Body Image, and how adolescent women are shaped socially through the media

Running Head : BODY IMAGE AND MEDIA

Female Body Image and Socialization as Influenced by the Media (Name (College (Professor (Course

Female Body Image and Socialization as Shaped by the Media "When I see these twigs of people in the magazines and on TV , I say 'I 'm going to go on a diet ' I think I won 't look good in those clothes because I 'm not that thin . You almost want to get thin just so you can wear the right clothes . I watch my junior high friends-they look like something out of a

magazine " -- Darcey , age twelve (Hesse-Biber , 1997 br

. 96

Nowadays , a person 's personal body image is equivalent to that person 's feelings of self-worth . Even more so if that person belongs to the pre-teen and adolescent age group , a developmental period

Body image is defined as how individuals view and judge their own personal appearance (Morrison , Kalin Morrison , 2004 . This is further divided into two components : the "body image evaluation " or the way critically evaluates his or her own physical appearance , and the "body image investment " or the things that people do "to manage or enhance the way they look (Morrison , Kalin Morrison , 2004

Everywhere there are products being hawked like fashions designed to flatter curves and hide "problem areas " new supplements that promise to help one burn fat or increase muscle mass . Salons and cosmetic surgery centers have all started hyping up "packages " and must have treatments for the beauty and "grooming " conscious (Hunker , 2000 ,

. 1

What leads people to invest so much time , money , effort and at times sacrifice to look a certain way

Sociology dictates that people act and behave according to the existing trends and standards present in the environment . In society , a person 's feeling identity starts first and foremost with their assessment of themselves . The need to belong or feel part of a group is very common particularly among adolescents . Their "acceptance " into their peer groups serves as affirmation that they are "okay " However , fitting into a group or society is not always easy . This is the reason why in most groups there are what is called the "in crowd " and the "out crowd

The "in-crowd " in the adolescent world are those who possess traits that set them apart and make them models of what most of their peers aspire to be . All the rest are just that "the rest " Adolescence is a time of confusion and pressure from peer groups and families . That is what makes teen magazines so popular especially among young girls who unfortunately treat the "how to 's " such magazines frequently publish as a "play-book on how they should act or look like . These "how to 's teach girls everything from how to get skinny , what clothes are trendy or even how to catch the attention of a boy they like (p .97

There is the idea that society propagates a certain "ideal " of how people should look like and behave in...