Society’s Influence and Perception of Body Image and Appearance 1

Society’s Influence and Perception of

Body Image and Appearance

Corinn L. Grillot

The University of Southern Mississippi

Society’s Influence and Perception of Body Image and Appearance 2

Abstract

It is no secret that the media heavily scrutinizes “pin thin” celebrities. In that respect, we

must also admit the immense public concern that is derived from celebrities with eating

disorders. At a very young age, Americans are subjected to what is considered beautiful

through television, billboards, and of course the lives of the rich and famous. The ideal

depiction that is offered by the media is clearly unrealistic; leading some people to argue that

this subjection and influence helps develop unrealistic expectations and desires among men

and women thus, causes body dissatisfaction (Holmstrom, 2004).

Many researchers claim that media have an effect on body image (Hofschire &

Greenberg, 2002). It is from this realization that this study takes place; the purpose of this

study is to investigate the actual relationship between body image and the influence of our

society. This study also accounts for the amount of exposure of the media’s ideals and the

type of exposure being used. It also aids the early detection of our society’s growing

epidemic of body dysmorphia. It is ever apparent that our society is very interested in the

media and the lives of celebrities, which is why this study holds a great amount of

significance. This study also proves importance through providing a relative connection

between the desires that a person hopes to attain and an unobtainable goal. The benefits of

this study will hopefully offer some explanation to the influence of media’s definition of

beauty and the person hoping for classification in that specific ranking. In addition, this study

may also offer reasoning behind premature body dissatisfaction in adolescence. This study

cumulates results of various researches that have examined the correlation between media

exposure and body image.

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Media’s Effect on Body Image

The increasing popularity of body dissatisfaction amongst young men and women has

led to speculation about its origin. The most prominent theory surrounding this evident

problem is that the media’s constant depiction of extremely thin women leads women to

believe they should try to meet this ideal. In the same respect, the media’s influence of an

attractive and fit male is also believed to have a negative effect on men (Holmstrom, 2004).

In fact, studies show that in recent years men have been spending more money than ever

before on products that are typically classified as feminine; this reinforces the fact women

are not the only target when pertaining to the influence of the media. In that same respect, the

average American woman is a size 8 or larger which is quite different from the average

model that fits into a size zero (Clay, D., Vignoles, V., & Dittmar, H., 2005). It is the very

claim that the media can provoke body dissatisfaction that has led many researchers to

speculate whether this relationship actually exists and the severity of that relationship.

Unfortunately, the results of studies that should help clarify this issue have been nothing but

refutable. Instead of a collective product, the findings of previous research are widely

distributed, and while most studies often share similar results, others provide new

information that does not support previous results whatsoever. While some researchers

declare that media have an affect on young men and women’s body image, (Harrison &

Cantor, 1997) other studies provide reason to believe likewise. Those studies instead have

come to contradictory conclusions. For instance, results of studies by Myers and Biocca

(1992) have indicated that rather than causing an increase in body dissatisfaction, media

promotes positive body attitudes in young women and young men. There are also some
Society’s Influence and Perception of Body Image and Appearance 4

studies that claim that no relationship exists between media and body image (Stice, 2003).

This literature review will consist of all of the various outcomes that I previously discussed.

Regardless of the reality that it is hardly controversial to state that our society has an

unhealthy obsession with images of beauty, good looks and the idea of perfection; some research

still argues that the persuasion of media has no affect on body image. In a recent study aimed at

tracing the development and alteration of body image in adolescent girls over a one year time

period, the researcher concluded that while there was evidence that supported a correlation

between body image and media exposure, there was no change in body image. The research did

however admit a discovery in awareness of the media’s ideals, thus contributing to an influence.

The results concluded that no media exposure variable predicted change in any of the measures

which were tested and this led the researcher to believe that there was no relationship between

media exposure and body dissatisfaction.

The study that was conducted contained 214 high school girls which were selected and

questioned using a survey in order to establish the association between media exposure and body

image disturbance. The questionnaire included measures such as appearance ideals, appearance

schemas, body dissatisfaction, and drive for thinness. The girls were asked about the magazines

they had read in the last few months, and to list the magazines that had been read. They also

rated the frequency of magazine reading, which served as the measure of exposure to ideal

images. The girls did the same for television viewing. Then exactly one year later, the same girls

were questioned yet again on the same measures, using current magazines and television

viewing.

Body dissatisfaction was assessed by the Figure Rating Scale of Fallon and Rozin (1985)

which presents nine silhouette figure drawings ranging from very thin to very fat. Participants
Society’s Influence and Perception of Body Image and Appearance 5

were asked to indicate by choosing a number (including intermediate numbers) the figure that

approximated their current figure and the one they would like to look like (Tiggeman,M., 2006).

Body dissatisfaction was then calculated as the discrepancy between current and ideal figure

ratings.

Unlike the study previously discussed the next study that is addressed found results

which had neither a negative or positive influence on body image. Instead, these findings

remained neutral in outcome. Just like most studies, this research was able to link the pressures

provided by the media to participants’ body image. However, that connection was not proven to

be harmful or beneficial. When faced with a threat to the self, individuals, particularly those high

in self-esteem, often employ self enhancement strategies, or techniques to feel better about

themselves (Gurari, I., Hetts, J., & Stube, M., 2006). Having researched this topic thoroughly,

the researcher achieved what he expected, which was to see little or no change in the effect of

body dissatisfaction, change in eating habits and eating disorders.

This study was designed to explore the resistance of change. In order to investigate

potentially negative influences of media images of idealized beauty, the researcher of this study

chose to test not only implicit body image, but also explicit body image. By testing both

elements, the researcher achieved a better grasp on information regarding resistance of change.

The chosen participants were exposed to either images which were not related to beauty

whatsoever or images that included idealized beauty. After viewing the images, the participants

were questioned on both implicit and explicit body image using a survey including three

categories: attractiveness, intelligence, and finally positivity. In the conclusion of research the

author does point out that the lack or reliability of self-report from the participants because they
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were not monitored when they read selected magazines. This important detail could potentially

spark further investigations and reveal a glitch in the study.

Discussion

In 2003, Stice admitted that his study’s results were not expected, but revealed that while

body dissatisfaction did increase as a result of peer pressure it wasn’t necessarily negative in its

effect. The results also show that when exposed to idealized images of models, the participants’

explicit body images were unaltered whereas their implicit body images were lowered. This

research embodies a different form of investigation; instead of examining the effects which the

media may have on body image this study observes the social pressure to be thin. In doing so, the

researcher randomly assigned young women to another individual who voiced how unhappy she

was with her body and how fat she felt. In another group, the participants were subjected to a girl

that discussed a more neutral topic.

Similarly, Clay informs us that because of the vulnerability and exposure found in

adolescence, there is a greater percentage of body dissatisfaction. It is because they are not

satisfied with their body image that their self esteem is affected and thus lowered. The

relationship between body dissatisfaction and lowered self esteem due to the influence of society

and the media is tested in this study. This study conducted an experiment using 136 girls ranging

in age from 11 to 16. This experiment exposed the young girls to images of an ultra-thin and

“average” sized model. The researcher was careful in using various models because of the

influence that a girl’s on ideal of attractiveness could have on the results. Instead, they used the

same image of the chosen model and digitally enhanced weight to create a more “average” sized

model. The results of this experiment show that viewing both ultra-thin and “average” sized

models led to body dissatisfaction and consequently self esteem. It is also discovered that self
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esteem and body dissatisfaction was found lower in the older participants of the study. The

researcher explains that this is due to the fact that the older participants have a greater and more

profound awareness and internalization of society’s ideals towards “beauty.”

According to Posavac, the belief that the media contributes to the concern with physical

unhappiness is one that could be argued. Posavac does however explain that media exposure

does affect women’s weight concern in general. The researcher approached this study with hopes

in discovering a neutral outcome in women’s body images when showing images of realistic

attractiveness. In order to do so, the researcher conducted three experiments. The first

experiment involved 136 participants to measure body dissatisfaction prior to being exposed of

any images. The second study tested the potential increase of weight concern when exposed to

images of thin models. The third experiment strictly tested the personal preferences of the

women as consumers. The results of the study clearly indicate the effect of weight concern that

the women experienced when exposed to images in the media.

In 2006, Watson conducted a study investigating the effects of media literacy and its’

potential affects on ideals and body image among women. The experiment consists of three

different types of exposure to females. The Fifty-four women were assigned to one of the three

conditions including: a video only condition, a short-term single session intervention, and a long-

term multi-session intervention. The main object of this study was to test if one’s body

dissatisfaction would decrease through watching a movie that depicts women that have suffered

from eating disorders due to the influence of media and an open discussion after the viewing.

The study shows that there was indeed a more significant decrease in women’s body

dissatisfaction in the long term multi-session than in the other two conditions tested.
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As Agliata illustrates in his 2004 research, this negative influence is not biased to the

female gender. Instead of focusing on the negative influence that the media has on women’s

body image, this particular study focused on the harmful impact that the media has on men. The

researcher notes that this study was conducted because there is little information about the

influence on men. Agliata conducted a study using 158 males and exposed them to various

advertisement plugs including both ideal male images and neutral images. The researcher was

careful in mixing a variety of these segments so more accurate results could be uncovered. Those

results determined a substantial increase in muscle dissatisfaction and depression to the men who

were exposed to the images of the ideal body type. The researcher also mentions that the results

were not conducive to the results found in previous research.

Comparably, Cusumano performed a study in 2001 which tested the relationship between

both adolescent boys and girls and the manipulation that media can have on multiple components

of body image. The ages of the participants ranged from 8-11. The ages of the participants were

vital because the researcher wanted to gain results from the most influenced age group. The

participants consisted of 75 boys and 107 girls. They were asked to evaluate five different facets

of media influence. The results revealed that while there was an increase in negative outcome in

both boys and girls; the outcome was greater in all five facets among girls. The most profound

discovery in my opinion was uncovered when the researcher included that the results served as a

risk factor for disturbances in body image and development of eating disorders.
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References

Agliata, D., & Tantleff-Dunn, S. (2004). The impact of media exposure on males’ body image.

Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology, 23(1), 7-22.

Clay, D., Vignoles, V., & Dittmar, H. (2005). Body image and self-esteen among adolescent

girls: testing the influence of sociocultural factors. Journal of Research on Adolescence

(Blackwell Publishing Limited), 15(4), 451-477.

Cusumano, D., & Thompson, J. (2001). Media influence and body image in 8-11-year-old boys

and girls: a preliminary report on the multidimensional media influence scale.

International Journal of Eating Disorders, 29(1), 37-44.

Field, A., Camargo, C., Taylor, C., Berkey, C., Roberts, S., & Colditz, G. (2001). Peer-parent,

and media influences on the development of weight concerns and frequent dieting among

preadolescent and adolescent girls and boys. Pediatrics, 107(1), 54.

Gurari, I., Hetts, J., & Strube, M. (2006). Beauty in the I of the beholder: effects of idealized

media portrayals on implicit self-image. Basic & Applied Social Psychology, 28(3), 273-

282.

Harrison, K. & Cantor, J. (1997). The relationship between media consumption and eating

disorders. Journal of Communication, 47(1), 40-67.

Hofschire, L. & Greenberg, B. (2002). Media’s impact on adolescents’ body dissatisfaction.

In J. Brown and J. Steele (Eds.), Sexual teens, sexual media: Investigating media’s

influence on adolescent sexuality (pp. 125-149). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Holmstrom, A. J. (2004). The effects of the media on body image: a meta-analysis. Journal of

Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 48(2), 196-217.

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Monro, F., & Huon, G. (2005, July). Media-portrayed idealized images, body shame, and

appearance anxiety. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 38(1), 85-90. Retrieved

March 26, 2008.

Myers, P.N., & Biocca, F.A. (1992). The elastic body image: The effect of television advertising

and programming on body image distortions in young women. Journal of

Communication, 42(3), 108-133.

Posavac, H., Posavac, S., & Posavac, E. (1998, February). Exposure to media images of female

attractiveness and concern with body weight among young women. Sex Roles, 38(3/4),

187-201. Retrieved March 27, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database.

Stice, E., Maxfield, J., & Wells, T. (2003, July). Adverse effects of social pressure to be thin on

young women: an experimental investigation of the effects of fat talk. International

Journal of Eating Disorders, 34(1), 108-117. Retrieved March 27, 2008, from Academic

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Tiggemann, M. (2006, May). The role of media exposure in adolescent girls’ body

dissatisfaction and drive for thinness: prospective results. Journal of Social & Clinical

Psychology, 25(5), 523-541. Retrieved March 26, 2008, from Academic Search Premier

database.
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Watson, R., & Vaughn, L. (2006, October). Limiting the effects of the media on body image:

does the length of a media literacy intervention make a difference?. Eating Disorders,

14(5), 385-400. Retrieved March 27, 2008.

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