Media and Body Image
Media is a means of mass communication and it can include print media, TV/Movies and online. Social media is way that we can share our lives and ideas with others. Our body image is how we see our body and ourselves, Growing up in the modern age most kids have phones and they see certain things, like pictures that might be photoshopped. The media and how we feel about ourselves, and our body image are very important things, especially to teenagers. Social media can make it even more complicated because teenagers on on social media sites constantly.
Social platforms can be both positive and negative. For example, social media can help us raise money for causes but it can also increase bullying, give teens a negative sense of how they look and so on. We grow up looking at pictures of how models look and so we want to look exactly like models. People associate this problem with girls but that is not correct and boys can struggle with it too. Body image is connected to social media and we are shown in social media and all media images that can cause dieting problems because of the pictures the teenagers are looking at images This needs to be fixed.
I am interested in this topic because it is a problem that affects teenagers and the way they think about themselves. My cousin recently directed and produced a documentary called “ Straight Curve” documentary and she worked on it and talked about this topic for years. This got me interested in the media and body image. I think that this topic can affect most teengagers and for some it is worse than others. For me, I can look at some unrealistic pictures and become self conscious about the way I look. I also have some friends that do the same thing. This matters to me because I want to try to help people understand that if they look a certain way they are not better or worse than other people. I think this topic is important for others to know about because this is a serious problem. If you get the information out there maybe people can try to stop it or help people they know with this problem.
A psychologist found that the media’s portrayal of women and girls especially causes body image issues and can cause dieting, wanting to be thin, and body surveillance. Body surveillance is when someone is constantly looking at the way there body appears and not always feeling comfortable with it. Social media like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram images and reports can cause this. I read this article and it was about a girl getting bullied for the way she looked. She even got rid of most of her social media friends because she was afraid of being made fun of. This is not just a teenage problem and this affects the adults. The article said that about 60% of the public feel ashamed about the way they look. Studies show that girls are more vulnerable to what they see on social media. There are alot of statistics like 35% of them are worried about being tagged in a picture that is not attractive. There are 27% feel stressed about how they look in a picture that is already posted. There are 22% who feel bad about themselves if there picture is ignored. This needs to stop. Look at these 2 images and notice how one is photoshopped and one is not. His teeth are whiter and many of his face lines are gone. The media uses photoshopping a lot and Aerie is one of the few companies that has a promise to show people as they really are.
I am not saying that social media is a bad thing but I do think people but teenagers in general need to stop comparing themselves to other people or being worried about if you looked good in that picture. I hope to learn a lot about this topic and also I hope to teach other people about this topic. I am curious about why there is not more research on how men and boys are shown in the media. I also want to learn about we can use the media for good. I am looking forward to helping the community.
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