Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders

Older and Newer Media: Patterns of Use and Effects on Adolescents' Health and Well‐Being

“…A great deal of research has been conducted in the past decade on the media's role in adolescents' body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. The research has found, in general, that the frequent positive portrayals of thin models and negative attributes of heavier characters on television and in magazines reduces adolescent girls' satisfaction with their own bodies immediately and over time and contributes to disordered eating symptoms for both males and females, but especially for girls (for reviews, see Harrison & Hefner, 2008;Levine & Harrison, 2009).…”

“…Early exposure to the thin body ideal contributes to body image disturbances that then increase vulnerability to subsequent thin-ideal media images. Studies have found that girls with body and eating problems seek out thin-ideal media (Thomsen, McCoy, Gustafson, & Williams, 2002), and adolescent girls who are motivated by social comparison are more likely to internalize the thin-ideal, which over time can lead to disordered eating (Harrison & Hefner, 2008).…”

“…Ironically, the same media environment that promotes a thin body ideal may contribute to the current epidemic of obesity among children and adolescents in the United States and, increasingly, around the world (Popkin, 2009). Being underweight or overweight are both departures from healthy eating patterns (Harrison & Hefner, 2008). In the past four decades, the obesity rate has more than tripled among adolescents (12 -19 years old) from 4.6% to 17.6% (Ogden, Carroll, & Flegal, 2008).…”

The Relationships Between Female Adolescents’ Media Use, Indoor Tanning Outcome Expectations, and Behavioral Intentions

“…A large-scale study of American teenagers found that they spend, on average, 9 hours per day using media, and that girls are drawn more strongly to media that allow for social interaction (e.g., social media) than are boys (Common Sense, 2015). Other work suggests that adolescent girls are more likely than boys to internalize media messages about an ideal body image (Harrison & Hefner, 2008), and this internalization can include associations between tan skin and the ideal body (Yoo & Kim, 2012). Social media, in particular, may reduce self-esteem and increase negative body image among some adolescent girls (Doornwaard et al, 2014).…”

Emerging adults' responses to a media presentation of idealized female beauty: An examination of cosmetic surgery in reality television.

“…However, experimental data suggest that when individuals compare themselves to images of idealized female beauty, girls and women feel bad about themselves and maladaptive behaviors may ensue (Stice & Shaw, 2002; Tiggeman & Polivy, 2010). Related, cultivation theory (Gerbner et al, 2002; Harrison & Hefner, 2008) suggests that repeated exposure to the media (i.e., cultivation of information presented in the media) leads viewers to accept media information as indicative of reality. Thus, the disparate nature of female beauty presented in the media and the beauty that the average female is likely to achieve becomes diminished as media contact increases.…”