The Effects of Mass Media

Kirstie Bullock

What is Mass Media?

l Multiple types of
media
communications to
reach a large
audience.
l A given number is
not specified for
receipt of
products, but are
available in
principle to
multiples of
recipients.

Vanity Sizing
What is it?
l The same size
clothing from
previous years will
have smaller
numbers tagged on
them, making them
seem smaller.
l This is very
deceiving because
usually women
dont want to buy
larger clothes
because they are
gaining weight.

Marilyn Monroe
l In the 1950s, she
was roughly a
size 10-12. Some
claim she was a
size 16.
l Women that wear
these sizes, or
sometimes
slightly higher,
rationalize their
sizes because
she is relatable.

Girls
1962
Models

Todays
Models

53

511-6

120-125 lbs

90-120 lbs

Size 8

Size 0-1

Plus Size:
not
specified

Plus size: 8

l In families:
Raised with Barbies
Protected more and taught to be less
independent

l In the media:
Less likely to be leading characters,
although some change is attempted
recently.
Children who have masculine/
androgynous characteristics are likely to
have higher self-esteem

Boys
l Culture makes it hard to
assess boys
insecurities.
l In 2008, a study showed
young men were more
self-conscious about
their bodies.
l Boys try to avoid being
underweight.
l A documentary was
made to provide more
insight for the boys
point of views.
l The Mask You Live In

Movies

TV

Commercials

Magazines

Smart,
Muscular, Sex
Symbols,
Tough, etc.

Statistics from the University of

Colorado
74% of women and girls
like a body weight
10-20% underweight for
their age and height.

35% of occasional
dieters became
pathological dieters

In 1990, girls began

dieting at age 8

They were more

afraid of being fat
than a nuclear war,
cancer or losing their
parents.

Statistics from Purdue University

6% of males have taken
steroids by age 18

30% of men and boys

suffer from anorexia or
bulemia

DoSomething.org
100%

l When a teenager
forms low selfesteem, it
consumes their
every thought and
behavior.
l *The girls with low
self esteem are
reported to engage
in negative activities
such as:
Cutting
Smoking
Bullying
Drinking
Disordered Eating

Attempting to Lose
Weight

90%
80%
70%

Age 15-17 avoid daliy

activities when feeling
bad about their looks

0.75
0.7

Low self esteem*

60%
50%

Depression before
adulthood

0.44
0.38

40%

0.4

Supplement use
30%
0.2

20%
10%
0%

Admitted to
experimenting with
steroids

0.15
0.06
0000
Girls

000
Boys

000

Teens

exercise regularly to
increase muscle mass

l The top wish among all teen

girls is for their parents to
communicate better with them,
including frequent and more
open conversations.
l 7 in 10 girls believe they are
not good enough because of
their looks, performance in
school and relationships with
family and friends.
l A girl's self esteem is more
strongly related to how she
views her own body shape and
weight than how much she
actually weighs.

Works Cited
l "11 Facts About Teens and Self Esteem." 11 Facts About Teens and Self Esteem.
Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
l "Body Image Boys. Media Smarts. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <http://mediasmarts.ca/
body-image/body-image-boys>.
l "Gender Roles and Gender Differences." Gender Roles and Gender Differences.
McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
l "Mass Media." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Apr. 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
l "Teen Body Image Resources - Band Back Together." Band Back Together. Web. 21
Apr. 2015.
l Darden, Kathryn. "Health & Weight: What Is Vanity Sizing?" Examiner.com. 10 Feb.
2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
l Darden, Kathryn. "How Big Was Marilyn Monroe & What Size Dress Did She Wear."
Examiner.com. 10 Feb. 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
l Peeke, Pamela, MD. "Pondering the Plus-Size Phenomenon." WebMD. 24 June
2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.

Pictures Cited
In order of appearance:
l Access To Mass Media. Digital image. Unicef.org. n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
l Steadily Shrinking Sizes. Digital image. Unicef.org. 25 Mar. 2014. Web. 21
Apr. 2015.
l 90's Barbie 00's Barbie. Digital image. Rehabs.com. n.d. Web. 21 Apr.
2015.
l Men's Health Insanity Workout. Digital image. Http://shauntfitness.com/
about/. 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
l Douglas, Marge, and Michele Lynch. Posts Tagged Its a Girl Thing: Body
Image. Digital image. Https://mumszine.wordpress.com/tag/its-a-girl-thingbody-image/. 28 Feb. 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
l Steinkeller, Kit. It's Just as Hard to Be Ken as It Is To Be Barbie. Digital
image. Http://hellogiggles.com/men-body-image/. 4 Feb. 2015. Web. 21
Apr. 2015.
l Dosomething.org screenshot: personal screenshot.