Do Scantily-clad Media Icons Impact Girls' Body Image?

It's happening more and more. The pages of theNote: Other studies have found that 69% of girls feel
magazines and the programs on TV are filled withthat magazine models influence their idea of the
impossibly thin models, moguls, and celebrities. Thisperfect shape (Field et al). Other statistics show
type of media depicts an unrealistic image of what asimilar body image problems, such as
typical girl and woman should look like in today's--the modeling industry standards suggest women
world. When girls look at these puffed, buffed,should have waists no larger than 253 and hips no
clipped, and cleaned up versions of their favoritelarger than 35 1/2 inches, they also recommend
stars, they feel like they'll never be thin enough, coolmeasurements of 34-24-34;
enough, or hot enough to be...enough.--women's magazines have 10.5 times more ads and
Do magazine models influence the body esteem ofarticles about weight loss then do men's magazines;
girls?--60%+ of college students feel worse after reading
Researchers from the University of Minnesotamagazines;
published a study in the 2007 issue of the Journal of--changes found in magazines between 1970 and
Pediatrics. They suggested that adolescent girls who1990 include increase emphasis on fitness for
read about diet and weight loss in magazine articlesattractiveness and a decrease in the model hip to
can be negatively influenced years later.waist ratio (becoming less curvy);
Magazines feature impossibly thin supermodels next--1 out of every 3.8 commercials sends a message
to "back-to-school" diet plans and tips for gettingabout attractiveness;
your body into "bikini-bearing" shape. Cover headlines--the average person sees between 400-600 ads per
scream; "50 Shortcuts to a Sexier Body" (Glamour)day;
or "6 Ways to Thin  Easy Diets That Really Work"--7 of 10 girls say that they want to look like a
(Allure)character on TV
Articles might say "Embrace your curves" but theDo music video models make an impact on girls' body
retouched photos of ultra thin models tell a differentimage?
story. Suffice to say, some advertisers have theirResearchers from the University of Sussex, leader
hands in more than one cookie jar.by Dr Helga Dittmar, found that the use of ultra-thin
Who was in the study? Over 2500 middle schoolmodels in music videos can lead girls to develop poor
students that were surveyed, weighed andbody image. The article was published in the Journal
measured in 1999 and again in 2004. About 55% ofof Body Image.
the participants were girls.Who was in the study? 87 girls ages 16-19 years
The Scoop: Adolescent girls who frequently readwere put in random groups. A third watched music
magazine articles that featured articles about dietingvideos featuring the Pussycat Dolls and Girls Aloud,
were more likely five years later to engage inknown for being thin and attractive. Another third of
extreme weight-loss practices such as vomiting thanthe participants were asked to listen to the music
girls who never read such articles. This result was notbut not watch the videos. The final group was used
influenced by whether the girls were consideredas a "control" group-- only learning a list of neutral
"overweight" by medical standards or if the girlswords. All three groups were asked questions that
believed weight to be important to them.asked them to recall what they heard or watched.
Middle school girls who read articles about dietingAnswers measured levels of self esteem, body
(compared to those who did not read such articles)satisfaction and mood.
were twice as likely to try to lose weight 5 yearsThe Scoop: After just 10 minutes of exposure, the
later by fasting or smoking cigarettes. These girlsresearchers found that the groups that had watched
were also three times more likely to use extremethe music videos with the thin, attractive stars,
weight loss practices such as taking laxatives orexhibited the largest increase in body dissatisfaction in
vomiting to lose weight.comparison to those who simply listed to the songs
"Forty-one percent of adolescent females report thatof completed the memory task with the neutral
magazines are their most important source ofwords. In addition, and perhaps the most troubling, it
information on dieting and health, and 61 percent ofdid not matter whether the girls had high or low self
adolescent females read at least one fashionesteem to begin withthey were all equally affected.
magazine regularly," 'Eric Stice, Ph.DThe Problem: Girls look to these music video icons as
The problem: They may not know it's happening; butwhat they should aspire to be. Seeing very thin
girls are being tricked. Studies show that the averagecelebrities can make the girls feel "less then" and
fashion model is much taller than the averagemake them wonder how they can ever look like their
womanbut weighs about 23% (one-fifth) less.heroes. Girls are tending towards dieting, poor eating,
According to the National Eating Disordersand other more extreme weight loss behaviors.
Association, while the average woman is 5'4" tall andMedia is all around us. Even when we don't seek it
weighs 140 pounds, the average model is 5'11" andout; we see it everyday. The portrayal of very thin
weighs 117 pounds. On top of already being think,models, actresses, singers, and entertainers does
advertisers and publishers use retouching techniquesindeed have an impact on the ways girls see
to make models seem even thinner and taller.themselves and their bodies.