Female Body Image and the Mass Media

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Ashley Sinopoli Marci Eannarino English 111 (TR 1-2:15) Research Paper Female Body Image and The Mass Media Female Body image is a complicated aspect of the self-concept that concerns an individual's perceptions and feelings about their body and physical appearance. Body image discontent affects every woman in some way in today’s culture. The more society pushes the mass media “body image,” the skinny, blonde, beautiful woman, the more female’s will have an even harder time really getting to the “ideal” body image they see in the media, and strife to become. There are many different perspectives that can be used to explain why and how women internalize the thin ideal. Social comparison has become one of the strongest theories as to why women are finding themselves overwhelmed or having trouble getting to the “thin ideal” they see in the media. It is near impossible to reach the media’s view, because it always seems to be too perfect. The mass media is very powerful and has played into women’s perception on reality, the cultural structure, and the “ideal image.” Many studies have verified that one’s view of their appearance can have a powerful impact on a woman’s development and psychosocial experiences (Serdar). Researchers have found that body dissatisfaction is correlated with other forms of psychological impairment. Not surprisingly, disturbed body image is one of the main precursors for disordered eating and dieting in adolescent and young adult girls. The prominence of dieting and eating patterns has become an increasingly prevalent concern in adolescent and young adult populations; research has shown that around two-thirds of adolescent females report dieting at some point. Further, studies have shown that body dissatisfaction surpasses actual body mass as the most powerful risk factor for the development of dieting and disordered eating. It is truly
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