Media Influence on Body Image
Media Influence on Body Image
Media Influence on Body Image
Everyone has a different view of what is beautiful. Why then can we not transfer that to how we view ourselves? Why can we not be happy with how we look? The simple answer is the media. They show images to millions of people of what they think beauty is. Those images affect society and they view themselves about how they look. Most of these images are unrealistic, and send unhealthy expectations to women on how they should look. This causes body images to be skewed. Which in turn causes women to spend more money to make themselves look like what they think is normal. In severe cases it can cause eating disorders.
Before I start let me explain what i body image is and how is it affected. Body image is psychological, as in it is all in your mind. It is not how you look, but how you feel. Body image is affected by your self-esteem and self-worth. As it goes, your self-worth and self-esteem is affected by your personal body image. Your body image is also affected by your mood, experience, and environment. People such as role models, peers, media, even parents and family can also affect your body image. For example, if most of your family has dark colored hair, and you have light colored hair, your sense of belonging could be distorted. This can have a negative effect on your body image. However, body image is not how others view you, it is how you view yourself and think others view you. Body image is not based in truth or fact, it is based on how you see it.
Unrealistic body images in advertisements send unhealthy signals to young women. They give all women, not just young women, unrealistic views on how their body should look. My sister, who is 14, has a habit of asking if she is fat. She is five feet two inches and weighs 86.3 pounds. She still wares children’s clothes because the clothes for tweens and teens are too big. The doctor has told her she is in the target weight range for someone her
Media Influence on Body Image
Everyone has a different view of what is beautiful. Why then can we not transfer that to how we view ourselves? Why can we not be happy with how we look? The simple answer is the media. They show images to millions of people of what they think beauty is. Those images affect society and they view themselves about how they look. Most of these images are unrealistic, and send unhealthy expectations to women on how they should look. This causes body images to be skewed. Which in turn causes women to spend more money to make themselves look like what they think is normal. In severe cases it can cause eating disorders.
Before I start let me explain what i body image is and how is it affected. Body image is psychological, as in it is all in your mind. It is not how you look, but how you feel. Body image is affected by your self-esteem and self-worth. As it goes, your self-worth and self-esteem is affected by your personal body image. Your body image is also affected by your mood, experience, and environment. People such as role models, peers, media, even parents and family can also affect your body image. For example, if most of your family has dark colored hair, and you have light colored hair, your sense of belonging could be distorted. This can have a negative effect on your body image. However, body image is not how others view you, it is how you view yourself and think others view you. Body image is not based in truth or fact, it is based on how you see it.
Unrealistic body images in advertisements send unhealthy signals to young women. They give all women, not just young women, unrealistic views on how their body should look. My sister, who is 14, has a habit of asking if she is fat. She is five feet two inches and weighs 86.3 pounds. She still wares children’s clothes because the clothes for tweens and teens are too big. The doctor has told her she is in the target weight range for someone her
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