Topic research

This article truly explores the effects the media has on self esteem regarding body image. The increasing use of the media is held responsible for the increase in body dissatisfaction and eating disorders.

Not only this but also the pressure on men to be muscular and follow the influence of celebrities.

The media is seen to have a negative effect on men at a younger age than women.

As well as the media having effects such as eating disorders, low self-esteem and self dissatisfaction, the media can also be seen as a source of motivation to those gym fanatics who see magazine images of, ‘the perfect man’ and feel the need to be of the same level.

The renovation of the media has lead to its persuasive influence in modern society. Therefore the stereotypical expectations of what it is to be beautiful cannot be overruled as the media remains in domain of society.

The influence of celebrities is also beginning to have a negative impact on young boys with 1/3 thinking ‘they need to lose weight and have tried to diet an average of four times.’

Whereas there is many support for woman disputing the discrimination of women through the media, for men the situation is overlooked.

Surprisingly nearly the same number of boys are as body conscious as woman.

Alternatively those who don’t see themselves as part of the percentage affected by the media, turn the negativities into a source of motivation in order to make themselves more body proud.

The influences delivered through the media are available in a variety of ways, for example some stereotypical representations of what makes the perfect body are displayed through kids programs. This has lead to an increase in body dissatisfaction at a younger age, for example, a previous article we researched states that, ‘girls as young as five are unhappy with their bodies and want to be slimmer. Our documentary will look in depth at the negative effects the media has such as eating disorders, as well as looking at those who regard the media to be an inspiration to them as well as a source of motivation.

Nowadays, cosmetic surgery is a lot more thought about than previously. With banks such as Lloyds considering offering loans specifically aimed at cosmetic surgery. Recently, a lot more men are considering improving their appearance by going under the knife.

Many people see plastic surgery as a method of self-improvement. This need being influenced by the media.

The media is known to present unrealistic images of women to men therefore idolising to them the perfect woman. However this can have a negative affect on woman as they are ever compared to the unachievable images the media presents.

Subconsciously, this is also the case for men. The images produced by the media have a negative effect on their self satisfaction and it was proven that ‘more than half of the boys questioned’ (out of 2,000) ‘thought they were not attractive to girls’

The effect of the media has a negative effect on self esteem as is established through this article. Alternatively an idea gone unmentioned until now is the impact of our peers on our image.