Body Image Psychology

In Cindy Pierce’s article, “How Objectifying Social Media Affects Girl’s Body Image More Than You Think,” she argues that society controls how girls and women see themselves, and this will not be solved until they stop caring what other people think. Things celebrities and people we know post online make girls feel inadequate to the standards of others and in effect makes them unhappy with what they look like. Pressure is starting to build on girls at an early age and into adult hood to reach this standard of beauty set by social media. The only way to escape this feeling of being unworthy or less than the ladies in magazines is to become numb to the idea that women are not good enough. Women in magazines are photoshopped to sell products to help women reach the standard the internet has set.

Body image is defined as perceptions, feelings, and behavior toward one’s body (Common Sense Media P13).There is an unrealistic body misconception of being “flawless” like celebrities that make teens want to modify their bodies. This refers to the exposure to increased media through the years; Media is contributing to dangerous behaviors that include but are not limited to: cyber bullying, unhealthy eating habits and self-harming. Communication is critical to humans. The most common communication tool now is the Internet.

Have you ever looked at an image on Social Media, seen a movie, commercial, or show and looked at yourself and felt ashamed or unsatisfied. Many women around the world have struggled with their weight and how others see them. Media images of ridiculously thin women are everywhere – television shows, movies, popular magazines. The Media often glamorizes a very thin body for women. These are also the pictures that are being shown to teenagers at a time of their lives that they are particularly susceptible to peer pressure and looking good(Tabitha Farrar).

Research Question How is the media influencing body image perceived through the woman's mind? What age group is it targeting the most? Is there any media or advertising trying to make a positive change?

But, research is increasingly clear that media does indeed contribute and that exposure to and pressure exerted by media increase body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. It is hard to evaluate the relationship between the media and eating disorder without considering the multi faceted impact of media messages on body size, on food consumption, on the desirability of certain foods and their consequent consumption, and other matters relating to personal identity and status. It confers hidden meanings on food – nostalgia, sexiness, being a good housewife and mother, rewarding oneself, having uninhibited fun etc, and creates unnatural drives for food. The media can persuade us that wrong eating habits are right and natural.

Given these points, the thin and muscular ideal being portrayed through the use of media constantly reminds individuals about how that is a standard that they should meet, leading them to have a negative body image. The idea of body dissatisfaction starts when individuals are very young in today 's society, and is supported by many around the world. Being so accessible to the media allows individuals to become more vulnerable to viewing images of celebrities that will affect them in a negative way and will have them wanting to change their appearance, even if that is not how those celebrities really look. Body discontentment has reached a whole new level to where the rate of eating disorders has increased. Individuals commonly compare their

Every day, there are girls who look in the mirror and all they see is fat and ugly. Every day, boys look at themselves and say, “too scrawny”, “to fat”, “not enough muscles”. Every day people starve themselves just to fit into society’s mold of what the perfect person looks like. Every day we see stick thin models and buff male celebrities on television, in advertisements, and in other forms of media. The media influences people all the time to have a negative body image and nobody is doing anything to stop it.

Body image is defined as how you see yourself when you look in the mirror or when you picture yourself in your mind. It encompasses what you believe about your own appearance, how you feel about your body, including height, shape, and weight (What is Body Image). Our bodies are what make us who we are. Every person on this earth has different unique physical traits that make them different from the next person. At the same time, everyone also has an opinion about what “the perfect body” is.

Do you ever wonder if you see what everyone else see when you look in the mirror? Everyone has a different perspective and taste in what they see and like. I do not believe everyone sees the same things, there are way too many different personalities and perspectives in the world for everyone to see and think the same way. Body image is huge in the media and the way people look and judge different people. Since 1980, the public has had media-driven expectations of what men and women look like.

141).” Also, “body dissatisfaction is considered a risk factor for subsequent lower self-esteem, decreased psychological well-being, increased eating disorder symptomatology, dieting behaviors, obesity, and depression (Ricciardelli and Mccabe, 2001a; Smolak, 2004; Smolak and Levine, 2001) (Dohnt & Tiggemann, 2006, p.141. Although, media repeatedly presents images of an unrealistically thin ideal; they also provide information on ways to accomplish this ideal

91% of women are unhappy with their bodies. 5% of women naturally possess the bodies that are regularly displayed in the media. 80% of ten year old girls in america fear getting fat. 7 in 10 girls believe they are not good enough. As a result of my research I found that the body standard the media sets for adolescents leads to disorders, Suicide and self loathing.

A young woman’s self esteem can be single handedly influenced by her body image. “As studies show, looking at fashion magazines for just three minutes lowers the self -esteem of over 80% of women” states Dr Susie Orbach. It is most common for women all ages to see themselves larger than they actually are. Only 1 in every 5 women are satisfied with their body weight and the way they look. Body image is a complicated aspect of the self-concept that concerns an individual 's perceptions and feelings about their body and physical appearance states Cash & Pruzinsky.

Although people may think that body image is what others think of themselves it is simply an individual's thoughts, feelings, sensations, and behavior towards their own body. Many teen girls who

Current Effects of Body Image in Women living in the United States Body image reflects the way individuals view themselves in the mirror. It also includes assumptions and generalizations they have about themselves. Factors such as society, environment, friends, family, and experiences have a significant impact on this human nature. Many individuals suffer from the consequences of body image disturbances; however, young girls and women tend to be most at risk for developing detrimental attitudes toward their body. They are also extremely susceptible to social pressure and media images.

Body image has been a topic in today's society that has been widely discussed. Body image takes place no matter the gender, race, or even age. Body image can influence a person's life as silly it may seem since usually, the people who are not experiencing this issue see it as nonexistent. But today I want to talk about how the yet “body image” has affected my life. And yes body image has been in my life since childhood, later transition to my teenage years, and it still affects me to this day.