Self Objectification Paper

The first one features thin models, the second one shows average-size models, and the third one shows no models. The authors try to prove that the exposure of thin ideal bodies in the media does negatively impacts young women’s body images. It was concluded that women that were exposed to thin ideal bodies resulted in a higher body-focused anxiety than those who are exposed to average-size models and no models. This article will be able to support my thesis because it shows the negative effects of exposure of thin ideal bodies to the female public and my thesis is about the negative impacts of ideal bodies exposure on self-esteem and self-image. This article will be used in the psychology section of the

Over the years there have been several studies on the effects the media has on shaping an individual’s body image. A long with these studies came scientific social theories; some of these theories include the social comparison theory, self-schema theory, self-discrepancy theory. The social comparison was developed in the 1950’s by Leon Festinger. This theory states that that we determine our own social and personal worth based on how we stack up against others. Individuals will compare themselves to others as a way to measure success. In the Self-schema

The body image movement aims to improve the relationship between women and their bodies in a more positive manner (Dove 2014). Currently, women are suffering from an increase in body self-consciousness as a result of medias role regarding beauty ideals. Researchers have found that women worldwide do not view themselves as beautiful and are consistently troubled about their appearance and concluded that six out of ten girls are concerned about their appearances (Dove 2014). As a result, anxiety and self-consciousness are all contributing factors producing significant health concerns among women (Aubrey 2007). Media has developed a reputation in society for women to be held to unachievable beauty standards as they promote a “thin culture” (Hesse-Biber et al. 2006). This promotion of beauty standards has inspired the body image movement to educate and encourage women to love their bodies in order to achieve more self-esteem and confidence (Dove 2014). As well as, corporations are beginning to

The media group that retouches images skews the “normal” body image of people through many of its outlets, including models in advertising and magazines, and actors in TV and movie productions. “The average model portrayed in the media is approximately 5’11” and 120 pounds. By contrast, the average American woman is 5’4” and 140 pounds” (Holmstrom, 2004). This statistic shows how the media manipulates consumers into believing that because they are not what the average model looks like, they are not living up to a certain standard which implies that they need to look like that to be beautiful. Another research fact that shows a similar concept is that, “In the United States, 94% of female characters in television programs are thinner than the average American woman, with whom the media frequently associate happiness, desirability, and success in life” (Yamamiya et al., 2005). This association of female thinness and happiness, desirability and success makes consumers believe they must achieve this unrealistic thinness to achieve more ultimate goals and fulfillment in life. “The media also explicitly instruct how to attain thin bodies by dieting, exercising, and body-contouring surgery, encouraging female consumers to believe that they can and should be thin” (Yamamiya et al., 2005). This idealization of thinness in the media is seen so much, and is extremely harmful to women’s self confidence and is often associated with body image dissatisfaction, which can be a precursor to social anxiety, depression, eating disturbances, and poor self-esteem (Yamamiya et al.,

Chronic dieting, low self-esteem, depression and, high levels of body dissatisfaction were among the major issues women face when addressing their body image (Gingras, Fitzpatrick, & McCargar, 2004). The severity of body image dissatisfaction have increased to such a dangerous state that it was added to the DSM-IV as a disorder now called body dysmorphic disorder (Suissa, 2008). One of the main reasons for the prevalence of these conditions in women was due to contemporary Western media, which serve as one of the major agent in enforcing an ultra-thin figure as the ideal for female beauty (Saraceni & Russell-Mayhew, 2007). These images and models presented by the media have become the epitome of beauty, pushing women who internalized these images to dangerous extent to attain these norms. According to evidence from previous studies, contemporary Western cultures have influenced women to an acquired normative state of discontent with their bodies, which have become the source of maladaptive eating practices, negative psychological outcomes, and, chronic health conditions associated with eating disorders (Snapp, Hensley-Choate, & Ryu, 2012). The seriousness of these body image conditions among youths and women have also led to congressional actions.

However, due to of these mixed findings regarding the effect of the media on body satisfaction in terms of social comparison theory (Mills, Polivy, Herman, & Tiggemann, 2002), recent research began to look at social comparison as a means of self enhancement and mood regulation, rather than a simple means of self-evaluation (Gruder, 1971; Wills, 1981). The above question posed by Knoblock-Westerwich and Crane (2012) seems to be answered in the concepts of upward and downward social comparisons. Wills (1981) explained that downward social comparisons occur when an individual compares themselves to another individual and finds the other individual to be lacking in some way. On the other hand, upward social comparisons occur when an individual compares themselves to another individual and finds themselves to be the one lacking. In regard to this concept, Bailey and Ricciardelli (2010) asserted the fact that upward social comparison is the process at the forefront of body dissatisfaction as it exists in today’s society. They theorized that women who are exposed to thin-ideal media are given a wide range of thin models to compare themselves to. This is the point in which the concept of the thin-ideal media and the theory of social comparisons intersect. As these thin ideal images become more accessible—which is indeed the case according to Wiseman, Gray, Mosimann, and Ahrens (1992), as well as Park (2005)—these ideal images have the potential to be internalized by some women, which may result in decreased body satisfaction due to upward social comparisons. In a similar study, Tiggemann and Slater (2003) suggested that “the process of social comparison may provide the mechanism by which exposure to media images induces negative effects” (p. 50). Tantleff-Dunn and Gokee suggested

When people think of the new body image, we automatically think models. Well, yes, models are a major factor in the body image persona, but it’s not just models. The media broadcasts the “thin ideal” in every possible way that we can think of. Researchers have found that the ongoing exposure to the “thin ideal” can shape and distort adolescent female’s perceptions of beauty, particularly in television media. Take the movie Cinderella for example. Cinderella is portrayed as a beautiful, thin, feminine female while her “ugly” stepsisters are shown as short, overweight and masculine. However, it is not just

Mass media has encompassed us with images of the “thin ideal” since the 1920’s and 1950’s. Doctors Wendy Spettigue and Katherine Henderson fixated on social problems that supported Thompson and Heinberg’s concept of the internalization of attractiveness at the hand of the media. Both articles directly analyzed the internalization of attractiveness and perception of beauty. However, Spettigue and Henderson explicitly concentrated on the aspect of the media in developing eating disorders as well as the etiology of eating disorder pathology. This has fortified the notion that the “thin ideal” has a crucial detrimental repercussion on body satisfaction in men and women worldwide (Spettigue and

The media’s promotion of thinness as the standard for female beauty should be ended due to an increase in body dissatisfaction, which leads to internalization, eating disorders and a loss of confidence in female adolescents. There are hundreds of studies backing these claims, and it something that has been observed time and time again on first-hand accounts. I will be analyzing how body dissatisfaction results in internalization, which is a predictive to eating disorders and a loss of confidence.

As part of the female race on Earth, most of us are guilty of indulging in the dream of desiring and maintaining a thin figure. Though we all have our ways of accomplishing this idea, one goal remains similar— to present ourselves as the modern ideal form-- skinny. This way of thinking has been shared throughout generation to generation, a thought so important that leaves us wondering about its effects on our physical, mental, and social life. The trend of living up to society’s physical expectation has been encouraged in a variety of ways—including through the media, social standing, and self-acceptance. However, what we don’t realize is how unnecessary this obsession really is— because according to recorded body trends throughout history, the ideal American body image has been distorted several times before and shouldn’t be fussed over. So, why do we still believe that being thin determines our attractiveness in society?

In a series of self objectification and desperation on social media, it’s become apparent to me that dignity and self worth are not common qualities that a lot of women have these days. Social media- the new reality, The Hunger Games of 'who looks like they have a better life,' and where women go to receive the adoration that they aren’t able to reap themselves. Ladies, we crave so much to be beautiful. People change their faces just as much as their personalities, and they wonder why they're so unhappy at the end of the day. We crave compliments like red velvet cake and all for what? To justify that you are indeed “perfection?” It’s time to stop searching for ways to feel perfect because here’s the bottom line- you are only as extravagant

Self-esteem can hit an all-time low for women who find themselves pursuing these methods but still don’t find themselves measuring up to the women in the images. What these women don’t realize is that the images they are seeing are fictional and that the women’s bodies do not look that way in the real world. Yet these women are still trying to attain this body type. They are working for an unachievable goal, and that is to have a body that looks like the photo-shopped and airbrushed bodies that are shown in the media. Not only can the media cause women’s self-esteem to plummet, it can cause them to become over sexualized.

Exploration into the media influence of elusive physical superiority encourages unfavorable reactions in women, however uncovering the fiction regarding the female media figure is essential to developing image contentment (Haas 2015). In the study published in “An Intervention for the Negative Influence of Media on Body Esteem”, it was contemplated that when a slim figure was exhibited to a female, her self-appreciation would decline, yet when media fallacies were presented, the female’s self-appreciation would increase (Haas 2015). For the analysis, 160 females, ages 18 to 45, were selected indiscriminately and divided into control and experiment groups (Haas 2015). For the purposes of this examination, standard media representations were

With the increasing percentage of today’s females struggling with personal body image issues, the media has been criticized for playing a critical role in bringing body discontentment upon the female population; several theories help explain how this discontentment happens. Media is the primary public means used around the world to relay ideas, values, norms, attitudes and behaviors (Lopez-Guimera et al.388). Society is bombarded throughout their daily lives with different forms of media relaying a wide variety of messages. The thin ideal set by the mass media has become the standard for female beauty and has played a major role in how women perceive themselves. From waking up to the radio advertizing the newest diet supplement offering a free sample for a limited time only, to seeing a billboard on your way to work depicting a Victoria’s Secret model in the latest push up bra, to the pop ups viewed on one’s internet browser with beautiful models advertising luxury vacation destinations, to the nightly news featuring a segment of the newest fitness craze, it is clear that these forms of media cannot be avoided and play a critical role in

There are several possible ways of producing change in the way media and society portray the ideal female body and the consequences of this standard. First, the media has a large influence on women’s body image that they should change the images and messages that the media present and use a much wider range of models of different sizes and shapes. This change would discourage the idealization of the unattainable form, and would encourage readers and viewers to see a wide range of body types as acceptable (Dolan, 1994, p 51). Second, Jean Chow PhD RN suggest that education may be an approach to reducing the media’s impact on an individual’s self image perception that women are more than objects of beauty and success in life is not dependent on one’s dress size (2004). Another solution may be for women to be more selective of the media they choose to read, such as magazines with ads that attribute similar positive characteristics to heavy and thin people.