Body Image and Media COM 226, Summer 2011 PPT #11

The Thin Ideal in Media

Most research followed the death of Karen Carpenter from anorexia nervosa in 1983 [Agenda Setting in academe!] Eating disorders and anorexia/bulimia are predominantly a female problem Several authors see patterns over the past several decades, chiefly an increase in eating disorders mirroring the increase in media representations of a “thin ideal” Widespread use of digital retouching technology has “blurred the distinction between fantasy and fact” (Harrison, 2009)

Jean Kilbourne--Critic

Thin Ideal Research Media images of underweight models  audience members’ dissatisfaction with their own bodies [Social Comparison Theory] Surveys: ◦ A review by Levine and Harrison (2003) found small to moderate positive correlations between exposure and body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness ◦ Botta (1999) found body image processing (e.g., thinking about how one’s body compares to media images) to be a stronger predictor of body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness than mere exposure [strong support for Social Comparison Theory] ◦ Harrison (1998) showed attraction to thin media personalities predicted eating disorders

Thin Ideal Research Media images of underweight models  audience members’ dissatisfaction with their own bodies [Social Comparison Theory] Longitudinal Surveys: ◦ Only a few studies have followed people over time ◦ Harrison and Hefner (2006)—for young girls, total TV exposure was followed 1 year later by choosing a thinner ideal adult body type ◦ Harrison and Bond (2007)—for prepubescent boys, exposure to video gaming magazines was followed 1 year later by an increased drive for muscularity ◦ Becker et al. (2002)—found more eating disorders among adolescent girls in Fiji 3 years after the introduction of TV in 1995

Thin Ideal Research Media images of underweight models  audience members’ dissatisfaction with their own bodies [Social Comparison Theory] Experiments: ◦ A meta-analysis of 25 experiments on this relationship in women (Groesz et al., 2002) found:  An average effects size of -.31 (exposure to thin models  lower satisfaction with self) ◦ Some research (e.g., Harrison et al., 2006) has used observations of eating behavior following exposure in experiments ◦ Very little research has researched this for males, but there is support in the few studies (e.g., Agliata & Tantleff-Dunn, 2004) ◦ Field experiment by Stice et al. (2001) found teen girls assigned to receive Seventeen magazine for 15 months were more bulimic at end, IF they had low levels of social support

Thin Ideal Research Media images of underweight models Content Analyses: ◦ Thinner body standard for women than for men found in TV (Silverstein et al., 1986) ◦ Ideal body type became thinner from 1959 to 1988 (research on Playboy models and Miss America contestants) ◦ Women of James Bond consistently thin over the decades (Neuendorf et al., 2010)

Media Body Image Effects on Health Body image disturbance related to:  Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia)  Smoking  Steroid use  Increased desire for cosmetic surgery At the same time, obesity is related to:  Video game playing among children  TV watching among children  Unhealthy weight control in childhood (related to body image disturbance)