Inaccurate and manipulated media depictions of thin women as the ideal female affect body satisfaction and can result in a negative self-image in women. Similarly, media depictions of masculine bodies as the desired body type in men can also result in a negative self-image in males. The mass media has portrayed the ideal image of “beauty” and “attractiveness” in unrealistic and unhealthy ways, becoming a major contributor to eating disorders.

To counteract these unrealistic images, advertisers could start using images of real women in varying sizes and shapes to show that not all bodies are the same. According to studies in psychology, when women are exposed to images of thin female bodies, their preference for thinness increases. However, being exposed to more normative body images can have the same effect on women, in that their preference for more realistic body types increases.

By having the mass media, especially in advertising, change the images that are currently being used to promote various products, society could reduce the emphasis on weight as the main source of attractiveness, resulting in healthier lifestyles and reduced body dissatisfaction. There are companies in the US that have started to do this, such as Dove, and there are several body-positive movements that promote self-acceptance and self-respect, as well.

Making this change is easier said than done, since the media has sexualized women to sell products for decades, in order to make a profit. Regardless, there needs to be change because this ideal of the “perfect woman” and the “perfect man” is unrealistic, resulting in unhealthy behaviors of those who are aspiring to be “perfect.”

By eliminating the focus on the physical body in media, the incidence of eating disorders can be reduced because individuals will not be comparing themselves to unrealistic images of what is considered “perfect.”