Body Image among College Men
Superheroes in the 90’s were not large, bulky or muscular. They were just like every other character that plays the role of a hero that fights evil and rescue people in times of danger. However, things have changed since then and new changes have been made to the character of superheroes. Modern superheroes like Batman, Superman, and the Incredible Hulk have now become larger and muscular. Superheroes often play a significant role in the desire of obese college males to be muscular. The muscular images of superheroes motivates overweight college men to want to be like them and are willing to go on rigorous exercises or dieting pills just to attain this result. The media is also contributing in portraying muscularity as “good” and “lovely”. TV shows like Baywatch, Jersey Shore, and Desperate Housewives that portray muscular men are fast rising in the entertainment world. Actors like Jim Carey who starred in the movie “the mask” and Johnny Depp who starred in the movie “ Pirates of the Caribbean” are not muscular and they still they command respect in the entertainment industry. Researchers have found out that continual pressure from the media was associated with low self- esteem, psychological problems resulting to a negative body image. Exposure to muscular bodies contributes to overweight men’s problem about how their body weight is viewed. Only a look at Sylvester Stallone’s body could be enough to spark a change in the definition of muscularity among overweight men. Recent studies have evolved with the suggestion that men diagnosed with eating disorders are reacting to what the mass media messages have fed them with.
RQ:
Do men imitate the media images of muscular men?
Method
Watkins .J, Christie C., & Chally P., (2008) found out that college men struggle with the dissatisfaction of their body image and weight. This article indicates that concerns of body image dissatisfaction among obese college men, they begin to indulge in excessive exercises, use of dieting pills and steroids and therefore experience symptoms of depression. The study also found out those college men who were underweight, obese or overweight experienced weight and shape problems as a result of the Body Mass Index which is often calculated. It has been found out that the relativity of body dissatisfaction and body mass index in college males has not been completely established. The article showed that the body mass index of college men often marks the beginning of body image disorder. And as a result, college men now desire increase in muscle mass. The researchers of this article made use of Procedures, Participants, Instruments and Analysis to show facts about how body mass index often contributes negatively on how college men think about body image. This article did not completely explain everything about body mass index; it mostly focused on body image. I will like to conclude with what the researchers found out, “ our results indicate that that underweight college men were more cognitively dissatisfied with their appearance than affectively concerned about weight and shape”.( Watkins et al, 2008).
Limitations
This study had several limitations in which a cross-sectional survey design was used. It also prevents the determination of a causal relationship between BMI status and body Image. Furthermore, they chose the study variables on the basis of self-reported information, and they may, therefore, be subject to participant recall bias. They calculated BMI categories on the basis of self-reported or measured height and weight, and it was, therefore, also subject to