The Celeb Skinny: Trends in Media Depictions of the Body Ideal

The media has cornered its grasp on my aspects of our lives from reality television to box office hits to the gossip magazines that line the super market aisles, it is almost inescapable.  Even more so is the influence that is has on our perception and beliefs particularly when it comes to beauty and body image.  Constant exposure to these idealized standards of female and male beauty and physical attractiveness.  We live in a culture that touts the advantages of being exceptionally thin and beautiful.  Yet, these so called standards of beauty are increasingly harder to attain or maintain.  In fact, less than 5% of the female population is actually able to obtain the current media ideal for thinness.  There is also an increased value placed by society on this perceived ideal.  Women may feel that unless they meet this mold that they are not good enough, not popular, not successful, and not attractive.  It is a slippery slope and one that is certainly impacted by what is portrayed through the media.  Take a look at the following statistics about girls who have developed depression and poor body image as a result of the media. 

· In a recent survey by Teen People magazine, 27% of the girls felt that the media pressures them to have a perfect body, and a poll conducted in 1996 by the international ad agency Saatchi and Saatchi found that ads made women fear being unattractive or old.*1
· One study of Saturday morning toy commercials found that 50% of commercials aimed at girls spoke about physical attractiveness, while none of the commercials aimed at boys referred to appearance.
· Other studies found 50% of advertisements in teen girl magazines and 56% of television commercials aimed at female viewers used beauty as a product appeal.
· In a sample of Stanford undergraduate and graduate students, 68% felt worse about their own appearance after looking through women's magazines.
· Research has shown convincingly that thin-ideal media exposure is related not only to body-image disturbances but also to disordered eating
· 1980 study by David M. Garner, Paul E. Garfinkel, Donald Schwartz, and Michael Thompson reported a significant decrease in the body measurements and weights of Playboy centerfold subjects and Miss America Pageant contestants from 1959 to 1978

Above pictured are celebrities who have received endless press for their thin appearance.  It is images like these that trend today's perception on the reality of the ideal body image.  How many women do you know that are affected by this?  How many of your friends, or sisters, or even mothers have ever dieted, over exercised, or struggled with weight issues because of the constant media pressure.  These unhealthy pressures affect so many in their day to day lives as they wrestle with depression, lack of self worth, or even worse debilitating eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia.  

Positive Effects

Sure, body image in the media has had some negative effects in society. People of all ages have been influenced by the “ideal” images that the media has created. People everywhere feel pressured to look like the standard manufactured by the media. However, the effects of body image in the media are not all negative. Some people have taken drastic steps to try to achieve the “perfect” body because of the pressure from the media, but others have taken it as an initiative to get in shape. The importance that the media has put on appearance has motivated many people to change their lives for the better. If the media has pressured people to start eating healthier and working out, then it has had a positive effect on those people. Being conscious of one’s body and making healthier choices is a good thing.

There are many programs that have taken advantage of the increase in health awareness. The two fitness programs pictured above, P90X and Zumba, are examples of ways that people have been trying to improve their bodies. P90X is a high intensity strength training fitness program that is done at home. This makes it even easier for people to get in shape and strive to be happier with their appearance. The other program, Zumba, is a fast-paced aerobic exercise program that can be found at many gyms. For many people, it is a fun way to get a quick but intense workout in. Because of the added pressure by the media, more and more people have taken advantage of programs like these in order to live a healthier lifestyle.

Media Pressure is Everywhere

Body image is one of the most often recurring themes in the media today. Everywhere you look, there are billboards, magazine covers, TV shows, commercials, internet banner ads, and many other forms of advertising that focus on body image. These ads can be directed towards people of all age groups, different nationalities, and both male and female genders. It is not limited to one specific demographic. However, in all these different types of ads, no matter who they are directed toward, the message is almost always the same; skinnier is better.

Unfortunately, the standards set by the media have warped society’s expectations of body image. People feel pressured to set unrealistic goals for themselves because they feel like they will not get noticed if their bodies are not “perfect”. This causes many problems for people of all ages. However, in society today, the saturation of body image in the media has had a large effect on teens. The above image is a screenshot from a web page. On this particular page, there is an article titled, “How does the media effect body image in teens?” The article goes on to talk about specific examples of ads targeted towards teens and the potential effects that these have on young people. It also suggests strategies of what parents can do to make sure their kids are not unnecessarily pressured to conform to the body image that the media has glorified.

Having an article like this is all well and good. However, there is some irony on this web page. There are two banner ads on the page, and both of them are ads about cutting down the size of your belly! On the very website that is talking about the potentially negative effects of body image in the media, there are ads about weight loss and the “Trick of a tiny belly”. This is a great example of how the media has flooded society with pressure to look a certain way. Even places where someone would look for information about these problems, there is an example of the problem staring them in the face.

The article mentions a few statistics about body image in the media which are very interesting. One key fact is that today’s female models generally weigh about 23 percent less than the average woman. Also, the average female model is 5’10” tall and weighs 110 pounds while the average woman is 5’4” tall and weighs 145 pounds. This huge discrepancy between the media’s “ideal” form and the reality of what most humans look like is disturbing. The unrealistic goals that people, especially teens, set for themselves are the cause of a lot of health problems in society today, such as anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders.

So who loses here? Everyone. Parents are put in a tough situation because they want their kids to be healthy, but they do not want to shelter them away from society. Teens are held to a standard to which most cannot live up to, no matter how hard they try or how pressured they feel.

Body image in magazines

Photo courtesy: Smart Couponing

Photo courtesy: Men's Fitness

The two magazine covers further demonstrate the way the media is influencing the body image of both men and women. This cover of fitness has multiple headlines about how to lose fat and appear slimmer. "Walk Away Every Bulge," "Peel off 10 pounds,""DE-JELLY your belly," and "Fat to firm at any age" are just a few examples of the articles in this magazine that all address body image. Also, all of those articles are examples of the media telling woman how they should appear. Without even opening the magazine, it is evident that being skinny and firm are qualities the media has deemed important. On the cover of Men's Fitness, a similar message is being sent. The man pictured has big, well-defined muscles and the caption next to the picture reads "Get This Look." Several other headings include "7 ABS Secrets," "Lift Less, get more Muscle," and "Get Huge Arms." This magazine also makes it evident that the media attempts to control how men should look. Men are being told they must have 6 pack abs, huge arm muscles, and be skinny in order to be noticed. With magazines like these present everywhere in our lives, is it really a surprise that body image is an issue?

Teen Truth Body Image

Video credit: Teen Truth Live

This Teen Truth video shows how the media is affecting teens everywhere. In this video, real teenagers confess their feelings about their image and how the media is the most at blame for these feelings. This short clip begins with some statistics about how often an average person will look in the mirror. Will what he or she sees be good enough? People who might normally be happy with their body image have been taught to believe they aren't good enough. The media has created expectations that teenagers as well as people younger and older now try to live up to. However, this "perfect image" that the media has created is negatively influencing society. The first girl to speak in the video begins with "I'm so unhappy with myself." No one should have to feel this way because of ideas put forth by the media. She follows that statement with "The world is so shallow that it has taught me that my body is who I am." Why have we allowed these beliefs to survive? Is a person really defined by their appearance. Sadly, many would agree that appearance is a defining factor. Personally, I think this is wrong. We should be able to see past a person's appearance and enjoy the person inside. Also, when we think of body image, often we only think of girls trying to change their appearance. Body image is a big issue for guys as well. The media has created the idea that a guy must have big, well defined muscles in order to be accepted. In this video, one guy states "I actually feel like I still need to get bigger." Men are defined by how strong and how big their muscles are. Yet again, this is an idea the media has created that is negatively influencing society. The more one hears how fat he or she is, the more one begins to believe and see that themselves. Whether it is true or not, guys and girls begin to think they are fat when all they hear from the media is that you need to be skinnier or have bigger muscles. The media portrays this message, but doesn't share the fact that the images published have all been edited. Because of this, people convince themselves that this is how they need to look without even realizing that the actual people in the pictures in magazines don't look this way. We need to move the focus away from having the "perfect" body image because when people obsess over this one issue they lose focus on everything else present in their lives. The media has created this idea of "You're never good enough for yourself" and we need to get rid of this theory. We wonder why so many people choose to crash diet, use steroids, or become anorexic or bulimic, but never solve the root of the problem. Teen Truth has taken the first steps to resolve this issue. Now the choice is up to you, will you follow in their footsteps?

Human Barbie

Photo Credit: BBC News

The media has created many expectations about how men and women should appear. One of these ideas is that Barbie is the ultimate example of how a woman should look. Even at young ages, girls are beginning to try to force their bodies to appear similar to how Barbie appears. However, this image shows how unrealistic that expectation is for girls to achieve. I feel confident that everyone looking at the image of Libby with Barbie's proportions would agree that it is not a normal appearance. Yet hundreds, or even thousands of girls still try to force their bodies to match this appearance that society has deemed "pretty."

Dove Campaign for Real Beauty

Video Credit: Dove

This video is an advertisement for the Dove Evolution Campaign for Real Beauty. The point of their campaign is to promote real beauty, which is how women actually look not how people believe girls should look compared to models and celebrities. The media display images of super skinny girls and puts forth messages that this is what is "beautiful." From this, girls everywhere attempt to make their bodies match the images of models they see on television and in magazines. This video shows how this is an unrealistic goal. Girls will never be able to match the appearance of the models they see. Even the women pictured in ads and magazines cannot make themselves look like their pictures. Once the pictures have been taken, the image is completely edited. The final result has been completely changed from the way the image began. For this reason, it is not physically possible for women to achieve these looks. So why does the media promote these images? Why are these models the standard for what defines beauty? The media is defining beauty and this is having a negative effect on women as well as men. Body image is a huge issue, but the media is causing people to lose confidence in their appearance. The health of individuals is being affected because people continue to push their bodies to meet the standards the media has put forth. Are we going to let this continue? Or, like Dove, will we try to reverse this trend and promote "real beauty"?