by Manda Sanko

Created on: December 26, 2008

Pick up a magazine or turn on the television and it will not be long before you get the message that thin is back in. After a brief time period of healthy bodies, we are on the verge of a new "thinsation." With so much media attention focusing on celebrities and thinness, it is hard for people not to feel self conscious and experience body dissatisfaction. Grabe, Ward, and Hyde (2008) found that body dissatisfaction is on the rise with approximately fifty percent of American girls and undergraduate women reporting being dissatisfied with their body. Such feelings of self consciousness and dissatisfaction can and has lead to critical physical and mental health problems such as depression, low self-esteem, obesity, and various eating disorders.

Ideal Body Image

The media sets the standard for the "ideal body image" every day. This image changes with the times and with the style. We are coming to the end of a time period in which healthy bodies were the primary focus; this was a time in which many people, both women and men, were able to feel more comfortable with themselves. Now, we are quickly going back to focusing on the "thin factor," making people more self conscious.

From movies to television and everywhere in between, thin actresses and models are over-represented while normal-sized and overweight actresses and models are under-represented. In fact, images shown in the media today are thinner than the actual female population, including those with eating disorders like anorexia (Grabe, Ward & Hyde, 2008). These images are seen every day by both females and males, taunting them to be more like Barbie and G.I. Joe than the average person.

Apparently we viewers are not the only ones being affected by the images the media is creating because a 1996 study found that even centerfold models feel the need to lie about not only their weight, but their height as well. In addition, 72% of all women featured in Playboy in 1994-1995 claimed to have a body mass index below the medical cutoff for malnourishment (Leutwyler, 2006).

The general ideal body image, as put off by the media, varies by gender. For females, the media suggests they be stick thin, preferably anorexic criteria thin. For males, the media suggests they be thin, but very muscular. Basically, the media wants the public to engage in the age old idea of "girly girl" and "manly man."

The Problem

There are many problems that stem from the media's portrayal of the ideal body. One of these problems is Social

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