CONSUMER BEHAVIOR(FINAL PROJECT REPORT)

BODY IMAGE

SUBMITTED BY ARSHAD ALI BUKHARI. ZAHOOR ILAHI. MALIK MUZAMMIL. SAAD ZEB.

SUBMITTED TO: MADAM SALMA ATIFTable of contents

I. CHAPTER# 1 INTRODUCTION

II. CHAPTER# 2 MIND MAPS

III. CHAPTER# 3 SWOT ANALYSES

IV. CHAPTER# 4 METHODOLOGY

V. CHAPTER#5 ESSAY

CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTIONBody imagerefers to a person's feelings of theaestheticsandsexual attractivenessof their own body. The phrasebody imagewas first coined by the Austrian neurologist and psychoanalystPaul Schilderin his bookThe Image and Appearance of the Human Body(1935). Human society has at all times placed great value on beauty of the human body, but a person's perception of their own body may not correspond to society's standards.The concept of body image is used in numerous disciplines, including psychology, medicine, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, philosophy and cultural and feminist studies. The term is also often used in the media. Across these disciplines and media there is no consensus definition.A person's body image is thought to be, in part, a product of their personal experiences, personality, and various social and cultural forces. A person's sense of their ownphysical appearance, usually in relation to others or in relation to some cultural "ideal," can shape their body image. A person's perception of their appearance can be different from how others actually perceive them.

Throughout history it has been extremely difficult for people to live up to the standards of society and what they believe the ideal body is. There are many factors that lead to a persons body image, some of these include: family dynamics, biological predispositions (e.g., depression and anxiety), and cultural expectations (e.g.,mediaand politics). People are constantly told and shown the cosmetic appeal of weight loss and are warned about the risks of obesity; this is something that can lead to a change in a persons body image. Body image can have a wide range of psychological effects and physical effects. According to Dr. Aric Sigman, a British Biologist, some women who see underweight women will have an immediate change in brain chemistry which diminishes self-esteem and can increase self-loathing. Commentators note that people who have a low body image will try to alter their bodies in some way, such as by dieting or undergoing cosmetic surgery.OVERVIEWFrenchchild psychoanalystFrancoise Doltodeveloped a theory of the unconscious body image.Negative perceptions by a person regarding their body, such as a perception that they are fat, can in some cases lead to mental disorders such asdepressionoreating disorderssuch asbulimia nervosa, though there can be a variety of different reasons why these disorders can occur.MENMen's body image is a topic of increasing interest in both academic articles and in the popular press. Current research indicates many men wish to become more muscular than they currently perceive themselves to be, often desiring up to 26 pounds of additional muscle mass.According to the study, western men desire muscle mass over that of Asian men by as much as 30 pounds.The desire for additional muscle has been linked to many men's concepts aboutmasculinity. A variety of research has indicated a relationship between men's endorsement of traditionally masculine ideas and characteristics, and his desire for additional muscle.Some research has suggested this relationship between muscle and masculinity may begin early in life, as boys' action figures are often depicted as super-muscular, often beyond the actual limits of human physiology. WOMENStudies have found that females tend to think more about their body shape and endorse thinner figures than men even into old age. When female undergraduates were exposed to depictions of thin women their body satisfaction decreased, but rose when exposed to larger models. In addition, many women engage in fat talk (speaking negatively about the weight-related size/shape of one's body), a behavior that has been associated with weight dissatisfaction, body surveillance, and body shame. In addition, women who overhear others using fat talk may also experience an increase in body dissatisfaction and guilt. As a result, women may experience concerns related to body image in a number of different ways and from a variety of sources.Physical appearance comparison processes appear to play a critical role in the link between fashion media exposure and body image dissatisfaction. And it appears that upwards physical appearance comparisons against idealised images leads to greater dissatisfaction, but downward comparisons, for example against obese people, are associated with better body image satisfaction.

CHAPTER 2(MIND MAPS)

CHAPTER 3(SWOT)The term SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths and Weaknesses are internal factors and are within our control. Opportunities and Threats are External factors beyond our control. We have selected the people from the following organization for the purpose of conducting interviews. As our study is based upon the point of view that what people think about body image so in order to gather data we conducted interviews from different people from the following organization. BAHRIA UNIVERSITY

SWOT ANALYSISStrengths Safety and Security: Bahria University campus is Located near the Naval Complex E8, Islamabad and ensures a safe environment with state of the art Security measures. Job Market: Bahria has acquired a great deal of attention in the job Market of Islamabad / Rawalpindi and currently many of the graduates are successfully working in the private and public sectors, proving a better job market for Islamabad/Rawalpindi. Well Qualified Faculty: Bahria University has a number of Well qualified Staff members including PhD Professors from various universities abroad and Many other teachers. State Of the Art Laboratories : Bahria University is currently Equipped with state of the art Laboratories in both , the old and new campuses , including the special labs for engineering and geo studies as well as business students. Smoke free and healthy Environment: Bahria University welcomes you with a healthy and smoke free environment in both of its campuses and ensures a comfortable environment for its students.Weaknesses Bahira University has a few flaws on its administration side as in, not performing tasks on time and making things and situations complex instead of searching for solutions of problems, also very non-cooperative at times The Performance Evaluation System of teachers which is manually done by students at Bahria University is proved to be very ineffective, still being used. The students of Bahria University are Not Well Informed with respect to Academic, non-academic or extracurricular Activities, this problem is compensated by Notice Boards and teachers to some extent. Bahria University lacks a number of play grounds , and has a number of Buses but they do not fulfill the need of its students Another Major Weakness of Bahria University is the improper Intake of new students which is very large in number and the University needs to revise its policies on Admissions and its various filtering processes / interviewsOpportunities Bahria University has an opportunity of Academic Affiliations with various Universities in different areas of the country as well as outside the country Professors at Bahria University are welcomed in all the other universities of Pakistan to share their services and teachers are usually exchanged for many viva or academic sessions Bahria University has the opportunity to be in the Pakistans leading universities list and by its faculty and administrations efforts they have pretty much excelled Interactions with the business Community; is always helpful in creating an opportunity to create a platform for professionals to share different experiences i.e. Creative exercises , Seminars , lots of practical work which relates to the practical FieldThreats Bahria University is located in a strategic location which is with the naval complex on its back and due to various reasons is prone to any terrorist attack of any kind. Bahria University is a semi Government University and funds are allocated to Government Universities so that leaves less room for scholarships and other facilities in the University. Bahria University has to comply with all the rules provided by the HEC and not fulfilling so will result in a serious threat from the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan.

CHAPTER 4METHODOLOGYThe research that we have carried out is qualitative research. As the topic body image is more explainable when it would be qualitative. Besides we have to analyze the role of different factors influencing the people psychology related to their body image.

So we have analyzed the people perception about body image by first gathering the secondary data through different case studies that focused on the different influencing factors of body image and along with that we took some random interviews from different people in different parks and gyms of Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Wah Cantt PAKISTAN. And some structured interviews from the students of Bahria University Islamabad in order to get to know the student perception about Body Image.Following is the set of question that were asked during structured interviews.Question # 1: Have you ever heard of the term body image?Question # 2: If Yes, What is it?Question # 3: Does body image counts in the personality?Question # 4: Define Beauty? What comes to your mind when you hear this term?Question # 5: Choose one: A fat person. An average person. A smart person. A skinny oneQuestion # 6: Do you work out?Question # 7: If yes, what pressurizes you to work out?Question # 8: Is the amount of exercise affected by your perceived body image?Question # 9: The locations where you work out does it matter?Question # 10: Do you think that people compare you to the celebrities or movie stars? Question # 11: Do you starve of go for a specific diet plan in order to improve your body image?Question # 12: To what extent can you go in order to achieve your desired body image?

CHAPTER 4ESSAYA persons perceptions, thoughts and feelings about his or her bodyInterest in the Psychology and Sociology of body image originated in the work of Paul Schilder in the 1920s. In The Image and Appearance of the Human Body (1950) Paul Schilder argues that body image is not just a cognitive construct, but also a reflection of attitudes and interactions with others. He defined body image as: The picture of our own body which we form in our mind, that is to say, the way in which the body appears to ourselves. Since 1950, researchers have taken body image to mean many different things, including perception of ones own body attractiveness, body size distortion, perception of body boundaries, and accuracy of perception of bodily sensations. Incorporates all the elements of body image originally identified by Schilder: body size estimation (perceptions), evaluation of body attractiveness (thoughts), and emotions associated with body shape and size (feelings). Grogan (1992) defined Body dissatisfaction is defined as: A persons negative thoughts and feelings about his or her body.Body image that we have learned till now is that it is the persons perception about the physical appearance. This topic is the main focus in the todays fast moving world both for men and women. Men basically want to achieve muscularity and women want to achieve a size zero. But now a new trend in body image is also a hot topic to discuss is that a number of women today are moving away from the size zero to healthier and muscular bodies. The more and more focus of human race towards the body image has created a multibillion dollar industry, because body image has influenced the consumer behavior to such a drastic extent that people (both men and women) would go to maximum level in order to achieve their desired body image. People spent their time, money and their full mental and physical capabilities to achieve it. They starve to get size zero buy different foods, clothing, cosmetics, food supplements along with that people spent on different services like message, . body spa and different treatments like this. And its what marketers are working more and more now a days as its a multibillion dollar industry and earning profits along with working more and more on the consumer psychology and consumer behavior towards the body image.What people see and how they react to their reflection in a mirror will vary according to species, sex, age, ethnic group, sexual orientation, mood, eating disorders, what they've been watching on TV, what magazines they read, whether they're married or single, what kind of childhood they had, whether they take part in sports, what phase of the menstrual cycle they're in, whether they are pregnant, where they've been shopping and even what they had for lunch. SexWomen are much more worried about their appearance than men. There is much less likely to admire what they see in the mirror. Up to 8 out of 10 women will be dissatisfied with their reflection, and more than half may see a distorted image.Men looking in the mirror are more likely to be either pleased with what they see or indifferent. Research shows that men generally have a much more positive body-image than women. If anything, they may tend to over-estimate their attractiveness. Some men looking in the mirror may literally not see the flaws in their appearance. Women so much more self-critical than men because women are judged on their appearance more than men and standards of female beauty are considerably higher and more inflexible. Women are continually bombarded with images of the 'ideal' face and figure .Constant exposure to idealized images of female beauty on TV, magazines and billboards makes exceptional good looks seem normal and anything short of perfection seem abnormal and ugly. It has been estimated that young women now see more images of outstandingly beautiful women in one day than our mothers saw throughout their entire adolescence.Also, most women are trying to achieve the impossible: standards of female beauty have in fact become progressively more unrealistic during the 20th century. In 1917, the physically perfect woman was about 5ft 4in tall and weighed nearly 10 stone. Even 25 years ago, top models and beauty queens weighed only 8% less than the average woman, now they weigh 23% less. The current media ideal for women is achievable by less than 5% of the female population and that's just in terms of weight and size. If you want the ideal shape, face etc., it's probably more like 1%.AgeChildren:Female dissatisfaction with appearance of poor body-image has begins at a very early age. Human infants begin to recognize themselves in mirrors at about two years old. Female humans begin to dislike what they see only a few years later. The latest surveys show very young girls are going on diets because they think they are fat and unattractive. Boys were found to be significantly less critical of their appearance: in one study, normal-weight girls expressed considerably more worries about their looks than obese boys.Teenagers: Boys do go through a short phase of relative dissatisfaction with their appearance in early adolescence, but the physical changes associated with teenage years soon bring them closer to the masculine ideal such as they get taller, broader in the shoulders, more muscular etc.For girls, however, puberty only makes things worse. The normal physical changes increase in weight and body fat, particularly on the hips and thighs, take them further from the cultural ideal of unnatural slimness. A Harvard University study showed that up to two thirds of underweight 12-year-old girls considered themselves to be too fat.Ethnic groupThere are some exceptions to these rules. Black and Asian women generally have a more positive body-image than Caucasian women, although this depends on the degree to which they have accepted the beauty standards of the dominant culture.A study of Mexican immigrants in America found that those who had immigrated after the age of 17 were less affected by the prevailing super-thin ideal than those who were 16 or younger when they came to the US. In a Washington University study, Black women with high self-esteem and a strong sense of racial identity actually rated themselves more attractive than pictures of supposedly 'beautiful' white fashion models. TV & MagazinesPeople's reactions to their reflection in the mirror may depend on recent exposure to idealized images of physical attractiveness. Experiments have shown that people become significantly more dissatisfied with their own appearance after being shown TV ads featuring exceptionally slim and beautiful people. Control groups shown non-appearance-related ads do not change their rating of their own attractiveness.

Although many TV programs feature attractive people, ads tend to use the most idealized images, so people who've been watching a lot of TV are likely to feel less positive about their image in the mirror. Programs such as '11 Number' or other programs specifically on style 360 are also likely to induce a sense of dissatisfaction.MoodExperiments have shown that when people are feeling low or in a bad mood, they experience greater body-dissatisfaction. Most studies have been on women, who also suffer body-image distortion, estimating their size larger, when feeling low.Married or singleGenerally, people in stable, long-term relationships not necessarily marriage have a more positive body-image than singles. This applies to all ages, although an American study of adolescent 'dating-behavior' showed that teenagers who 'date' in groups have a significantly better body-image than those go out alone with their boyfriend or girlfriend.ShoppingSurveys show that women who have just been trying on clothes (particularly swimsuits) in communal changing rooms of high street stores will be experiencing a higher level of body dissatisfaction and self criticism, and are more likely to have a negative reaction to their reflection in the mirror.SportPerhaps surprisingly, given that their physique is closest to the stereotype masculine ideal, male body-builders experience greater dissatisfaction with their appearance than almost any other males. Body-builders are generally regarded as vain: in fact they suffer from low self-esteem combined with high perfectionism.One American study indicates that female body-builders, by contrast, seem to have a more positive body-image than other women. A London University study appears to confirm this, finding that women who take part in sport (body-builders, rowers and netballers) have more positive perceptions of their own bodies and increased acceptance of muscular body shapes, despite their divergence from cultural ideals. It is interesting to note that another study showed exercise therapy to be as effective as conventional psychotherapy in treating serious body-image disturbance in young women.Generally both men and women who participate in sport have a more positive body-image than those who do not.Body Image Experiences of Older MenOlder individuals strive to maintain positive evaluation of their physical selves both in domain of appearance and health. The respondents in this study exhibit that health and appearance are equally important. Body image in men relates to a desire for increased muscularity and reduced body fat which is different for womens desire for weight loss. Women are more likely than men to perceive themselves as overweight even if they are normal weight. Body dissatisfaction has mostly focused on women and thereby has typically addressed the strategies used to lose weight, but questions regarding gaining weight or increasing muscles have not been assessed. According to some of the studies is that males desire a muscular physique and there is an association between muscularity and masculinity.Studies have investigated that body image of men are concerned with lack of muscle or being skinny or being fat. However older males report having a lesser drive for muscularity now a days. The number of men who desire to gain weight is approximately similar to the number of men who desire to lose weight. The nature of male body dissatisfaction is different from that of females because an underweight man is likely to be unhappy with his body, whereas an underweight woman is more likely to be satisfied with hers.The difference between the older and younger respondents is that older individuals report less concern about others evaluating their bodies, and they are less likely to compare appearance with that of others. There are sometimes social pressures as well like men experience significant pressure from a range of social factors to achieve a muscular ideal. Men appear to be less likely to compare themselves with images in the media that they perceive to be unattainable and are more likely to compare themselves with targets that are realistic and attainable. Some studies also indicate that body dissatisfaction is associated with low self-esteem. Furthermore among males, studies have found that body dissatisfaction is associated with unhealthy psychological outcomes, including increased depression and negative effect.Respondents of a study mentioned lack of height, muscle, weight, and loss of firmness of skin, loss of hair, shape of nose as causes of dissatisfaction. When ones appearance is validated by others, it influences and motivates one to engage in activities that maintain or improve their appearance. Some studies have shown that women associate a male muscular build with male physical attractiveness. Appearance investment is the attention to appearance indicating the psychological importance of ones own appearance. The responses demonstrate that men consciously engaged in activities to improve their appearance like using color that would be suitable to their skin color or color that would add a dash of color to their overall attire. The response revealed that while some men may not agree with the use of cosmetic procedures to improve ones appearance, others are comfortable with the idea of using cosmetic treatment to mask the effects of aging. The people who had utilized to strategies to look older when they were young men ( by increasing muscle, diet to increase weight and wearing loose clothes to conceal their thin body), were the same men who enjoyed the benefit of looking younger in their later years. The findings from this study suggest that young men (in early adulthood) are likely to invest in appearance in order to look good for Men in their middle age and beyond functionality of body may become more salient than appearance. While younger men focus on improving appearance to gain social capital, older men focus more on fitness and health. Dieting Trends of College StudentsBody image acceptance and appreciation are becoming vital parts of life of many around the world and in Pakistan as well. A significant amount of pressure to be socially accepted is placed upon college students, in particular. The truth is that when you enter college, you are faced with a more subjective peer response, new lifestyle routines and new eating habits.College women report high levels of body dissatisfaction and weight concerns. Upon entering college, students are faced with the self un-explored territory of a college lifestyle and surroundings. Many students become more self-conscious of their body image perception, and resort to dieting and irregular consumption patterns. Body image dissatisfaction and low self-esteem are central factors in developing eating disorders. Body image dissatisfaction is not uncommon and can adversely affect individuals quality of life.

One example of hazardous health decisions includes binge drinking and high levels of alcohol intake that can contribute to an extremely unhealthy lifestyle and can cause weight gain. To meet societal expectations of an ideal body, individuals use appearance-management behaviors such as exercise, dieting, surgery, and apparel selection. Studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between body dissatisfaction and negative peer pressure. With this, it is only logical to conclude that our peers are the main influence over our body image perception. Although many may state that they could care less about their overall appearance and claim that they do not care what others, think the truth is that everybody cares.

This information allowed the researcher to determine what measures must be taken to better inform students about the potential risks associated with extreme dieting and/or poor body image perception, so that they may better enjoy their college experience without the worry of irrelevant priorities. When extreme and/or body image dissatisfaction occurs, there is a need for intervention. By understanding both the beneficial and detrimental effects of each dieting act and image perception, college students will be better prepared to responsibly care for themselves and to implement healthy lifestyle decisions.

ANOREXIAAnorexia nervosais aneating disordercharacterized by immoderate food restriction and irrational fear of gaining weight, as well as a distorted body self-perception. It typically involves excessive weight loss and usually occurs more in females than in males. Because of the fear of gaining weight, people with this disorder restrict the amount of food they consume. This restriction of food intake causes metabolic and hormonal disorders. Outside of medical literature, the terms anorexia nervosa and anorexia are often used interchangeably, however,anorexiais simply a medical term for lack of appetite, and people with anorexia nervosa do not, in fact, lose their appetites.Patients suffering from anorexia nervosa may experience dizziness, headaches, drowsiness and a lack of energy.

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by low body weight, inappropriate eating habits, obsession with having a thin figure, and the fear of gaining weight. It is often coupled with a distorted self image which may be maintained by variouscognitive biases that alter how the affected individual evaluates and thinks about her or his body, food and eating. Those suffering from anorexia often view themselves as "too fat" even if they are already underweight. They may practice repetitive weighing, measuring, and mirror gazing, alongside other obsessive actions to make sure they are still thin, a common practice known as "body checking".Anorexia nervosa most often has its onset in adolescence and is more prevalent among adolescent females than adolescent males. However, more recent studies show the onset age has decreased from an average of 13 to 17 years of age to 9 to 12. While it can affect men and women of any age,race, andsocioeconomicandculturalbackground, anorexia nervosa occurs in ten times more females than males. People with anorexia nervosa continue to feel hunger, but they deny themselves all but very small quantities of food. The average caloric intake of a person with anorexia nervosa is 600800 calories per day, but extreme cases of complete self-starvation are known. It is a serious mental illness. People suffering from anorexia have extremely high levels ofghrelin(the hunger hormone that signals a physiological need for food) in their blood. The high levels of ghrelin suggests that their bodies are desperately trying to make them hungry, however that hunger call is being suppressed, ignored, or overridden. Nevertheless, one small single-blind study found that intravenous administration of ghrelin to anorexia nervosa patients increased food intake by 1236% over the trial period.CULTURAL AND GENETIC DIFFERNCES

On the one hand everyone wants to be look beautiful and on the other hand is limited by perceived as well as actual, capabilities of the body. Among the limiting factors are the genetic, cultural, social or psychological predispositions of an individual, which often result in dissatisfaction with the body, not just in women, but also in men these days.. For example, in Chinese culture most of the people having small height and as compare to US there are people who have large height as compare to Chinese. These are the genetic factors in every culture that we cannot be changed. But in spite of these factors, the perception of ideal beauty is culturally conditioned. It is also seen that is most of the advertisement there are only young people like 20 to 32. So people want to copy them so that they can also look like them, seniors is almost absent in advertisement. Seniors are only portrayed in advertisement only in activities associated with charity or health. The research shows that only the very small percentage of men weight less than less than normal in every culture. But in US the female models almost 40% have lower weight then the normal weight. And in Chinese the number of very slim women is lower also because there is a higher percentage of Asian models, who are smaller and petite. Therefore, their thinness is given genetically and cannot be regarded as underweight. Another most striking element of body image is color and type of hair or eye color. It can be seen that in spite of black every color of eye look attractive. And the research findings also show that the blue color for eyes is most popular for in models. And the color is also a genetically conditioned in every culture. Such as there is no blue eyes model in china. But in US more than 50 percent of the models are have blue eyes. Some culturally conditioned parameters of body image have a tendency to change. Such as many models are using contact lenses for eyes.We are all more obsessed with our appearance than we like to admit. But is not an indication of vanity. Attractive people have distinct advantages in our society. The study shows Attractive children are more popular, both with classmates and teachers. Teachers give higher evaluations to the work of attractive children and have higher expectations of them (which have been shown to improve performance).Attractive applicants have a better chance of getting jobs, and of receiving higher salaries. (One US study found that taller men earned around $600 per inch more than shorter executives.) In court, attractive people are found guilty less often. When found guilty, they receive less severe sentences.The 'bias for beauty' operates in almost all social situations all experiments show we react more favorably to physically attractive people.We also believe in the 'what is beautiful is good' stereotype an irrational but deep-seated belief that physically attractive people possess other desirable characteristics such as intelligence, competence, social skills, confidence even moral virtue. (The good fairy/princess is always beautiful; the wicked stepmother is always ugly)Every period of history has had its own standards of what is and is not beautiful, and every contemporary society has its own distinctive concept of the ideal physical attributes.. Now we try to diet and exercise ourselves into the fashionable shape often with even more serious consequences.But although we resemble our ancestors and other cultures in our concern about appearance, there is a difference in degree of concern. Advances in technology and in particular the rise of the mass media have caused normal concerns about how we look to become obsessions.There are three reasons that media play in every society Thanks to the media, we have become habitual to extremely rigid and uniform standards of beauty. TV, billboards, magazines etc mean that we see 'beautiful people' all the time, more often than members of our own family, making exceptional good looks seem real, normal and attainable. Standards of beauty have in fact become harder and harder to attain, particularly for women. The current media ideal of thinness for women is achievable by less than 5% of the female population. There disadvantages to being attractive such as Attractive people are under much greater pressure to maintain their appearance. Attractive people don't benefit from the 'bias for beauty' in terms of self-esteem. They often don't trust praise of their work or talents, believing positive evaluations to be influenced by their appearance.

Clothing perceptionsClothes or dress and body image have similar consequences on what one looks like and how one feels about themselves. Individuals utilize clothes to make their bodies social and gain an identity and because the female gender has largely been associated with its desire for fashionable body and clothes, this paper examines womens body image concerns and its influence on clothing preferences. In order to achieve the fashionable body, women alter their bodies through diet, exercise and make-up choices. For the sake of self-enhancement women of all ages are willing to undergo painful and intrusive medical procedures or use anti-aging treatments. Although for many women media generated beauty standards are unattainable, it does not prevent them for using a variety of methods to alter their appearance in the pursuit if these beauty standards. The illusionary perfect figure and ideal beauty has been sought by women through the ages. The cultural expectations of the ideal female body appear to be inconsistent with aging. Thus, an aging population is faced with a dilemma; they live in a culture that is obsessed with youth, beauty and thinness but also facing a diminishing ability to achieve or maintain appearance ideals. Womens feelings of body dissatisfaction can also be associated with unhappiness in findings apparel and clothing products that enhance their appearance. For women indicated that their preference for a certain style of clothing could induce them to lose weight. Women in the age group 31-55 years appeared to be more conscious of their lower body: hip, waist and thighs, which was similar to the concerns of the younger women in the age group of 18-30 years. Most women pointed out that they would prefer clothing that would not emphasize their thighs and hips.According to the study 81% of women chose the skinny figure as the media promoted ideal body type. 56% of women considered themselves to be of an average body type. 19% considered themselves as trim. 15% considered themselves as fleshy. 6% considered themselves as skinny. 4% considered themselves as overweight. 71% women preferred trim figure type.Women stated that films frequently showed how an ordinary or unattractive girl is turned into a slim beautiful woman and this occurrence would coincide with her becoming successful and attractive, drawing the attention of rich and handsome man.

Food Choices Women now a days are more conscious about their health and body image approximately 10 million women are struggling with eating disorder around the globe . In a world where thin is in and in which the media portrays emaciation as beauty, young woman tend to be first to fall to disordered eating and negative body image. Following are few influential factors in the populations food choices

Health, Appearance Cost Time and availabilityHealth is a topic of importance to young adults. To young girls, dieting and healthy eating may be perceived to be similar some girls viewed dieting as being good for their health Dieting in young girls has been operationalzed as eating healthy food and cutting out unhealthy food, reflected in the increased consumption of fruit and vegetables health, as a factor in young adult food choice, is perceived to be associated with dieting and restricting consumption of other foods in favor of healthy alternatives, such as fruits and vegetables. Women who placed particular importance on the nutrition and level of health associated with their food choices would in turn experience greater satisfaction with body image. Appearance and health increased; overall satisfaction of body image would also increase.Time/availability, as a variable of great influence the major reason for not eating a healthy diet being away from home for most of the day evoked unhealthy dietary decisions. Lack of resources to buy certain products and make healthier food is another factor.Cost was an issue for few people they found cost a barrier to healthy eating, whereas other were less inclined to report this while healthy eating may be a concern for those females worried about appearance, cost of food remained a determinant as while college women may want to eat healthily, there are other expenditures that are of more personal value than healthy food. The target group was more inclined to eating prepared food, but was unsure of the differences in cost between home-cooked vs. ready-made meals. Other college-aged practices, such as going out, are deemed more important. Women who are most concerned with their appearance in their food choices. Thus, they make food choices primarily according to the notion of how such decision will affect physical appearance. If body satisfaction decreases, attentiveness to appearance as a basis for food choice increases. While appearance remains the most important factor for food choice decisions, this attentiveness is not associated with. The attentiveness to physical appearance could, in fact, diminish body satisfaction, as undergraduate women make food choices to seek a certain body ideal. Undergraduate women may be making food choices primarily for weight loss or weight maintenance, and nevertheless feel dissatisfied with their personal appearance despite their attentiveness.Man and their bodiesFor at least two thousand years people have believed that a mans character is revealed by his body. Mans behavior and his body are somehow interrelated. Shakespeare considered a mans body and his behavior both to be expressions of his underlying behavior.Mans physique can be described in term of relative presence of three physical components. Mesomorphy hard and rectangular with predominance of muscle and bones. Endomorphy soft and round with a highly developed digestive viscera. Ectomorphy linear and fregile with a flat and delicate body.Boys with more masculine body perform better than other boys. In comparison with other physique ectomorphy shows the most behavioral disturbance and they face problems like high anxiety, emotional unrest .and boys who are masculine in nature have high confidence and their competitive ability are high as compares with other boys.In fact vary clear and consistent stereotype do exists in the mind of most people concerning the type of personality that is possessed by men in different physiques. This stereotype appears to develop vary early and are similar in their essentials for males and females. This stereotype not only influences the observer but may also affect the behavior of perceivers themselves.IMPACT OF MEDIACollege students confront a variety of overwhelming challenges on a daily basis. Living up to the standards that are prescribed by the media and other social groups leave many feeling vulnerable and flustered. Feelings of failure and low self-esteem often lead students to become preoccupied with their self-image which in turn, motivates them to make both physical and psychological changes. There are many factors that affect college students, and it is important to understand the complexities they face and how media becomes an issue. There are four main concerns that relate to the pressures from the media. First, there is the concern people have towards their physique. The models that the media portray as ideal have caused many people to turn to unhealthy ways of trying to achieve these unrealistic and usually unattainable looks.

Second, our society encourages women to see themselves as objects. If women are busy trying to control their bodies through dieting and excessive exercise, they are distracted from other important aspects of selfhood that might challenge the current status quo. Third, a womans desire to control her body with the addition of cultural standards affects the relationships they will have in their lives. Finally the gender differences between body image perceptions are of concern. Society imposes increasingly stringent standards of physical attractiveness, emphasizing female slenderness and male muscularity.

The average American woman is 5'4" tall and weighs 140 pounds, while the average American model is 5'11" tall and weighs 117 pounds. Most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women. 80% of women say that the images of women on television and in movies, fashion magazines, and advertising make them feel insecure. 42% of girls in first through third grades want to be thinner. 81% of 10 years old are afraid of being fat. 80% of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance. The average woman spends 2 1/2 years of her life washing, styling, cutting, coloring, crimping, and straightening her hair at home and in the salon.Most of females have struggled with various body image lies, including this one If she can change something about my body, others will finally accept me and I will be able to accept her. It is so easy to base our self worth on our looks and appearance because it is the first thing others see in us.The Media LiesResearchers have found that ongoing exposure to certain ideas can shape and distort our perceptions of reality. But if women or men consume a steady diet of fashion magazines, they encounter more naked or semi-naked female bodies than they would otherwise female bodies that just happen to be airbrushed and plastic-surgery-enhanced. Its not surprising that in our media-driven culture, our views of what women should look like are warped. Real women with pubic hair and breasts that arent perfect round orbs begin to seem unnatural compared to the altered images we see in the media.

Its hard to imagine a world where idealized female imagery is not plastered everywhere, but our current situation is a relatively new phenomenon. Before the mass mediaexisted, our ideas of beauty were limited to our own communities.Most of the women we see in the media are young and white. Hollywood movies rarely feature women over forty, and the older women we do see represented in the media, from movie stars to news anchors and even politicians, look much younger, thanks to plastic surgery. As a result, those of us who choose to age naturally, without the aid of plastic surgery, are sometimes seen as "letting ourselves go."The image of "perfection" we see in the media excludes women with disabilities. This almost total lack of representation means that the lives of disabled women remain a mystery to many able-bodied people. Disabled women are often portrayed as helpless victims who need protection, or as heroines who have beaten the odds. Because women with bodies that are disabled, fat, or old are seen as deviating from what is "normal" and desirable, we are often presented as stereotypes, rather than as real people. Beauty is rarely recognized or acknowledged, and we are almost never portrayed as sexual beings.The small percentage of women of color represented in the media usually conforms closely to the white beauty ideal. As one woman wrote,As a teenager, I was obsessed with achieving the white girl look: slim hips, perky breasts, flat stomach. I hated that I didnt look like white models in my magazines.

Commercial media must create a fantasy world that we hope, in some way, can become ours. Consequently, magazines, television, movies, and advertisements rarely feature women of color as their stars or on their covers. In a society that is still racist, magazine editors and Hollywood executives know that white women do not, in general, fantasize about looking Latina, black, or Asian.Although advertising, the most powerful arm of the mass media, is all around us, many of us believe we are immune from its effects. This mistaken belief is one of the reasons it is so effective. The average person sees a number of ads per day.Almost all commercial media aimed at women are supported by advertising revenue from the fashion, beauty, diet, and food industries, and their survival depends on their ability to please their sponsors. Magazine editors, in a fierce competition for readers, know that to make a sale, they need only play on our doubts or create new ones, making us think we have "problems" that dont really exist ("Whats He Really Thinking When He Sees You Naked?"). Every part of the female body is picked apart and scrutinized, with most articles telling us outright which products we should buy to fix or at least hide our numerous "flaws."In trying to understand the medias objectification of women and how it makes us feel it can help to think of the camera lens as a white male eye. Have you noticed that the covers of womensandmens magazines are almost always female? The female stars of mainstream movies and TV shows not only look sexy but often behave in the kind of subservient, helpless way that many men find appealing. The camera eye is usually focused on women who look and act in a way that pleases men; men look (active), and women receive their gaze. The medias gaze is essentially a male gaze. We are so accustomed to seeing things through the dominant male perspective that we might not even notice the dynamics at play.So it can be analyzed that the way media portrays a human body image is all because of camera and editing, its putting men and specially women in a condition that to never get satisfied with what they have by keeping them busy in something that is practically not achievable.So to summarize the whole topic in a few lines we can say that Body image is the persons perception about the physical appearance. On the one hand everyone wants to be look beautiful and on the other hand is limited by perceived as well as actual, capabilities of the body. Among the limiting factors are the genetic, cultural, social or psychological predispositions of an individual, which often result in dissatisfaction with the body, not just in women, but also in men these days. Media is playing a vital role in the creation of impossible perfect body image which is directly influencing the consumer behavior in a negative manner that they never get satisfied. Also people starve and sometimes this starvation to achieve size zero leads to different types of eating disorders, one of the most prominent one is the disease anorexia.

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