media doesn’t just affect individual and their behavior, it has a large effect on their peers. Many will internalize negative attitudes towards body image and outwardly apply those attitudes in their treatment of others leading one’s peers to be amongst the largest social sources of low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction (van Vonderen & Kinnally 42). For this reason, we feel it is important for people to question media messages on body image and question the way that it influences their feelings towards themselves as well as others.
In addressing media attitudes towards body image, one must realize that it is a multifaceted issue that can be particularly oppressive to people of color. When looking at eating disorders, especially amongst young women, many studies write off women of color as exempt from the white, skinny ideal despite relatively equal reported rates of purging and other harmful eating behaviors (Rubin 243). Women of color face additionally body image oppression as their body shape and features may differ significantly from mainstream white representations of female beauty (244).
Another trouble trend is seen in rampant photoshopping. With photoshopping, we see that even the ideal celebrity bodies the media presents us with aren’t capable of meeting body standards and their images must be digitally altered. Taking our inspiration from Dove’s Evolution and similar campaigns, we would like to break harmful body ideals by showcasing diversity in hopes of promoting high self-esteem and positive body image. Additionally, people need to become mindful of how and what they address with another person’s physical appearance because even the smallest negative comment can have lasting effects.
Bibliography
- Fitts, Mako L., and Anne E. Becker. "Body Ethics and Aesthetics Among African American and Latina Women." Women's Voices | Feminist Visions. By Lisa R. Rubin. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004. 243-52. Print.
- Martin, Courtney E. "Love Your Fat Self." Women's Voices | Feminist Visions. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004. 265-68. Print.
- Van Vonderen, Kristen E., M.S., and Willaim Kinnally, Ph.D. "Media Effects on Body Image: Examining Media Exposure in the Broader Context of Internal and Other Social Factors." American Communication Journal14.2 (2012): 41-56. EBSCO. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. <http://ac-journal.org/journal/pubs/2012/SPRING%202012/McKinnally3.pdf>.
- Vartanian, Lenny R. "When the Body Defines the Self: Self-concept, Clarity, Internalization, and Body Image." Guildford Press Periodicals. Guildford Press Periodicals, 1 Nov. 2009. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. <http://guilfordjournals.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1521/jscp.2009.28.1.94>.