media effects and career paper

8/12/2019 Media Effects and Career Paper

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MEDIA EFFECTS APPLICATION 1

Media Effects and Career Application: Eating Disorders

Linden R. Baker

Brigham Young University

The media industry is a powerful force, and wether intentional or unintentional,

perpetuates a thin ideal. While almost all audiences consume media with messages consistent

with the thin ideal, women specifically are greatly affected by images and messages that include

this unrealistic image. Adolescent girls are especially affected by thin ideal images and are at a

time in life when they are greatly concerned with their appearance. Adolescent girls are at a high

risk to develop some form of clinical disordered eating as a result of consuming media with thin

ideal messages (Harrison, 2008, p. 381). Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are eating

disorders that are incredibly dangerous and can even lead to death. The phenomenon of girls

being influenced to develop eating disorders can be analyzed through the social cognitive theoryto understand how girls learn disordered eating behaviors through thin ideal media.

Running Head: MEDIA EFFECTS APPLICATION


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sor ers a are ncre y angerous an can even ea o ea . e p enomenon o g r s

being influenced to develop eating disorders can be analyzed through the social cognitive theory

to understand how girls learn disordered eating behaviors through thin ideal media.Thin ideal messages can be found in all types of media, including: television, magazines,internet, news, social media, etc. Not only are these types of messages found in all types of

media, but also across different variations within each medium. For example, women who are

considered to be attractive in television have thin features wether it is a childrens show, comedy,

or drama. The thin ideal is perpetuated by featuring women with slender body figures that

include small waists and little to no body fat. These women are shown as being attractive to the

opposite sex and are envied by women with larger body types. A perfect example of this can be

seen in images of women in Playboy Magazine and in the Miss America Pageant. Meyers (1992)

found that, the mean weights of women in these groups were significantly less than the meanweights of the general public (p. 110). Women, and especially adolescent girls, see images of

abnormally slim female body types and internalize them (Harrison, 1997, p. 43).Not only do thin ideal images promote the idea of being beautiful and attractive, but theyalso promote messages about being in control (Meyers, 1992, 108). Oppositely, average body

types are associated with negative stereotypes of poor health and lack of control (Meyers, 1992,

109). Together, these positive and negative stereotypes perpetuate an ideal body type. In a media

content analysis, it was found that 69.1% of the female characters were rated as thin while only

17.5% of the male characters were (Meyers, 1992, 110). One study found that, watching even

30 minutes worth of television programming and advertising can alter a womans perception of

the shape of her body (Meyers, 1992, 108). Meyers (1992) focused on the elastic body image

which involves the fluctuation of women's body image in response to media that features the

ideal body shape (p. 108).Meyers (1992) studied the associations men and women have with individual body partsand attractiveness. Meyers found that, for females there were more body parts involved in the

attractiveness/self-concept than for males... we can see the emphasis that young females place on

physical attributes, and we see these physical attributes playing an important role in the females

self-evaluations (Meyers, 1992, p. 113). It is the obsession with physical attributes and the

importance females place in their own physical attractiveness that leads to anorexia nervosa and

bulimia nervosa. Meyers (1992) draws the conclusion that, if media content both reflects and

contributes to the apparent pursuit of the ideal body by a large segment of the female population,

it suggests that for some this pursuit may become obsessive (p. 113).Seeing and internalizing thin ideal images from media has been linked to eating disordersin adolescent girls. A study by Harrison (2008) analyzed the effects of television exposure onmiddle school students (p. 368). Harrison (2008) found that, Our hypothesis was supported for

girls; there was a significant relationship between television exposure and disordered eating over

time, regardless of initial level of disordered eating and other controls (p. 372). Boys included

in the study generated responses that perceived bulky, larger bodies as attractive, while girls

viewed bulky body figures as ugly and unattractive and perceived thin, slender body figures as

beautiful (Harrison, 2008, p. 372).The same study found that, television exposure predicts increases in disordered eatingover time for girls of multiple ages, varying degrees of eating pathology, and various perceived

body sizes (Harrison, 2008, 374). This means that girls of all body types, not just those that are

overweight, are affected by media consumption or exposure.The social cognitive theory sheds light on how media has such striking effects on younggirls. The social cognitive theory is a learning theory based on the idea that individuals observeand learn from models around them. They do this through the process of observing others,

identifying with them, gaining the self-efficacy to do or become something, and then acting out

similar things. They are then positively or negatively reinforced through vicarious learning and

either fully adopt the characteristic, or abandon it.In this situation, women with abnormally thin body types in media become models foryoung girls. Girls identify with females in media and associate them with having the most

desirable characteristics. The emphasis girls place on physical attributes allows them to focus

solely on physical attributes and overlook other important characteristics. Meyers (1992)

explains this by saying, individuals internalize a social model of the ideal body image. This

internalized model we call the socially represented ideal body. The socially represented ideal

body is absorbed from cultural representations of physical beauty (p 116). The root of the

problem is that the socially represented ideal body is one that, for most women to gain, requiresextremel unhealth habits.


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body is absorbed from cultural representations of physical beauty (p 116). The root of the

problem is that the socially represented ideal body is one that, for most women to gain, requires

extremely unhealthy habits.Self-efficacy is then required to attempt to model the behaviors observed in media. Self-efficacy is the belief in ones ability to obtain a certain goal. Girls must have the self-efficacy

that they are able to change their body before taking the steps to do so. There are a number of

sources and ways girls are able to gain the self-efficacy to attempt to change their body type.

Media is one of these ways.Women in media are portrayed as eating very little while still appearing to remain healthyand happy. From this, girls gain the false understanding that such is true in real life, and that they

too can eat very little while being happy and beautiful. Once girls have the self-efficacy to

attempt to change their body type, they demonstrate or model the behaviors they have learned

through media. Many adolescent girls do this by adopting strict exercise and diet regimens that

often turn into anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. As previously mentioned, many girls exhibit

disordered eating, which includes binge eating, dieting, and obsessing over exercise while not

entirely developing an eating disorder. While disordered eating may not be as extreme as

anorexia or bulimia, it is still incredibly unhealthy.Once girls have begun to model these types of behaviors, the behaviors are positively ornegatively reinforced through vicarious learning. Vicarious reinforcement takes place when ones

actions receive positive or negative consequences. In this situation, girls gain positive

reinforcement when they feel more attractive to others and believe that they are reaching their

goal of gaining better physical attributes. When they do gain positive reinforcement, girls are

more likely to continue modeling the same behaviors or may even become motivated towardsmore extreme actions. This can lead to serious health problems and even death when involving

eating disorders.One study explains this obsession by stating, weight loss, in an attempt to achieve theideal body image, is more than inches and pounds to the woman with an eating disorder- it

becomes a way of life. Starvation, binge eating, and purging become intensely emotional

experiences (Meyers, 1992, 113). This suggests that if media influences girls to develop eating

disorders, it could also be influencing them towards an unhealthy, dangerous, and permanent

lifestyle. Research shows that media definitely has an effect on eating disorders in women, andespecially adolescent girls. The thin ideal that perpetuates an ideal body image can be found in

multiple types of media and across variations within each medium. The message perpetuated in

media is that a thin body constitutes attractiveness, beauty, and happiness. Studies have shownthat girls are affected by these messages much more than boys. Adolescent girls are the most

likely to be influenced by the images they see in media.Through the social cognitive theory, thin females in the media become models for younggirls. After gaining the self-efficacy to change their body shape, girls are lead to harsh dieting

and exercise that often develops into anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Trends towards

thinner and thinner ideal body images continue in todays media. If media effects trends continue

as well, it can be expected that more and more girls will develop incredibly dangerous habits,

eating disorders, and increase their risk of death.

References

Harrison, K., & Cantor, J. (1997). The Relationship Between Media Consumption and

Eating Disorders. Journal of Communication, 41(1), 40-67. Retrieved May 28, 2013,

from the Wiley Online Library database.

Harrison, K., & Moriarty, C. M. (2008). Television Exposure and Disordered Eating Among

Children: A Longitudinal Panel Study. Journal of Communication,58, 361-381. Retrieved


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Children: A Longitudinal Panel Study. Journal of Communication,58, 361-381. Retrieved

May 27, 2013, from the EBSCO database.

Meyers Jr., P. N., & Biocca, F. A. (1992). The Elastic Body Image: The Effect of Television

Advertising and Programming on Body Image Distortions in Young Women. Journal of

Communication, 42(3), 108-133. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from the Wiley Online Library

database.

Fingeret, Michelle Cororve, & Warren, Cortney S., & Cepeda-Benito, Antonio & Gleaves, David

H. (2006). Eating Disorder Prevention Research: A Meta-Analysis. Eating

Disorders: The Journal of Treatment & Prevention, 14(3), 191-213. Retrieved May 28,

2013, from the Taylor and Francis Online database.

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