I wish I had Cameron Diaz's legs, Kim Kardashian's skin, Jessica Biel's arms and Carrie Underwood's hair. Have teenage girls become obsessed with their body image? Is this obsession leading to plastic surgery, eating disorders and low self-esteem among teenage girls? According to Dr. Peter Rowan, “Society has changed enormously in the past 20 years and there is not only immense pressure on young girls to look body beautiful but to be academically successful too.” Body image plays a huge role in society and an even larger role in the media. Teen Health and the Media documents a study done on fifth graders. Yes, fifth graders who are only ten years old. Researchers were told that after watching a music video by Britney Spears or an episode of the television show Friends that they became dissatisfied with their body image. Is the media largely responsible for this obsession? Would it be different if television and magazines minimized the use of celebrities or models?
Women watch TV more than men do. Advertisers have it all figured out. A study has been done calculating who, what, when and where females watch television. A Kaiser Foundation study found the following statistics: In movies, particularly, but also in television shows and the accompanying commercials, women's and girls' appearance is frequently commented on: 58 percent of female characters in movies had comments made about their looks, as did 28 percent in television shows and 26 percent of the female models in the accompanying commercials. Mens' and boys' appearance is talked about significantly less often in all three media: a quarter (24%) of male characters in the movies, and 10 percent and 7 percent, respectively, in television shows and commercials. Why is there such an emphasis on female gender's looks rather than of males? According to You and Me, Babe: Sex and Advertising, “In advertising it is easy to get a man's attention by using women's bodies and associate getting the woman if he buys the product.” Is this teaching a teenage girl that in order to get a man's attention you have to look one particular way?
Television is not the only medium to blame for the emphasis on body image. One in every three (37%) articles in leading teen girl magazines also included a focus on appearance, and most of the advertisements (50%) used an appeal to beauty to sell their products. Teenage girls buy these products to imitate the look of the celebrities they like. But do celebrities even look like the images being printed? Or, is Photoshop the secret to flawless beauty? Is Media causing girls to buy into a fictitious image that even celebrities can not achieve?
According to Eating Disorders Treatment, “teenage girls who use dieting tactics such as appetite suppressant pills, laxatives, vomiting after eating or severely restricting their calories are more likely to be heavy readers of women's health and fitness magazines, a team of researchers reports.” The media is using unrealistic images of women that are triggering eating disorders and lowering their self-esteem. Teenagers want to mirror what they are looking at, even if it takes extreme measures to achieve. Could those measures be plastic surgery? People are going under the knife to look like their favorite celebrities or models. For example, a young female, Chanelle, is considering getting breast implants to look like Victoria Beckham. Chanelle already cuts her hair like Beckham and dresses like her, so why not? Obsession is a powerful word but becomes even more powerful when acted upon in such an extreme way.
Have teenage girls become obsessed with their body image? Is this obsession leading to plastic surgery, eating disorders and low self-esteem among teenage girls? Yes, yes and yes. From 2002 to 2003, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the number of girls 18 and younger who got breast implants nearly tripled, from 3,872 to 11,326. Seventy-eight percent of 18-year old girls say they are unhappy with their bodies. It is estimated that 5 to 10 million females are battling some sort of eating disorder in America. How can the media begin to fix this problem? Maybe, the media could use a little less fake and a little more real.
First of all, I would like to say that what you are discussing on your blog post is very important. You have done a great job researching the post and I am very impressed. You have all kinds of information supported by statistics and facts. I believe what you are saying in your blog about female body image. All over the world, the number of people, especially women with body dimorphic disorder are increasing greatly. When people are bombarded through social media and image of the perfect body, face etc, they strive to look like it and this makes them unhappy. I think it is important for people to understand that most of the models are not perfect and that they cannot base their own body image on the pictures and examples they see on t.v., movies and online. Their is constant advertisement about being someone most people will never be and I think it is important to call attention to this issue. Social media which has become more dominant today can make a difference and I think that people can use it to educate others about the proper way to feel about yourself. Thank you for discussing such an important topic.
ReplyDeleteJeanette –
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting topic to discuss. My blog was all about the objectification of women through social media, and body image is a topic I wish I had talked more about. Whether we would like to admit it or not, we are all influenced by the images we see of Hollywood women. It is easy to become hung up on the idea of wishing we looked like someone else. Unfortunately, it is this obsession, as you mentioned in your post, which can be attributed to surgery, eating disorders and low self-esteem. We, as a society, glorify certain ideas, images or styles. Women with large breasts and butts are deemed beautiful in advertisements and videos, when in reality most women do not look like those women.
Unfortunately we must understand that this is our reality. We live in a society obsessed with looks, diets, and stereotypes. This does not mean, however, that we can not change these ideas. We must work to be our own individuals and set good examples for future generations. It is a huge challenge to take on, but I have faith that one day our standards will become more realistic and loving.
I’m so glad you’ve touched on such an important topic! Great post and blog all together!
Jess
To answer the question "Do teenage girls obsess over body image?" I have to say yes. A majority of teenaged girls are glued to the media as a whole where they are constantly surrounded by slim models and celebrities. Though, in a way, they have no choice. Every magazine that you pick up from Teen Vogue to Seventeen to Cosmo, there are at least 1-2 headlines stating ways to lose weight through diet and exercise. When being surrounded by the idea of having "the" ideal body (whatever that may be) can take a major toll on someone. It is a shame that people cannot live their lives normally no matter how they appear.
ReplyDeleteIn Korea, not only teenaged girls but olders are busy to get a diet. In fact, diet business in Korea is very famous. They hire doctors for advisor and subscribe fit medicine for each person. I do think this is one of the impact of media, idol girl singers in Korea are all skinny, paradigm shift occurred to everyone. It's like brain washing lol
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