Wednesday 23 April 2014

The Real Harm of the Media- Magazine Edition

When we talk about "the media" what do we really mean? I confess I tend to think of TV, of film, of newspapers and of course magazines. The term "the media" has come to hold negative connotations no matter where we seem to hear it. Whether it't The Sun with it's outmoded and offensive use of Page Three, or anything Robin Thicke is involved in, the media (to me at least) seems to have taken a downward spiral from it's glory days.This is because the modern media does harm, real harm.

When we started this project I, like anyone else, was vaguely aware that being constantly bombarded with idealised and unrealistic images of women was damaging. I'm sure there's not many of us who could say that they have never felt bad about themselves after wondering past a freshly stocked woman's magazine rack, or simply driving past the latest perfume ad on a billboard. However the extent of this damage was overwhelmingly unknown to me.

One meta-analysis I came across by Groez, Levine and Murmen (2001) (who coincidentally do a lot of great gender research, check out the journal Sex Roles) revealed the extent of the media ideal and it's influences. Their analysis revealed that women and girls (particularly those under the age of 19) consistently experienced body dissatisfaction after exposure to genuine images taken from fashion magazines. This exposure has created and perpetuates a "thin ideal" that less that 5% of the population on women can actually live up to. Not only this but the women in these studies were wildly unaware that the images are enhanced and improved, to a standard that is highly unattainable or impossible! This is of course not to mention the effect of the thin ideal on eating disordered attitudes, and behaviors.

I hate to think of how many generations have grown up or will have to grow up with these unrealistic expectations thrust upon them. That's why it is important to have an understanding of what these influences do and more importantly to question these expectations! The same met-analysis found that media literacy (a brief educational course, which includes: awareness of media use and analysis of content and intentions) could protect women from negative body image, and show higher acceptance and satisfaction of their own body.

This is what we are here to tell you:
- Think! Think about what you are viewing, and the purpose of it. The majority of the time that pretty lady/ man in there to try and sell you something.
- Remember that the thin ideal represents less that 5% of actual women
- A team of make up artists, stylists, hair dressers, and not to mention photo editing software is used to make the image you see. This is no more real than a cartoon. Don't compare yourself to this fallacy.
- Remember that all women have genetically different make up which contributes to your natural body shape.
- Be happy, be healthy and be cynical of the media ideal!

Reference:
Groesz, L. M., Levine, M. P., & Murnen, S. K. (2002). The effect of experimental presentation of thin media images on body satisfaction: A meta‐analytic review. International Journal of Eating Disorders31(1), 1-16.

No comments:

Post a Comment