Many things contribute to how a woman feels about her body. Peer pressure, family history, and age all play important roles in how people feel about how they look. The media can also play a dominant role on body image, as it almost always ties success, health, and happiness with being thin. To clarify body image, it is how you see yourself when you look in the mirror or picture yourself in your mind.
With the media constantly showing us images of the ‘ideal’ body many girls become insecure and it can lead to depression, lower self-esteem, and increases unhealthy eating habits.
The media is an important aspect of today’s culture. Almost every household in Australia owns a television set and the average Australian watches 3 to 5 hours of television a day. Television is not the only source of media. Millions of magazines and newspapers are bought daily, and not to mention the new widespread use of the computer and internet. The media plays a major role in the way our society sets certain standards and forms opinions. No matter where we go, the media is everywhere. The message that the media illustrates today is that “thin is in”. When was the last time you flipped through a magazine or through the television channels without seeing some type of advertisement promoting a new diet or new product being promoted by a super thin model or actress? Young girls are the main targets for new products. They become preoccupied with their bodies and self image. The media illustrates to young girls an “idealized” shape which leads to being beautiful, popular, successful, and loved but which is not realistic to have unless you have the “idealized” shape. Therefore, these girls are brainwashed into believing that if they have a certain clothing item, or wear a particular brand of make up, they are going to be instantly transformed into glamorous, sexy, attractive girls.
In many television advertisements, thin and beautiful models and actresses appear...