Cruzado 1

Marcelle Cruzado
English 11 Honors
Mr. Davis
Period 2
Monday, December 8, 2014
The Medias Effect on the Perception of Todays Youth Regarding Image
Ultra-thin models are so prominent that exposure to them becomes unavoidable and
'chronic', constantly reinforcing a discrepancy for most women and girls between their actual
size and the ideal body (Serdar, Female Body Image). The effects media advertisements have
on the younger demographics also have a direct correlation to the overwhelming amount of
eating disorders, in the United States alone. Media advertisements showcase the idea that one
must be thin to be beautiful, but it negatively impacts the self-esteem and self-worth of many
young individuals today in the process. From the medias perspective, advertisers believe that, in
order to sell a product, everything in the ad must fulfill their standard of beautiful, a standard
they feel is more appealing. However, the media takes the idea of beautiful and distorts it by
establishing their own standard of beautiful as tall and thin. This unrealistic as well as unhealthy
view of women as well as men in the media today influence how many people decide to view
themselves, which not only creates a sense of doubt in themselves, but also spurs ideas of
unhealthy ways to obtain this standard of beautiful. In reality, beauty comes in all shapes and
sizes. The misrepresentation of the standard of women, due to numerous unrealistic media
advertisements, must not only come to an end, but also recognize the modern average woman as
it will help in developing the more realistic, healthy perception needed to be had by the younger,
more influential, demographics.
Several questions arise as we dive deeper into this controversy: what makes it unrealistic,
if they are using real models? What eating disorders occur as a result of the media? Also, how

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can we correlate the eating disorders as an effect of the media advertisements? Due to the
increasing advances in technology, the impact social media has on todays youth has
skyrocketed. According to a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center, in addition to
magazine subscriptions, research reveals that between the ages of 12 and 17, 93% of teens go
online (Teen and Young Adult Internet Use). This information tells us that the younger
generation is countlessly exposed to the magazine and Internet advertisements quite often seen
today, viewing over 5.260 advertisements mentioning attractiveness a year (Infographic: Eating
Disorders and the Media). These advertisements have been known to contribute greatly to the
high increase of eating disorders in the United States. In the United States alone, 20 million
women as well as 10 million men suffer from some type of eating disorder (Get the Facts on
Eating Disorders). For example, in anorexia nervosa, the eating disorder with the highest
mortality rate, the body is being denied the nutrients it needs to survive, which is why it starts to
slow down all of the processes of the body (Get the Facts on Eating Disorders). In other words,
the body is shutting down due to self-starvation. Bulimia nervosa, the second most common
eating disorder in young children, involves a series of binging on food, then forcibly purging it
out of ones own body (Get the Facts on Eating Disorders). In addition to these horrific eating
disorders, they almost always are accompanied with psychiatric disorders, making the healing
process much harder (Get the Facts on Eating Disorders). Media advertisements create the idea
in young women that being thin is the new healthy, the new beautiful, the most important thing
in the world, which is why they decide to ignore what they know is right. Despite the fact that
the average woman in America weighs 165 pounds and is 54 tall, their sense of fear becomes
stronger than their sense of mind (Get the Facts on Eating Disorders).

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According to a study published in Social Psychology Quarterly titled, Social
Comparisons, reflected appraisals, and mass media: The impact of pervasive beauty images on
black and white girls' self-concepts, by M.A. Milkie, the social comparison theory can
contribute to an explanation as to why media advertisements impact the way women feel about
their bodies (Serdar, Female Body Image) Through several examinations on how individuals
evaluate themselves, they found that people compare themselves on different levels with similar
individuals (Serdar, Female Body Image). They also found that media advertisements are most
commonly seen as a form of upward social comparison because they use the images in media as
a standard for what they hope to achieve (Serdar, Female Body Image). This new, unhealthy
view on life leads to body dissatisfaction, which is a term people use to express how their
physical appearance does not match up to their expectations, which also contributes to the
development of psychological disorders (Kovar, Effects of the Media on Body Image). One
important aspect of media advertisements the younger demographics should consider is
Photoshop. The media employs Photoshop as well as other possible manipulation tools to create
a more appealing version of the, already thin, model. Therefore, the media is literally creating
a standard of beautiful that does not exist, an unachievable standard (Body Image Advertising
and Magazines).
The media needs to realize the major impact they have on their viewers, viewers as young
as five years old. We need to put a stop to these misrepresentations of the human body as its
effect on the younger demographics lead to the development of eating disorders with high
mortality rates. There are several organizations that agree with the stance we have argued here
and not only support it, but also have developed campaigns to let people know that there is no
single standard of beautiful. For example, Dove has created a series of campaigns starring real,

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beautiful women showcasing real bodies, in the hope that women will begin to look at
themselves in a more positive light and feel beautiful (Kraft, The Effects of Advertisements). If
we explore the past, specifically the 1950s, we will find that mannequins were designed to
imitate the measurements of average women, an accurate representation, compared to the
mannequins created today, which decrease in hip measurements each year (Infographic: Eating
Disorders and the Media). Looking at the big picture, we must emphasize that health is
important. However, it is important to recognize the right way to be healthy, a value that many
people feel is important. The steps that are needed to be healthy include eating the right foods,
setting a reasonable meal portion, exercising on a daily basis, etc. This is the right way to lose
weight, if wanted. This is the right way to achieve what you personally want to achieve. Even
though, it may take longer than desired and requires a lot of discipline, there are no side effects,
no long term consequences, etc. Overall, the media must improve their campaigning techniques
and recognize the effects they have on the younger demographics and make an effort to promote
the value of a healthy lifestyle, instead of simply a thin lifestyle.

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Works Cited
"Body Image Advertising and Magazines." MediaSmarts. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.
"Get The Facts On Eating Disorders." National Eating Disorder Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 7
Dec. 2014.
"INFOGRAPHIC: Eating Disorders and the Media." Radar Programs. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec.
2014.
Kraft, Amy. "The Effect of Advertisements on Body Image,." Womens studies jmu. N.p., n.d.
Web. 7 Dec. 2014.
Kovar, Allie. Effects of Media on Body Image." Health Psychology Home Page. N.p., 30 Apr.
2009. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.
"Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders | National Eating Disorders Association." National
Eating Disorders Association. N.p., 6 Dec. 2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.
Serdar, Kasey L. "Female Body Image and the Mass Media: Perspectives on How Women
Internalize the Ideal Beauty Standard. The Myriad: Westminster's Undergraduate
Academic Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.
"Teen and Young Adult Internet Use." Pew Research Center RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.

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