What the Media is Getting Wrong (and Right) About Body Image | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

What the Media is Getting Wrong (and Right) About Body Image

The way you feel about your body should not be influenced by Photoshop.

147
What the Media is Getting Wrong (and Right) About Body Image
Tumblr

Sir Mix-a-Lot isn’t interested unless your hip to waist ratio is 36-24-36. Meghan Trainor claims that men prefer women with a little more bass. And YouTuber Nicole Arbour is 100% behind fat shaming. While these messages might be mixed, they have one common effect on large portions of their consumers: your body is not enough to please society.

These messages can be traced back to images in the media that have become popularized: the skinny, happy woman with an ass and the macho, thin man who only cares about what workouts he’ll be doing tomorrow. The thin ideal is the idea that thinness is desirable while “fatness” is deplorable, and it’s been around for so long that it has been internalized (become accepted as a norm) in today’s society.

The internalization of the thin ideal causes body dissatisfaction, which can lead to major behavioral outcomes such as eating disorders, plastic surgery, and steroid use. While most girls and women are dissatisfied with some aspect of their physical appearance, a good amount of men also feel the same way. There are differences, though, in the way each gender is introduced to and deals with their body dissatisfaction.

The media often applaud women for any kind of weight loss, and (according to a Fouts & Burggraf study), for women, being heavier is often associated with punishment by men in the media. For instance, a season five Thanksgiving episode of Friends (The One With the Thanksgiving Flashbacks) shows a heavier Monica being made fun of for her weight.

Along with the punishment for being heavy and praise for being skinny, the use of Photoshop on women in the media has largely been ignored until recently, making consumers believe that the bodies of models actually exist. Women often compare their bodies to the fake ones that they see in the media, once again leading to body dissatisfaction.

Men are often ignored in discussions about body image, but they are just as affected by media as women. Men in the media are depicted as incredibly buff, thin action figures. Recently, male body image concerns have increased dramatically. (For instance, in the past three decades, body dissatisfaction among men has increased from 15 percent to 43 percent) And while the media tells women to only be largely concerned with their weight and the size of their butts, men are told to worry about their weight, body shape, and strength.

Men are also often influenced by athletics – particularly the sports that emphasize appearance, weight requirements, and muscularity; and that focus on the individual rather than the team. Within men’s athletics, there is an overvalued belief that lower body weight is equal to improved performance. A huge problem with body dissatisfaction and behavioral outcomes among men is that they are much less likely to seek help with eating disorders.


Luckily, though, there is hope for the future. Body positive movements have started to become mainstream, focusing on different body types, un-retouched women, and more on how the body feels than what it looks like. The next step for this movement is undoubtedly a focus on the different body types of men. If the media continue to move in this direction, perhaps the internalization of the thin ideal will eventually disappear.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Relationships

The Unwritten Rules Of "Talking"

What is "talking?" How does one "talk?"

4372
girl holding phone
NYCPRGIRLS

Now that it seems “talking” is the new way to date, and will stay that way until another idiotic term is used to describe the people who can’t settle down and just date someone, I feel as if it’s time to go over the unwritten rules of “talking.”

Rule 1. Having feeling without feeling.

Keep Reading...Show less
The Stages of Having FOMO in College
iamthatgirl.com

Are you one of those people that gets super upset when you miss out on anything? Well, you may have FOMO, or fear of missing out. In college it’s not hard to experience FOMO every once in a while. You just love doing everything and anything, so hen you have to miss out on something it's the worst possible thing in your mind. Whether you’re sick, have to work, or have so much work to do you could cry – FOMO will hit you hard in college.

Keep Reading...Show less
Vivien Leigh
Revelist

I've lived a whole 21 years with an RBF (Resting Bitch Face), so naturally, I go through most of these struggles on a daily basis.

And before you ask, yes I'm fine. No, I'm not mad. This is just my face, so take it or leave it! To those of you who have been #blessed with an RBF, you'll probably relate to these more than you'd like to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Iconic Duos: Timeless Legends

From Luke and Leia to Beyonce's twins...

774765
Luke and Leia from Star Wars, a iconic duo
Lucasfilm

“Name a more iconic duo... I'll wait." OK, well, if you insist. In no particular order, here's a list of 100 iconic duos that seem to be timeless.

SEE MORE: This Is The ICONIC Disney Sidekick You Are To Your BFF, According To Your Zodiac Sign

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

A Candid Letter to My Best Friends Ex

Because this is the real form of torture you deserve.

1262
middle finger
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

What's up Asshat,

I've composed a list of things that I wish upon you, and they're harsh and cruel. These things are things that I wouldn't wish upon my worst of enemies, not even that Starbuck's barista who always screws up my order, not even him. You fall into a whole other category of hate. You surpass Starbucks barista. Congratulations, I'm actually a pretty nice person, making you worthy of every single bit of torture I wish upon you. What are these things I wish upon you you might ask?

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments