How Does the Media Affect Teenage Girls Perception of Body Image? Essay Example

Summary _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Pg Bibliography _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Pg Appendices _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Pg Abstract This project was associated with body image and the media. A number of articles have suggested that the media do influence how teenage girls see themselves. The purpose of this report is to determine what the affect of the media has on the perception of body image in teenage girls. It contains the appropriate information and evidence concerning the issue of body image.

The report focuses on the role of the media and its responsibilities. It also explores the deadly illnesses of Anorexia – Nervosa and Bulimia – Nervosa. The report also takes into account types of advertisements that the media disclose to society. It is believed that the media are the people that affect teenage girls of today about body image and beauty. The project consists of a total of 100 surveys. The surveys were handed to teenage girls starting from the age of 13 and the oldest of the girls surveyed were aged 18. The survey consisted of 10 multiple-choice questions. The report consists of 10 literature reviews that were found using the Internet, books and magazines.

Through these methodologies and collecting secondary research it has been possible to

investigate the question, “How does the media affect teenage girls perception of body image? ” Acknowledgements Throughout this task there have been a number of sources that have supported and guided me to complete my set report. I would like to thank the following people: Thank you to all the students of Good Samaritan Catholic College who took time to complete surveys in order for me to complete my report. Thank you to my teachers Mrs. Peterson and Mrs. Tolomeo for their advice and direction throughout the task Thank you to my mother for her constant encouragement throughout my entire assignment

Thank you to my tutor for her constant supervision and direction throughout the task. Body of Report Introduction [1]Women have always been expected to change their shape to suit the fashion of the day. Today, more than at any other time in history, women are expected to be thin. Over the last decade, the media has affected the perception of teenage girls’ body image to that point that it has now become a major issue. Body image can be referred to as a mental picture of your own physical appearance. Body image could refer to the shape, size and weight of our bodies. It can even come down to the colour of our skin. The teenage girls in today’s society are constantly exposed to pictures of teenage odels and celebrities on television, billboards or magazines. The models and celebrities in most of the advertisements are evidently underweight. [2]In fact, today's models generally weigh 23% less then the average woman. By the media publishing photos of underweight models it is emphasising the idea of being thin

as being beautiful. The media has a responsibility to know the difference between what is acceptable and unacceptable body image although the media continue to disclose images of these underweight models and celebrities to the teenage girls in today’s society. The media don’t solely use celebrities to entice teenage girls to lose weight.

They also use simple advertisements such as selling weight loss machines, free membership into fitness clubs and publishing diets on television, in magazines and on the Internet. The media continue to promote images of underweight models because they gain money from the process. The media is a business who publishes articles and images of celebrities who are underweight and overweight which therefore influences us about our body image. Literature Review In order to interpret how the media affects the perception of body image in teenage girls, research must be completed through using a variety of different sources. I undertook my research by using different data bases including Google, Yahoo and Ask Jeeves and Mamma.

Into these data bases I typed the following search commands, the media and body image, body image and teenage girls, media influence on body image, media affect on body image, media influence on girls appearance as well as many others. In conjunction with using Internet databases I found articles from newspapers and magazines using my own collection and also the supply from my local library. In full my search yielded a total of 15 articles, many of these articles were on body image, self esteem, the public’s perception of a healthy body image and the Medias image of perfection, my report looks at whether the media influences body image in

young girls. Many of the articles I found supported/contradicted this. Of the 15 articles that were found I have chosen to analyse 10 in depth.

Many of the articles that were found were personal opinions, actual statistics and realm life stories. Article One “The burden of treating girls' bodies as the enemy” Danielle Miller January 29th 2008 This is an article that was found on the internet, which in many ways relates to my report. It reinforces the fact that body image issues and eating disorders affect both sexes but are more common in adolescent girls. It explains the diets that the Hollywood celebrities take on. [3]“Stars reportedly swap real meals for baby food as it is lower in kilojoules, high in protein, and comes in small servings. ” This article identifies the negative side of dieting and tells us that dieting does not work.

This is an important piece of information which could be included in my report for the reason that the media advertises weight loss programs and diets that can reportedly help lose weight fast and still remain healthy. The article outlines the deadly diseases of anorexia – nervosa and bulimia nervosa which also relate to my topic because teenage girls in today’s society are influenced by models to look like them. This means to lose weight to the extent that they are diagnosed with anorexia or bulimia. Article Two “The Great Weight Debate” Girlfriend Magazine Issue July 2007 The article named above is useful and relates to my report in the way that it contains opinions from the general public about banning underweight models.

The opinions of the public are helpful to utilise in

my report for the reason that it shows how the media has made the right choice in publishing acceptable material in conjunction with body image. [4]“Young girls see these skinny models and try to attain the media’s idea of ‘the perfect body’, which isn’t realistic. It should be about promoting healthy bodies. ” This quote from the article is a prime example of how the media influences teenage girls to lose weight and attain ‘the perfect body’ although the perfect body doesn’t exist. Article Three “Hils Felt Pressure to Be Thin” 11 April 2006 Girlfriend Website This article shows how Hilary Duff admitted to the public that the reason she lost a visible amount of weight was because she felt pressure from the media. I did get skinny; I’ve felt that pressure like everyone else in my position. When a newspaper comes out that says 'Duff Puff - she must have gained 15 pounds' or something like that, how would any normal person react? This article is a great example of how the media pressures and influences teenagers to lose weight and see their bodies in a totally different perspective. When this article was published Hilary Duff was 19 years of age and fit in the age bracket that is currently been studied in this report. Article 4 The Media’s Image of Perfection 1st March 2008 Brittany Coughlan This blog discusses how the media make people feel like they are never good enough.

The blog relates to my report question for the reason that it talks about the way the media target themselves at women and teenage girls. [5]Women are basically forced to watch beautiful skinny

girls on TV, and see them in magazines. The people in today’s society wouldn’t know what a healthy body image is because the media never seem to reveal to people what a healthy body image is. They mainly focus on who is underweight and who is overweight. [6]The thing with the media is there is no right size to them. You are either too skinny or you are over weight. Article 5 Fashion Show Fights Bad Body Image Roya Sorrells 27th February 2008 This secondary research is useful relevant as it contains statistics from a survey that was conducted.

The survey was conducted at a modelling show where the models were of a reasonable size. The respondents to this survey were teenage girls. [7]38% of these students agreed that weight and body image affected their self-esteem issues however the other 32% of the students said that they wanted to be thinner. The purpose of sending the students to a modelling show were for the students to leave the show being more confident with their body image in the hope that they realise the ‘perfect’ body doesn’t exist. Other results from the survey that was conducted showed that a majority of the girls wanted to be skinnier and look like the girls on television. Article 6 Beauty and Body Image in the Media Author Unknown 25th February 2008 8]Researches report that women’s magazines have ten and a half more ads and articles promoting weight loss than men’s magazines do and over three quarters of the covers of women’s magazines include at least one message about how to change a woman’s bodily appearance – by diet, exercise or

cosmetic surgery. The website referenced at the bottom of the page, is to inform people about how the media influences and affects teenage girls perception of body image. Article 7 I’ll Have What She’s Having Girlfriend Magazine Issue March 2006 In my survey, the question was asked, who influenced you most about your body image? This article that was found in Girlfriend magazine, in many ways relates to my report. In one section of the article it says, “My friends otally influence what I eat. ” This relates to the question in my survey as the results in the survey say that their peers influenced 70% of the girls that answered the survey. This article talk about how teenage girls are influenced by their peers about what they eat. One of the girls said, “Me and my friend completely stopped eating for a long time. All we used to eat was dinner. ” She then went on to say, “I met a guy and fell in love, he realised I didn’t eat and gave me a talking to, my friend still starves herself. ” This article is a great example of how peers influence each other about body image. Research Methodology Ets Primary Information

The primary research that was used to help in the completion of this report was a survey. The survey contained a total of 10 questions. The reason that the number of questions in the survey was limited was to make sure that the respondents didn’t lose interest. The survey contained simple multiple choice questions and one short answer question. The multiple choice questions were chosen so that the information gathered from the

surveys would be easy to graph. It also asked for the age of the respondent. There was no need for the respondents to specify whether they were male or female because the surveys were only issues to females. The survey was aimed at teenage girls between the age of 13 and 19.

The name of the respondents wasn’t necessary as it wouldn’t have helped in the completion and collection of results. Another reason that there was no question asking for the name of the respondents was because some of them would have liked to keep their answers anonymous. The survey was one of the most efficient sources of collecting data as it was successful and it gives the respondent’s time to think about answers. The surveys were handed out using the system of random sampling. I walked around the school and handed out the surveys to females at random. The people surveyed were of different ages, sizes and ethnicities. Secondary Information In order to gather data on the subject the media and body image in teens, the nternet was a great source of help in the collection of information. Google was a useful search engine. It led me to websites such as www. kidshealth. org, www. mediafamily. org and www. teenagerstoday. com. A substantial amount of articles and information was also found in magazines. These were magazines that I owned and some even from the local library. Girlfriend magazine contained articles about celebrities and their body image issues and it also had personal opinions from the general public. Books were also borrowed from the school library and the local library. Pages from them were photocopied. A

book that I found quite interesting was Results

My survey was issued to 100 girls between the age of 13 and 18 at Good Samaritan Catholic College and also random people from the general public. These respondents that do not attend Good Samaritan Catholic College were relatives and friends. (To see survey please refer to appendix 1. ) In my survey there was a box situated on the top left hand corner that asked for the age of the respondent. The following table shows the age of the respondents. [pic]There were: ? 21 girls aged 13 ? 15 girls aged 14 ? 25 girls aged 15 ? 14 girls aged 16 ? 18 girls aged 17 ? 7 girls aged 18 These girls were picked randomly to participate in the survey. [pic] The first question in the survey asked, do you feel comfortable with your body weight?

The table above shows that 59% of the girls surveyed said yes, they were happy with their body weight and 41% percent said that they were unhappy with their body image. The question then went further on and asked if the answer to the first part was no, then why? The majority of the responses to this question were that they felt that they were too fat and wanted to lose weight, with the occasional respondent saying that they thought they were too underweight. Some of the other answers included “I want to tone my body”, “I have big legs”, “I wish I was tall like a model” and “people at school tease me because I’m fat” [pic] Question two asked, would you like to change anything? The results for

this question were visibly clear. 8% of the girls surveyed said that they were happy with their body and didn’t feel the need to change anything. On the other hand the remaining 32% said that they were unhappy and would like to change some things. Some of the respondents even recorded what it was that they wanted to change. Some of these included weight, height, and skin colour. [pic] Do the media influence you to lose weight? The pie chart above shows the results in conjunction with question three. It explains that 54% of the total 100 girls that were surveyed were influenced by the media to lose weight leaving 46% of the girls to say that they were not influenced at all by the media to lose weight. [pic] Question five asked, does the way you look effect your self – esteem?

In this question 72% of the girls surveyed said that the way they looked did affect their self esteem. That left 28% of the girls who answered to survey with an answer of no. This graph shows that many of the people who took part in the survey felt that the way they looked affected the self-esteem and this is a major problem. [pic] The results in this graph show that 69% of the girls do not compare themselves to teenage models in magazine. That leaves 31% remaining. The remaining 31% compare themselves to teenage models. The results tell us that models are not an influence on girls between the age of 13 and 18. [pic] The pie chart above indicates that the media does have the majority of influence over teenage girls

and their body image.

The results show that 54% of the girls were not influenced by the media about body image, therefore leaving 46% of the girls influenced. [pic] This graph shows that out of the total 100 girls surveyed, 70% of the girls said their peers were the most influential about body image. The second most influential group were models at 17% which was closely followed by actresses at 13%. [pic] The pie chart above displays the results from question eight. The majority of girls that answered question eight said that they were not influenced at all by television ads about losing weight. This was closely followed by 30% of the girls who said that they were rarely influenced. 6% of the girls said that they were occasionally influenced by the ads which left 8% of the girls saying that they were very influenced by the television ads. This pie chart shows that compared to the 36% of girls who said that they were not influenced at all by television ads, 64% of them said that they were influenced, whether it was very much, occasionally influenced or rarely influenced. [pic] The column graph above displays they results of question nine from the survey. 53% of the girls that were surveyed said that they had never been on a diet before. This was followed marginally by the remaining 47% who said that they have been on a diet before.

Many of the ways that people could become aware of various diets are through the media. This could include magazines. Some of the magazines in particular that would contain these diets are, super food ideas and healthy eating.

Websites and pop-ups are a way that the media get to promote their diets and one of the other most popular ways that the media promote dieting is through television shows and advertisements. [pic] The results from question nine were recorded and plotted in this graph. The girl’s who answered yes to question nine, which was 47%, were asked to answer another question. This question was, why did you go on a diet? 21% of the respondents said that they went on a diet to lose weight. 0% of the respondents said that the reason they went on a diet was to be healthy and the remaining 6% said that they decided to go on a diet for both reasons. Analysis My hypothesis was that the media has a negative impact on the teenage girls in today’s society. In this research project, I looked at how the media can affect a teenage girl’s perception of body image. The results from this research project confirmed that the media have a huge influence and a negative impact on the teenage girls in today’s society. The media doesn’t only affect a girl’s perception of body image; it can also affect the well being of the individual. These could be factors such as their self-esteem and their self-confidence. The perfect body is an image that most teenage girls in today’s society try to depict.

In order to gather the appropriate information to discover how the media assists in making teenage girls vulnerable to their advertising, research had to take place. This information was found through primary data being my survey. Summary The primary research that was collected by conducting surveys

and secondary research that was collected from the Internet, books and magazines, has shown that the media has the potential to affect and influence the teenage girls in today’s society. It is unknown what factors of advertising makes one teenage girl more vulnerable to the influences of the media. The research showed that the media is one in many different influences. Another one of the influences includes peer pressure.

This project helped in the understanding that the media is a gigantic business that has the power to sway anybody’s mind in any direction that they wish to. I have also noted that the media is not always negative. In the process of my research I came across Dove website which is a site all about promoting positive body image. This site uses real women to advertise their product. Bibliography • www. boredofstudies. org • www. kidshealth. org • www. teenagerstoday. com • www. mediafamily. org ----------------------- [1] Need To Know Eating Disorders, Caroline Warbrick 2003, pg 34 [2] http://parentingteens. about. com/od/bodyimage/f/media_bodyimage. htm [3] http://www. smh. com. u/news/opinion/the-burden-of-treating-girls-bodies-as-the-enemy/2008/01/28/1201369036152. html [4] Girlfriend Magazine, Issue July 2007 [5] http://www. standard-freeholder. com/Blogs/ViewCommunityPage. aspx? BlogID=994 [6] http://www. standard-freeholder. com/Blogs/ViewCommunityPage. aspx? BlogID=994 [7] http://media. www. lsureveille. com/media/storage/paper868/news/2008/02/27/News/Fashion. Show. Fights. Bad. Body. Image-3237167. shtml [8] http://www. media-awareness. ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty. cfm ----------------------- Age of Respondents 7% 18% 14% 25% 15% 21% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 13 14 15 16 17 18 Age Respondents