The Body, Society and the Media
It’s no secret that society shapes us in many different ways, probably a lot more than we even tend to realise. After all, we are social beings that rely on each other for the survival of humanity. This is why there is a strong belief that traditional forms of media, such as magazines, influence our perceptions of beauty and appearance concerns. Unfortunately, we live within a capitalist society which means that we as individuals constantly strive to be promoted by various companies which want to profit off people. Fast food companies spend multi millions on promoting their products, putting advertisements for junk food on our screens all the time, which leads to individuals making bad decisions surrounding their lifestyle and diet which are then used to intensify how people see beauty. This creates body image issues for a lot of people.
Body image is a multidimensional construct that refers to one’s perception of and attitudes towards the size and shape of one’s body. If you mindlessly scroll though social media platforms you realise that you’re far from alone, but have you ever wondered how all these images of other people’s bodies influence how you view your own? The media has become a large platform that projects strong views on how we as individuals should look, I refer to this as the “Barbie and Ken effect”. The media has played a large role in presenting unrealistic beauty standards by photoshopping celebrities or models so that they look like a real-life barbie doll. This then makes us look at more perfect images of others which causes us to then search for those same idealised characteristics in ourselves and when we don’t find them, we feel worse about ourselves. A survey conducted in 2019 by the Mental Health Foundation concluded that 1/5 adults have felt shameful about their bodies and how they look, with 1/8 adults within the UK experiencing suicidal thoughts solely based on their appearance. It has been established that the exposure to the “perfect” bodies within the media has a significant effect on how both men and women want to look.
Body dissatisfaction plays a large role in the development of clinically disordered eating. This basically oversimplifies the psychopathology of eating disorders which suggests that exposure to thin ideal images causes eating disorders. However, thin ideal images do have significant health implications, this has been tested on both men and women. Social media is a very powerful tool which reinforces cultural beliefs and values and while it may not be fully responsible for determining the standards of the “perfect” body, it does make escaping these images and attitudes of the “perfect” body almost impossible. We encounter millions of people every single day via social media, like Facebook and Instagram. These platforms have a function in which you can post a photo of yourself which others can see and comment on.
Positive body image involves the understanding that healthy attractive bodies come in many different shapes and sizes, and that physical appearance says very little about our character or value as a person. Society shapes us in many ways from our interactions to our own self- worth. Stop comparing yourself to others. We as humans are all unique and we can’t get a sense of our own body’s needs and abilities by comparing it to someone else. Broaden your perspective about health and beauty by reading about body image, cultural variances, or media influence. Recognise that size prejudice is a form of discrimination just like other forms of discrimination. Shape and size are not indicators of character, morality, intelligence, or success. We all have the ability to develop a positive body image. It really is worth trying to break through the standards of today’s society.
Every body is a beach body.
le Caitlin McCotter