The Media and Women's Body Image
- 1. The Media and Women’s Body Image
- 2. How many advertisements does the average American see each day? A. 3,000 B. 200 C. 2,500 D. 1,900 (Kilbourne 1999)
- 4. How many years does the average American spend watching television commercials? A. 10 B. 1 C. ½ a year D. 3 (Kilbourne 1999)
- 5. 3 years
- 6. In one year, how much money is spent by Americans on diet and diet related products? A. 33 Billion dollars B. 100 Million dollars C. 12 Billion dollars (Cavanaugh and Lemberg 1999)
- 8. What percentage of American women are on a diet? A. 25% B. 62% C. 50% D. 44% (Costin 1999)
- 9. 50%
- 10. What percentage of fourth grade girls are on a diet? A. 15% B. 75% C. 44% D. 80% (Costin 1999)
- 11. 80%
- 12. Twenty years ago, the average model weighed how much less than the average woman? A. 2% B. .5% C. 5% D. 8% (Kilbourne 1999)
- 13. 8%
- 14. Today, the average model weighs how much less than the average woman? A. 23% B. 12% C. 10% D. 20% (Kilbourne 1999)
- 15. 23%
- 16. What size was Marilyn Monroe? A. 4 B. 12 C. 6 D. 8 (Wooley and Wooley 1986) (http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlLA/original/019_1374~Marilyn-Monroe-Posters.jpg)
- 17. Size 12
- 18. What percentage of women report being unhappy with their bodies? A. 22% B. 55% C. 95% D. 80% (Costin 1999)
- 19. 95%
- 20. Approximately, how many women in the U.S. are anorexic or bulimic? A. 5 Million B. 600,000 C. 10 Million D. 1 Million (National Eating Disorders Association 2002)
- 21. 10 Million
- 22. The number of reported cases of bulimia in women increased by how much between 1988 and 1993? A. 62% B. 300% (tripled) C. 200% (doubled) (National Eating Disorder Association 2002)
- 23. 300%, it tripled
- 24. Body Image Body ideal in magazines has become less curvaceous, taller, and thinner over time In 1985: 30% of women had poor appearance evaluation scores In 1993: 48% had poor appearance evaluation scores Cornell study of female college students: most normal-weight wanted to lose weight; ½ of underweight wanted to lose more weight or maintain their weight (Guillen and Barr 1994) (Cash and Henry 1993) (Cornell University Communications 2007)
- 25. Eating Disorders Eating disorders are the third leading chronic illness among women 90% of both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa cases are female Only 6% of people with bulimia nervosa and 33% of people with anorexia nervosa receive mental health care (Vaschenko 2005) (National Eating Disorders Association 2002)
- 26. Normalization of Negative Body Image Exposure to images of unrealistically thin bodies can cause internalization of social beauty standards Internalization can affect body satisfaction, eating behaviors, self-esteem, weight-concern Study of girls in grades 5 through 12: 69% claimed magazine images influence their idea of a perfect body shape 47% wanted to lose weight because of the images Now “normal” for women to be dissatisfied with their bodies (Field 2000) (Cusumano and Thompson 1997) (Cash and Henry 1993)
- 27. References American Psychiatric Association. 2000. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR, 4th ed., text revision. Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Association. Cash, Thomas F., and Henry, Patricia E. 1995. “Women’s body images: The results of a national survey in the U.S.A.” Sex Roles 33 (1/2): 19-27. Cavanaugh, Carolyn J and Lemberg, Raymond. 1999. “What We Know About Eating Disorders: Facts and Statistics.” Pp. 7 in Eating Disorders: A Reference Sourcebook by Raymond Lemberg. Phoenix, Arizona: Oryx Press. Cornell University Communications. 2007. “Most College Students Wish They Were Thinner, Study Shows.” FirstScience . November 20. Retrieved December 5, 2007 <http://www.firstscience.com/home/news/breaking-news-all-topics/most-college-students-wish-they-were-thinner-study-shows_39692.html> Costin, Carolyn. 1999. The Eating Disorders Sourcebook: A Comprehensive Guide to the Causes, Treatments, and Prevention of Eating Disorders . Los Angeles, California: NTC Contemporary. Cusumano, Dale L., and Thompson, J. Kevin. 1997. “Body Image and Body Shape Ideals in Magazines: Exposure, Awareness, and Internalization.” Sex Roles 37(9/10): 701-721. Field, Alison E. 2000. “Media Influence on Self-image: The Real Fashion Emergency.” Healthy Weight Journal 14(6): 88, 95. Retrieved September 24, 2007 Available: Academic Search Premier. Guillen, Eileen O., and Barr, Susan I. 1994. “Nutrition, Dieting, and Fitness Messages in a Magazine for Adolescent Women, 1970-1990.” Journal of Adolescent Health 15: 464-472. Kilbourne, Jean. 1999. Can’t Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel . New York: Simon & Schuster. National Eating Disorders Association. 2002. “Statistics: Eating Disorders and Their Precursors.” National Eating Disorders Association. Retrieved January 26, 2008. <http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/p.asp?WebPage_ID=286&Profile_ID=41138> Smolak, Linda and Striegel-Moore, Ruth. 2001. “Body Image Concerns.” Pp. 201 in Encyclopedia of Women and Gender: Sex Similarities and Differences and the Impact of Society on Gender edited by Judith Worell. Boston: Academic Press. Vaschenko, Maryna. 2005. “Eating Disorders in Adolescent Girls: What Educators Should Know.” The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin , 71(2): 18-21. Retrieved September 24, 2007 Available: Academic Search Premier. Wooley, O.W., and Wooley, E. (1984). “Feeling Fat in a Thin Society.” Glamour : 198-252.
Editor's Notes
- #9: Only half of those women are estimated to be overweight
- #25: Body Image defined as “feelings and beliefs about, perceptions of, and attitudes toward the attractiveness of one’s body” (Smolak and Striegel-Moore 2001)
- #26: AN characterized by a refusal to maintain a minimally normal body weight. BN characterized by repeated episodes of binge eating followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives; fasting; excessive exercise. Disturbance in perception of body shape, weight is essential feature in AN and BN (American Psychiatric Association 2002)