body image

Discussion: Body Image and Media Messages

Beauty images shown through the media often are unrealistic. Nevertheless, it is difficult for children and adolescents, both male and female, to stop comparing themselves to the images they may see on television, in the movies, and in magazines. Generally, these comparisons can result in bad feelings about body image and one’s self-concept. As a consequence, children and adolescents might strive to attain the perfect body image and consider these goals as realistic. The result can be the development of an eating disorder.

For this Discussion, select an advertisement about body image, weight, food, and so forth, in today’s media. Think about your reactions to the advertisement. What did you think and feel about the advertisement? Consider how it might promote negative feelings about body image for a child or adolescent.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 3 the URL to an online advertisement or attach a scan/photocopy of the print advertisement to the discussion thread. Then, post a brief description of the advertisement you selected. Explain how this advertisement made you feel and explain why. Finally, explain one way this advertisement might affect a child or adolescent and how. Be specific.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the week’s resources.

Examples Below

Hello Class

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/591027151079993186/?d=t&mt=login

Iconic model name Twiggy and celebrities show off fashions with the perfect body.

Looking at the images in the advertisement made me feel as if I was not pretty because I did not look like them and that  I was too fat. Also, the advertisement makes skinny bodies pretty and popular. Another thing, it makes many African American women dislike their curves, and it lowers self-esteem in an individual, so some of them try to look like Europeans.

This advertisement is all about looking fashionable, and it defines what is beautiful and what your body size should be. Also, an adolescent or child who cannot decide for themselves often tries to emulate what they see in the advertisement, and this could lead to an eating disorder.

Another example

Hello Class

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/08/business/dove-ad-racist.html  

Then, post a brief description of the advertisement you selected.

Dove created an ad that showed women changing into different ethnicities. Marissa Solan, a spokeswoman for Dove, said that the GIF “was intended to convey that Dove Body Wash is for every woman and be a celebration of diversity, but it was not viewed in that manner. With the ad starting as an African American woman removing her shirt and turning into a Caucasian woman, social media deemed the ad as racist, offensive, and is a continuance of a long history of racist soap advertisements. 

Explain how this advertisement made you feel and explain why.

The ad made me feel slightly offended being that there is a history of colorism in America. I grew up with girls who were bullied for their skin tones, and they have done unnecessary things to try to get lighter skin. I do not agree with their behaviors towards their skin. Although it was not the intention of Dove, their ad is feeding into the idea that lighter skin is cleaner and their body wash will deliver cleaner, lighter skin.  

Finally, explain one way this advertisement might affect a child or adolescent and how.

Idealized commercials led to increased negative mood and appearance comparison for girls and boys, although the effect on appearance comparison was stronger for girls (Hargreaves & Tiggemann, 2004). The idea of lighter skin is a true desire for a lot of Americans and can strongly influence the desires of children and adolescents. Skin-bleaching practices, such as using skin-lightening creams and soaps to achieve a lighter skin tone or to “whiten” skin, are common among non-White populations throughout the world, triggered by deep historical, economic, sociocultural, and psychosocial roots ( Benn, Alexis, Mohamed, Wang, Khan, & Liu, 2016). Skin-bleaching comes with many health risks because not all of the ingredients are regulated by the USDA, and can lead to 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/08/business/dove-ad-racist.html  

Another example

Hello everyone,

I found this advertisement alarming.   The model is so thin, that there has to be an element of anorexia.   If a young girl looked at this picture and wanted to look like that, she would have to be unhealthy to do it.   I can absolutely see how the child would develop an eating disorder.   Young girls are bombarded with images of what a perfect body and beauty should look like.   We have social media that complicates it even more.   I hope that the companies that are straying away from these images and are using plus size women, and natural photos continue to do so, and that it catches on.  

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