Effect of media portrayed thin ideal images on adolescent girls
Loading...
Date
2012-08-03
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Management and Technology
Abstract
Media portrayal of images of thin model girls are said to have created new socio-cultural ideals for young women, which are affecting them in ways that include internalization of thin figures. This has lead to low self-esteem, negative affect and body dissatisfaction among young girls. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of exposure to media portrayed thin ideal images on women’s mood and body satisfaction. Sample comprised of 97 female undergraduate students aged 16-21 participated in the study. Scores on positive and negative level of mood, body dis/satisfaction, self-esteem and discrepancy between ideal self and actual self were worked out as a baseline data before random assignment of the subjects was made to experimental (N=49) and control conditions (N=47). After exposing the experimental group to thin-ideal images, scores of the participants was obtained afresh as a post-test on mood affect and body dis/satisfaction. BMI (Body Mass Index) was also calculated at this stage. Results suggested that exposure to thin-ideal images increased negative affect significant, whereas affect on body satisfaction could not be established. Self-esteem played a major role towards internalization of media thin-ideal images; those with low self-esteem showed increased negative mood and low body satisfaction than those with high self-esteem. Participants with discrepancy between their ideal self and actual self displayed low self-esteem and low body satisfaction. Thus low self-esteem of students were more vulnerable to mood affect and body dissatisfaction. Likewise overweight persons (with high levels of BMI) suffered from these affects more than average and thin weight persons.
Description
Keywords
BS Thesis, Media Portrayal, Socio-Cultural, Social Comparison