Media Influence on Eating Disorders

In class we have discussed how the media is the lens through which we view gender in pop culture. However, we have recently brought up the controversial issue of whether the media influences society, or whether society influences the media. There is no true answer to this question; however, shockingly, or maybe not so shockingly many professionals and researchers believe that the media plays a major role in influencing eating disorders among teenage girls. You may be wondering how this is so, and many different explanations have been researched; however I found the massive amounts of “attractiveness messages and images” and gender stereotypes of femininity to be the most intriguing.

The media is the primary producer of “attractiveness messages” and is prominent in millions of teenage girl’s lives, because this is where they turn to for the latest news, trends and gossip. A recent study analyzed by the National Eating Disorders Association shows that for girls, “the media is main source of information about women’s health issues” and that an average of 3 to 4 hours of television is watched daily (“The Media, Body Image”). This suggests that the bulk of information which creates a teenager’s perspective of what it means to be “a woman” comes from the media. Furthermore, other studies also reveal that that “1 out of every 3.8 commercials send some sort of “attractiveness message,” telling viewers what is or is not attractive,” and it has been estimated that “the average adolescent sees over 5,260 “attractiveness messages” per year” (“The Media, Body Image”). These statistics clearly convey that not only is the media a prominent resource for teenage girls but the media also puts extreme emphasis on appearance, attractiveness, thinness and beauty.

However, the most detrimental aspect is not only the amount of “attractiveness messages that are portrayed” but also the way in which they are shown and related to American sociocultural values. Messages and images of appearance which are portrayed in the media cause teens to view thinness as a route to success and achievement. Think back to television shows, movies and sitcoms. Who were the most popular girls? Who were the girls most likely to catch the attention of boys? Who were the girls that were in the spotlight and who always got the job of their dreams? I highly doubt that you are thinking to yourself the unattractive, full-figured girl in the corner. No, the media presents a successful, powerful and accepted female as being thin and pretty. This portrayal linking success and acceptance with beauty and thinness causes teenage girls to perceive attractiveness as the most valued aspect of a person’s character.

In addition to linking thinness and beauty with success, the stereotype of femininity that pervades the media also influences teenage girls to strive to be thin. For many years, the media has portrayed femininity with a beautiful, slim, frail, but sexy female. However, these images are getting thinner and thinner as time goes on and many of the models portrayed on television, in magazines and in ads look as if they are anorexic or bulimic. Meanwhile, these models and actresses also seem to be radiant, loveable and glowing. Deanne Jade of “The National Center for Eating Disorders believes that this “idyllic” picture causes teenage girls to “compare their actual or perceived actual shape against the socially represented ideal,” and turn to eating disorders as a way to meet these physical expectations of “feminism” (Jade). However, obtaining a body type similar to the women seen in the media is a totally unrealistic and unattainable goal, because study and research show that “the average model female has a weight that is approximately twenty to twenty five percent less than her ideal body weight” and “their BMI is on the borders of what a clinician would regard as anorexic” (Herman). (SEE PICTURE ABOVE)

Personally, I feel that the media does play a role in influencing eating disorders, mostly by strongly correlating and portraying the female gender in relation to beauty and thinness. This can be absolutely detrimental to our youth and media corporations need to take a stand in portraying more realistic images of females and of beauty.

-KB

"The Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders." National Eating 

         Disorders Association. 2006. NEDA. 30 Mar. 2008 

         file_ID=41166>. 

Herman, Mike. "The Media's Influences on Eating Disorders." 4 Health 

         Concerns. 2008. 1 Apr.2008

         influence-on-eating-disorders.htm?maxi>.

Jade, Deanne. "Eating Disorders and the Media." National Center for 

         Eating Disorders. 2002. The British Medical Association. 30 Mar. 

  2008. 

How the Media Portrays Females

Britney Spears, once known as “the princess of pop,” has been in the public eye ever since her first single “...Baby One More Time” topped the charts in late 1998. It is clear that the media portrays woman, such as Spears, as sexual objects and men as sexual agents. Men clearly own and pursue their sexuality, unlike women. For most of Britney Spears’ career she was an over sexualized figure in pop culture, appearing half naked and in need of a man in almost all of her music videos. However, it is known that social norms do not allow women to be agents of their own sexuality, so in the late 1990’s Britney Spears publically spoke out against sex before marriage, claiming she would stay a virgin until she found true love. This ideology was contradicting however since Britney was quickly molded into a public sex icon adored my teenage girls and fantasized by many men, making her virginal beliefs seem unlikely.

As many people had expected, it was not long till the day Britney shed her virginity. A couple of years later, in 2004, Spears met Kevin Federline, and soon after married him and eventually had children. Immediately, the media/pop culture created a new “face” for Britney Spears- that of a struggling mother. For example, Spears inspired multiple covers of magazines after she drove with her son, Sean Preston, on her lap while trying to escape the paparazzi. Within hours the one photo of Sean Preston sitting on Britney’s lap while she was driving got onto the computer, it was everywhere. Headlines on the TV, in magazines, etc. read things such as: “Mother of the Year? No,” “Britney Spears Latest Parenting Mishap,” or “Bad Moments in Celebrity Parenting,” among plenty of others.

It is funny, however, because when Dennis Quaid’s children accidentally over-dosed on medication during their infancy it inspired no critiques of his parenting skills or cover stories for that matter. But, if this incident happened to Britney Spears, the media would somehow make it seem as though Ms. Spears doesn’t know how to raise children and this story would most definitely be all over the news within a couple of hours. An excellent example of this situation was presented in an article in The New York times, “When Owen Wilson was hospitalized in August after an apparent suicide attempt, his plight was the subject of a single US Weekly cover story. Not so Britney Spears, recently confined in a psychiatric ward, who has inspired six cover stories for the magazine during the same time span.” This example indicates that when women engage in similar activities or are placed in similar situations as men, they are more prone to negativity and shame from the public eye.

In early 2007, Britney Spears went “crazy” and shaved her head. Around the same time, Spears was photographed attacking paparazzi with an umbrella. Why were these two actions such a huge deal? Why did magazines spend tons of money getting these awful pictures of Britney? It is a socialized cultural norm that women appear submissive, innocent, and beautiful. Spears went from the epitome of female sexuality and beauty to a rebellion of it. Clearly, she over-stepped the boundaries of how the ways a woman should look and act.

I remember reading somewhere that approximately 70% of People magazines' readership is women. Likewise, the consumption of celebrity gossip is higher amongst women. Magazines repackage sexism as simply appealing to their demographic. For celebrities like Britney Spears, Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, etc. - their public interests get turned into life battles that are played out for maximum entertainment. Their media persona outshines their talent. It seems like celebrity women are exploited when ever a misfortunate situation occurs, and gender seems to be the underlying issue.

References

Williams, Alex. "Boys Will Be Boys, Girls Will Be Hounded by the Media."

New York Times. 17 Feb. 2008. 6 Oct. 2008 .