Search

Past research examining the content of media programming has shown women in the media tend to conform to certain beauty and body standards, with the dominant standard being one of "thinness." Because this thin ideal is so well-documented, there has been an interest in examining the effects of those portrayals on media consumers. Previous research has demonstrated the media can play an important role in causing body dissatisfaction among women. This research builds upon prior studies by conducting an experiment exploring the interaction among image familiarity (the image was of a female celebrity or unknown model), body size (the female was thin or overweight), and race (the female was White or Black) and how those three items could affect participant body satisfaction. Unlike most prior research, the sample was diverse, allowing analysis examining any differences related to participant gender or race. Results suggest there were, indeed, different psychological effects based upon the size, familiarity, and race of the female image viewed, and the effects differed by race. Unlikeprevious research, there were no differences between genders. Implications from these results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past research examining the content of media programming has shown women in the media tend to conform to certain beauty and body standards, with the dominant standard being one of "thinness." Because this thin ideal is so well-documented, there has been an interest in examining the effects of those portrayals on media consumers. Previous research has demonstrated the media can play an important role in causing body dissatisfaction among women. This research builds upon prior studies by conducting an experiment exploring the interaction among image familiarity (the image was of a female celebrity or unknown model), body size (the female was thin or overweight), and race (the female was White or Black) and how those three items could affect participant body satisfaction. Unlike most prior research, the sample was diverse, allowing analysis examining any differences related to participant gender or race. Results suggest there were, indeed, different psychological effects based upon the size, familiarity, and race of the female image viewed, and the effects differed by race. Unlike previous research, there were no differences between genders. Implications from these results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every day, millions of children, tweens, and teenagers sit down and watch their favorite television shows on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. A large segment of this audience is female, and many of them are reaching an age where they are developing an awareness of self and comparing that self to the ideals presented in the media. While this comparison is well-documented, little research has looked specifically at the beauty ideal messages of live-action television shows specifically targeting this group. Through a content analysis of nine Disney and Nickelodeon shows, beauty ideal messages were analyzed, with results suggesting that the thin, white beauty ideal that is present in adult programming is also alive and well in programming for a younger audience. Furthermore, the idea that “beauty is good” is reinforced through verbal messages to thin characters. These results and implications are discussed in the context of Social Comparison Theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]