Discrimination And Body Acceptance In Society. “Why Are

Body image encompasses how we perceive our bodies, how we feel about our physical experience as well as how we think and talk about our bodies, our sense of how other people view our bodies, our sense of our bodies in physical space, and our level of connectedness to our bodies. Over the past three decades, while America has gotten heavier, the "ideal woman" presented in the media has become thinner. Teenagers are the heaviest users of mass media, and American women are taught at a young age to take desperate measures in the form of extreme dieting to control their

Isn’t it so easy to look at someone and consider them a certain way? If someone is underweight, people consider them anorexic, and if someone is overweight, people consider them obese. Making assumptions such as "she is too skinny, she probably starves herself", or "he is fat, he must be eating McDonald's all day" are some examples of ignorant comments. Instead of judging someone for being obese or underweight, people should consider the reasons the problem. Individuals who suffer from obesity might suffer from hormonal problems, thyroid, or have a slow metabolism. Same goes for individuals who are underweight, they might suffer from hyperthyroidism, excessive stress, or anorexia. Instead of judging individuals on their weight, people should consider them to be just like themselves. Therefore, people should not judge others based on body shapes, because they might not know about some of the serious illnesses that can result in the

Modern people live media-saturated lives, even children as young as 6 years old, have had some type of media exposure. Extensive exposure to media outlets can lead to body image issues. Body image is defined as, the subjective picture or mental image of one's own body (Smolak 2003). Body image is formed as people compare themselves to others. Because, people are exposed to countless media images; these images become the basis for such comparisons. These mental comparisons, have a strong influence on an individual’s personal perception of beauty. Media outlets create images and pressures about what our bodies should look like; however, sometimes these images have been manipulated, creating an unrealistic expectation of beauty. When an individual believes that their body is substandard, they can become depressed, suffer from low self-esteem, or develop eating disorders.

Societal pressure also comes in the form of body shaming, which is defined as the criticism of another person’s body shape or appearance. According to a 2016 study, there is correlation between body shaming, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorders, all of which happen to be most prevalent in young women (Mustapic p. 447). In recent years, body shaming has become a huge problem due to the popularity of social media platforms. Women of all shapes and sizes are ridiculed on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and other sites for not conforming to societal normalities. The 2016 study also assessed eating disorders in relation to age and body mass index (BMI) of participants (Mustapic p. 449). Age did not have much effect on the data, which is unsurprising due to the fact that all participants were close in age. What is more surprising, however, is that BMI also had little effect on the data. One would think that women with greater BMIs would

In her article “Never Just Pictures,” author Susan Bordo analyzes how deeply teenage girls of today are effectively told how to look by mass media. Girls of the 21st century are constantly struggling with their own confidence and overall happiness simply due to the celebrities they see on TV and in magazines. Today, women are subconsciously told what the ‘perfect body’ is and anything less than that means that they are unwanted and fat. Bordo specifically described the experience of the 19 year-old Clueless actress, Alicia Silverstone, whom the tabloids consistently referred to as ‘fatgirl’ and ‘buttgirl.’ Bordo described that once a young woman is told that she is not worthy or that she is fat, countless psychological issues arise and begin

In the article “Never Just Pictures,” Susan Bordo acknowledges how the cultural perception of body image of both men and women has been increasing in viciousness exponentially. The societal views of the models in advertisements, on television or in magazines, have proven themselves to be “fabulously” horrific throughout the last few decades. However, an incredible amount of commercial funding, euphemistic language, dietary support groups and other lifestyle changes are merely thought up, created and shipped out door-to-door to virtually all people who cannot simply stand being a kind soul towards others who are apparently suffering, in the medias (blind) eyes. This terrifying phenomenon is especially shocking since there have been articles

The media has distorted people’s views on the way they look at their own body image. The media has shown what their ideal body type is, while leaving people to feel as if the average weight is not good enough. (Cardosi, 2006) We live in a world where people feel as if having zero body fat is the idea body type to have. Pictures of models for clothing stores, bathing suits, lingerie etc. all exhibit to this to be true. Body image is perceived to be negatively influenced by the media and the way that the media displays their models. Parents, teachers, adolescence and even children all find themselves to be comparing themselves based on what the media exposes. (Levine & Murnen, 2009)

Expectations including unatainable beauty standards with young women being objectified and unrealistically portrayed the most in the media. Everyday we as consumers of media are subjected to these images, morphing our mentalities and leaving individuals that don’t meet society’s expectations and standards particularly vulnerable. The encouragement from the media to embody an impossible image for the majority of women can lead to a number of different mental health problems. Statistically unrealistic images formed and reinforced by the media affect young women and girls more so than their male counterparts in regards to mental illness, particularly disordered eating and body image issues. At one treatment facility for anorexia and bulimia, of 138 patients, only four were male. (Bokind-Lodahl) Nearly all of these 138 patients stated that they had developed an eating disorder because they had wanted to be as physically desirable as possible, to them and many other women in America translating to being as thin as possible. All of the patients were very vulnerable to actual and perceived rejection, however the patients that identified themselves as female were more likely to believe that their bodies and sex must somehow be the reason for that rejection. So why are so many girls and women affected by body image issues? Between the ages of thirteen and

Ever since we were little, humans were defined by numbers and sizes, and judged by the silent eyes of humanity, and trying to fit ourselves into the undefined definition of perfect. Though there is no correct or incorrect way to look, no two human bodies will look alike (Godsey, “Male Body Stereotypes”). Thus, defining a certain ideal body type to define males or females would not allow the population of girls or boys to achieve those views. Although the media’s intentions are not primarily to degrade any human’s current body state, the media and the people utilizing social media exploit people within a society’s views on an ideal body image that is both unrealistic and nearly impossible to attain. Through negative perceptions of the body, the media influences ideal body structures for each gender, body modifications, and mental and eating disorders.

To begin with, the issue about body image, how it is displayed in the media, and people’s decisions about their physical and mental health because of it has been an ongoing issue for decades. The age group mostly affected are adolescent girls. Body image is the main factor to adolescent girls’ definition of their self because they have been brought up to believe that appearance is very important for self-evaluation and for the evaluation of other people. Because of this, many adolescent girls have caused great numbers of harm to their bodies. Not only are adolescent girls affected, but boys as well. Scientists and researchers have conducted many studies to show how the media’s portrayal of body image has negatively affected young adolescents. “Harrison (2001) found that exposure to thin-ideal TV was associated with a rise in eating disorder symptoms in adolescent girls; this effect was partially mediated through increasing perceived discrepancies between actual and ideal body shape. Stice, Schupak-Neuberg, Shaw, and Stein (1994) found that, among young college women, greater media exposure was linked directly with more eating disorder symptoms and indirectly— through stronger internalization of the ideal-body stereotype—with greater body dissatisfaction.” (Clay). The argument that Daniel Clay has made here is that because of the exposure to these

When someone looks at the new generation, eating disorders, self-harm, and other issues are recognized as things affecting the body; all of these things are becoming more prevalent. A large body of research proves the idea that altering photographs causes eating disorders. The “exposure to thin models results in greater body focused anxiety” (Halliwell). Girls and boys are feeling the need to match the flawless, thin stranger in the snapshot. The anxiety initiated in an adolescent’s life from not meeting the standards of the ideal person in a picture provided by the media causes one to do these horrendous things to the body. Young teens have a negative body image. Girls are being trained to obsess over their weight and appearance not their grades, family, or worth, which are more important. The teenagers do not understand “the gulf between image and reality” that the media generates, which is hurting them mentally and physically (Grundberg 36). The people presented in the photos are expectations, but the reality is that teenagers will never be as thin as a twig, will never have perfect airbrushed skin, and will never have the exact body type one longs for. The precious body one has may never provide enough satisfaction in

Social media plays an immense role in the way that stereotypes about attractiveness is conveyed in regards to body image. As Gerbner and Gross wrote in 1976, the cultivation theory states that high frequency viewers of television are more susceptible to media messages and the belief that they are real and valid. The subjection to social media can cause an idealistic view amongst young girls and women alike. Among the mechanisms of human agency none is more central or pervasive than beliefs of personal efficacy (Bandura, 1997). This belief that these body types are achievable can lead to females being dissatisfied within their own skin. The result of the discontent can potentially lead to eating disorders. Body dissatisfaction occurs when views of the body are negative and involves a perceived discrepancy between a person 's assessment of their actual and ideal body (Cash and Szymanski, 1995 and Grogan, 2008). It is estimated that approximately 50% of adolescent girls report being unhappy with their bodies (Bearman, Presnell, & Martinez, 2006). Surveys have revealed that the exposure to social media can cause body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms’ and the concept that thin is “beautiful” amongst young girls and women (Botta 1999; Harrison and Hefner 2006; and Stice et al. 1994). With media influence, the question is the strength of the effect, studies indicate the effects are small in scale; they are likely to operate in accordance with particular differences in

Whether an individual identifies as female, transgender, male, or anywhere on the gender spectrum the pressure to look a certain way comes from many places, but mainly from the media. In 2010, Bailey and Ricciardelli found that the depictions of masculinity and femininity in the media trigger body comparisons. A common theme that came up in group discussions was the comparing of body types and how one perceives their body as “less than” the one they see portrayed in the media. Participants shared that this trigger feeling of worthlessness and insecurity, and the idea that you will never be enough. Laporte and Wanchisn (2010) found that individuals, especially college age youth, across all ages and genders, that suffer from low self-esteem are the same individuals who are most likely influenced by the media and to make body comparisons. What is discouraging is that young people are less equipped to emotionally process and discount what the media deems as the ideal body. This begs the question: How else are our youth affected by the constant bombardment of graphic “ideal body” images that are depicted by mass communication such as newspapers, magazines, and social media? If so many people seem to be dissatisfied with their bodies, what does that mean for their kids and future generations? How will people feel about the way their body looks? That’s why there is the BP, to counter this plague of insecurity and loathing of your own body; but what about gender? The concept of gender is not biological, rather it is constructed by our society and manifests in our culture (Smith, 2016). Research by Bekker and Boselie (2002) found that “feminine gender role stress” does in fact correlate with the presence of an eating disorder. Researchers who analyzed the role of gender, determined that females with an eating disorder were more likely to report that the disorder caused a negative effect on

Body-Shaming is known as criticizing or humiliating someone by making impolite comments on an individual's body shape or size. Body-shaming is a subject that has been recently brought to light with the use of social media; many celebrities have talked about body-shaming along with quite a few other individuals who have even went out to do social experiments. Generations and generations have passed and as the years go by, the problems only seems to get worse. Comments like “you should put more meat on your bones” and “you should go on a diet” are both equally demeaning and overused. It shouldn’t matter what someone’s body size or shape is to anyone as long as that person is happy and content with himself or herself. Almost everyone has

In today’s society we let the media decide everything in our lives from what clothes we should wear, music we should listen to, and how we should look. One of the biggest problems that both men and women face is body shaming, because the media sets standards for young kids and young adults., they often times try and fit the description of “perfect” which leads these people to either be depressed because they do not look like people want them to look or harm themselves in order to achieve the desired look. The most common ways the media shames both men and women are by celebrities and how they are the “perfect” body, publishing magazines of what is the ideal man and woman, and by the people who believe being “too” fat is bad and being “too” skinny is bad.