Research Paper

Gender, Body Image and the Media

Britney B. Hassan

American Public University System

SOCI 404

17 December 2017

The topic of gender and body image is a relevant issue regarding gender because it affects both men and women. Gendered images based on body image are instilled in individuals at a young age and are continuously influenced by society. Many of these influences come from the media, from television, magazine articles, and advertisements. By the time a child is 15 years old, she or he will have spent more hours watching television than attending school (Andersen & Witham, 2011).

Popular culture promotes and relays messages as to how an individual should be. These messages correspond socially acceptable standards of race, weight, and hair. These images or messages are referred to as “controlling images” and play a contributing factor in how people view themselves individually and also how they view others. In the media, women with a lighter skin tone are considered to be more desirable than females who are a shade or two darker. Having a European hair texture correlates to having “good hair”. Women are expected to be slim with flat stomachs and nice breasts. Men are expected to be tall, muscular, and overly masculine.

Everyone is terrified of aging and many turn to plastic surgery and Botox to fight the signs of age progression. For men and women who try to live up to these social standards, it can be exhausting. It can be stressful and it can also be the cause of low self-esteem and depression. Popular culture also promotes gender roles and distinctions between how a man or woman are suppose to look; competiveness amongst genders also evolves because individuals want to look better than their counterparts.

This research paper will provide a critical analysis of gender and body image by providing information on background, current, and future issues. By providing references and social theories relating to gender and body image as well as providing personal insight from men and women on their feelings towards popular culture and the medias influence on body image.

Gender, Body Image and the Media

1. The background of Gender, Body Image and the Media.

A.) The media has played a consequential role in popular culture and how it is

influential towards gender and body image. For the longest time, the media was responsible for helping in establishing gender roles. Girls are expected to wear pink, play with dolls and dress up. Boys are expected to wear blue, get dirty and swear. A mother is suppose to be the nurturer and care taker of the home, while fathers are expected to work and bring home the bacon. Women are also expected to be thin, with nice figures, hair and smiles. Men are expected to be tall and muscular with broad shoulders and astonishing strength. These gender roles and body images are continuously established through persuasive media.

B.) These factors describe why gender, body image and the media are important

social issues today because society, which is made up of men, women and children are being controlled by these images; they are forced into thinking that these certain societal standards are how they should be or should conform to. On various forms of diversity in society, the mass media and popular culture promote narrow definitions of who people are and what they can be (Andersen & Witham, 2011).

C.) Certain controversies or debates relating to this topic would be how individuals

view the media, specifically social media as a toxic mirror. Psychologists discovered robust cross-cultural evidence linking social media use to body image concerns, dieting, body surveillance, a drive for thinness and self-objectification in adolescents (How Social Media Is a Toxic Mirror, 2016).

D.) This topic affects contemporary society because of its ability to touch

individuals from all around the world, who are culturally and economically different. Social media increases human interconnection and globalization socially through gender and body image but we aren’t brought together for economic or humanitarian reasons.

E.) Social change that I believe will occur in relation to this topic and which has

recently begun to occur is the self-love movement. There are a lot of ads, primarily aimed at women but relay a message to men also, that encourage individuals to love themselves for who they are. These ads insist that you love your flaws and be confident and comfortable in your skin. There are now plus- size models, African American women are encouraged to love their skin and hair by going natural, men are also encouraged to share their feelings and become more vulnerable. There are interracial families and even same sex relationships displayed throughout the media now.

2. The course materials and social theories that relate to your topic.

A.) There are a plethora of theoretical perspectives to support this argument. The theoretical perspective chosen to support this argument is the social conflict theory. The social conflict theory views society as a system of groups that are not equal, and therefore consistently generate conflict and change.

B.) This topic relates to the course because it discusses and analyzes gender,

culture and the media. Popular culture, along with controlling images and the

evolution of these influential factors over time will be discussed.

3. Critical analysis of topic.

A.) How does the media influence gender and body image?

B.) The correlation between gender and this specific topic relates with how men

and women view themselves (gender and body image) based on societal influences.

References

Andersen, M. & Witham, D. H. (2011). Thinking about women: Sociological perspectives on sex and gender (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon

https://study.com/academy/lesson/sociologys-four-theoretical-perspectives-structural-functional-social-conflict-feminism-symbolic-interactionism.html

How Social Media Is a Toxic Mirror. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2017, from http://time.com/4459153/social-media-body-image/