Body Image Research Paper

Body image dissatisfaction has never been a more prevalent problem than recently. A study done in 2007 by psychologists and feminist studies experts, Shelly Grabe and Monique Ward, concluded that “Approximately 50% of girls and undergraduate women report being dissatisfied with their bodies” (Grabe et al). The amount of body dissatisfaction is alarming, but many ponder what is causing the rate of to be high . NEDA, or the National Eating Disorder Association, believes that eating disorders and body dissatisfaction are linked with, “the thin ideal in media,” (NEDA). The most often used form of media among teens and young adults is social media. A study done by Statista concluded that roughly “90 percent of 19-28 years have at least one social …show more content…
A new study from CNN on social media and teens found that “13-year-olds can check social media sites up to 100 times a day,” (Haddad). Psychologist Hannah Rebecca George at Leeds University believes that the recurring problem among teenage girls are that the mass media often cultivates “ideas that are present in society and, in turn, maintains and propagates these so that eventually what is presented in the media becomes the social reality for its consumers,” (George). The social reality for many young women and even girls is that in order to be beautiful and to obtain the thin ideal present on media is to lose weight. Losing weight is not always unhealthy actually, it is encouraged to maintain a person’s health; however, losing too much weight is detrimental to one’s health. A recent study where the participants were 124 boys (Average age = 12) and 125 girls (Average age = 13). After viewing either an appearance-related or neutral magazine features they answered questions about the feature, then completed a word-stem and a sentence completion task, two visual analog scales measuring body dissatisfaction, and a measure of socio-cultural influence. Girls exposed to an appearance-related magazine feature had higher levels of body shape dissatisfaction than those exposed to a neutral magazine feature. Body dissatisfaction was also found to be higher in women when compared to the body dissatisfaction of the young …show more content…
The Social Comparison Theory postulates that people determine their own social and personal worth based on how they compare to others. Social media has provided a platform in which any person with access to the internet a way to compare themselves to others. The frequency of social comparison has increased significantly since the creation of social media compared to before. Also, women who consume more mainstream media, “place a greater importance on sexiness and overall appearance than those who do not consume as much,” (Palmer). The interest in beauty and wanting to be beautiful directly increases with the increasing exposure to modern models, who are deemed beautiful. When roughly “90 percent of 19-28 year olds” are frequently using social media and being exposed to the beautiful models displayed on various social media platforms. A study was done by the Psychology Department at University of South Florida’s which consisted of 20 slides of thin ideal bodies being exposed to women. The study’s results indicate that even a “5 minute exposure to thin-and-beautiful media image results in a more negative body image state than does exposure to images of neutral objects,” (Yamamiya et al). A very short time of exposure of a thin and beautiful women can cause an enormous impact on the way normal women feel about their bodies. Normal women feel that in

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