Pressure on body image by

media
Maha Al-Kuwari 11C
 Definitions
Body image: “Body image is psychological in nature. It is
influenced by your self-esteem and self-worth and it in
turn, influences your self-esteem and self-worth. It is how
you perceive your physical body and how you feel others
perceive it. It is not based on the truth, but in what you see
as the truth”.

Media: “the means of communication that reach or

influence people widely”.

Examples: Television, newspaper, magazines, radio,

advertisements, celebrities on red carpets
 Knowledge issue

To what extent does media affect pressure on

a female’s body image?
 Introduction
Body image and media

Glamorizing skinny models

The American research group Anorexia Nervosa & Related

Eating Disorders, Inc. -- one out of every four college-aged
women uses unhealthy methods of weight control

Canadian Women's Health Network weight control measures are

now being taken by girls as young as 5 and 6

Teen magazine: 90% of women are dissatisfied with their

appearance in some way
 Ways of knowing
Perception of what a body should look like due to all the
media (manipulation of the media to what is “good” and
“bad”)

Example: Changing people’s perception of good and bad

using advertisements.

Reasons why girls should look that way

Pressure effecting emotions causes unhealthy ways

Ethics in the pressure of being skinny

The media’s way of manipulation
1. Persuade us that wrong eating habits are “normal” (Change
perception and ethics of media)

2. Media can create anxieties about being deprived if we don’t have

what “everyone else” is having” (Change perception)

3. Presents us with an idealized shape which is invested with attributes

of being attractive, desirable, successful and loveable but which is
unachievable without resorting to sinister or dangerous eating habits.
(Ethics)

4. Perpetuates the feeling in people who do not have the ideal shape
that their life would be fine if they were slim. (Change in perception)
 Pressured perspective
(Related to perception)

Negative

“I want to lose weight no matter what the cost is”

“Being very skinny looks better” – Personal example

“Why don’t I look like the models?”

Positive

I want to lose weight the healthy way

I want to be as healthy as “her”

Teenagers are in need of healthy role models

 Magazines perspective
(Related to ethics)

Negative

“This is good for business no matter what the consequences are”

“People will buy our magazine if it shows

them how to lose weight”

 Magazine’s perspective
Positive

“We need to teach them how to lose weight the healthy way”

Healthy eating habits, healthy exercises.

 Parent’s perspective
Against the magazine

“Children should not be influenced this way”

“This is extremely unhealthy”

“Magazines shouldn't’t be advertising themselves by the cost of

my Childs health”

With the magazine

“Teenagers should lose weight”

“Even if its unhealthy, it looks better”

 A celebrities perspective
Pressured to stay thin

Example: Portia de Rossi and Mary-Kate Olsen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJMDDQFL3ro

(3:00) – Very graphic and detailed

(6:41) - Personal example of everyone dieting

However, some celebrities lose weight the healthy way.

A man from Uganda’s perspective

“I only like bigger women”

Example: On Oprah, there was a clip including men from

Uganda. They prefer bigger women to get married to (not
getting influenced by the media at all) and women were kept in
huts and didn't’t move at all (only drank milk) to gain weight to
get married.

Resulting in health problems.

 My opinion/perspective
Related to my daily life

Get influenced by media but not to an extent where I diet

I am sometimes not satisfied with my body

I don’t agree with magazines that use body image and dieting
tips just to sell their magazine

Feelings and thoughts- unfair, sad, heartbreaking, annoyed.

 Real life problems
Physical problems:

Eating disorders, could lead to unhealthy dieting and exercising.

Severe dieting could lead to death.

Social problems:

Self conscious, no confidence therefore could have a toll on school

and social life.
 Is it ethical for media to pressure
teenagers to lose weight?
Yes– helps with their health and could give healthy tips on
dieting and exercising

No– could affect them to an extent that they hurt themselves and
by taking it too far.

My personal opinion: No.

 Bibliography
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/30/kardashian-magazine-
cover_n_589467.html#s93500

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/30/kardashian-magazine-
cover_n_589467.html#s93494

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/30/kardashian-magazine-
cover_n_589467.html#s93493

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/30/kardashian-magazine-
cover_n_589467.html#s93490

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/30/kardashian-magazine-
cover_n_589467.html#s93506

http://www.eating-disorders.org.uk/media-and-eating-disorders.html

http://parentingteens.about.com/od/bodyimage/f/media_bodyimage.htm