1. 18th
November2015
Pressure onTeenagersfromThe Media:Appearance
Stickto a lowcalorie dietforthe perfectbody!Whowore itbetter?Celebspilingonthe pounds!
How to getthe ideal image!The bestcelebritybikini bodieshere!
Everydayteensare barragedwitha constantstreamof mediapressuresrelatedtobodyimage.The
mediatellsthemtheirvalueisbasedontheiroutwardappearance andsocietytellsthemtheymust
be thinneror more muscularto be loved,acceptedandsuccessful inlife.Butwait,that’snotit–
theyhave to make sure they’re not“too skinny”because that’snot“attractive”either.Alongside the
pressure tolooka certainway,teenagersface otherdailypressuresfromteachers,friendsand
parents.Butwhendidappearance become more importantthanhealth…education…family…
friends?A studybyRaderPrograms foundthatadolescentgirlswere more fearful of gainingweight
than gettingcancer,nuclearwaror losingtheirparents.Soundsridiculous,right?Thisisthe shocking
effectthe mediaare havingonthe teenagersof today.
TV,social media,magazinesandthe internetall bombardteenswithimagesandpressuresabout
whattheirbodiesshouldlooklike.The problemis,theirversionisn’trealistic.These imagesare
airbrushedversionsof modelsthatweigh23% lessthanthe average woman.Nevertheless,millions
of teensbelieve the lies andresorttounhealthymeasurestotryand fitthemselvesintothat
impossible mold.Imagesof the ‘ideal woman’producedbythe mediahave aneffectthatgoes
beyondinfluencingyounggirlstobuydietandbeautyproducts.Theycan resultinmuchmore
seriouscases.Therefore itisvital thatgirlsandwomendevelopacritical understandingof the
constructednature of mediarepresentationsof women’s’bodies.Moreover,theyneedtobe
empoweredtochallenge theserepresentationsandadvocate formore realisticrepresentations.
However,there are certainaspectsof the mediathatdo empoweryounggirlsandpromote themto
be comfortable andhappyintheirownskinwhilstembracingthe flawsthatmake themindividuals.
Celebritiesalsoface agreatdeal of pressure toconformto unrealisticbeautystandards. Butbecause
theyare constantlyinthe publiceye andare oftenthe subjectsof the ‘ideal woman’society,
includingyounggirls,tendstoforgetthattheyare real people withthe same self-confidence and
self-esteemissuesaseveryone else.Theirbodyshapesandappearancesare documented,
scrutinisedandcritiqued.Thankfully,there are some strongandpowerful individualswhohave
become vocal aboutpromotingself-acceptance. Demi Lovatohas talkedextensivelyabouther
struggleswitheatingdisorders.She recountsthat,asa child,she compulsivelyover-ate,thenstarved
herself afterbeingcalledfatatschool by bullies.Demi speaksof the pressure thatshe felttobe
perfectthatcontributedtoherdisorder. Laverne Cox isanothercelebritywhoisvocal about
positive bodyimage.Hermessageisthatwomenshouldnotletthe mediadictate tothemwhothey
shouldbe,ortell themthat theirbodiesare notright. Adele isa popularsingerwho,despite
receivingcriticismfromKarl Lagerfeldonbeing“alittle toofat”has saidshe doesnotfeel pressure
to be thinand advisesyounggirlstoappreciate theirbodies.
Anotherpositiveformof mediarelatingtothistopicisYouTube,inparticularfashionandbeauty
vloggers. Well knownYouTuber“EllaVictoria” hassaid inan exclusiveinterview withpresenter
Gabbie Atwal,thatshe feelspressurefromthe mediaherself, despite receivingwarmandsupportive
2. messagesfromsubscribersandfansof hervideosall overthe world. See girls,eventhe beautiful
girlsyoucall youridolsstill feel the pressuretolooka certainwaynow and again!
Self-image issuescanleadtoeatingdisorders,drugandalcohol use,self-harmingandmental
disorders. Howeverthispressure doesnotjusthave aneffectonyounggirls.The effectonteenage
boysis oftenunknownoroverlookedbymembersof society;however aspectsof the documentary
“Pressure FromThe Media” focuson the devastatingeffectonyoungboysthroughananonymous
interview withamale victimof mediapressure andbullying.He wasasked“Have you,yourself,ever
beenaffectedbypressure fromthe mediaonappearance?”Towhichhe replied“Yeah,definitely.I
thinkthat mostpeople seemtothinkthatonlygirlsare affected bythe mediaandhow theythink
abouttheirimage butboys are also massivelyaffectedbythispressure.”Whenaskedhow this
pressure affectedhimmentally,he said“Foras manyyearsas I can rememberIhave beenbullied
for howI look,whatsort of clothesI wearand I’ve justconstantlyfeltlike I’mnotgoodenoughandI
definitelythinkthatsomethingneedstobe done about this.”
A studyperformedbyDuke Universityfoundthat40% of all 9 and 10 year oldgirlshave alreadybeen
on a diet.The realisationthatgirlsasyoungas 9 are facingpressure ontheirappearancesandfeel
the needto change theirbodiesisshocking. Itisworryingthatbefore theyevenreachtheirteens,
girlsneedtobe taught aboutthe dangersof dietingbut,toavoiddevastatingconsequences,itis
vital that thiseducationstartsat an earlyage. Atthe age of 3 girlsalreadyprefergame piecesthat
depictthinpeople overthose representingheavierones,while bythe age of 7 girlsare able to
identifysomethingtheywouldliketochange abouttheirappearance.Itcannotbe deniedthat
exposure toinfluencesfromthe mediaatsucha youngage is partlyto blame forthis.If society
teachesusto be thinfromsuch a youngage,we live upto these expectationsandthisthenbecomes
the norms andvaluesof our society.
So whyare the mediadoingthis,youmayask? What are theygainingfromit?The causes,some
analystssay,are economic.Bypresentingaphysical ideal thatisdifficulttoachieve andmaintainthe
cosmeticanddietindustriesare assuredcontinualgrowthandprofits.Marketersinparticularknow
that girlsandwomenare insecure abouttheirbodiesandare more likelytobuybeautyproducts,
newclothesanddietaids.A whole mediaindustryhasdevelopedaroundfuellingbody
dissatisfaction.Butisall thisprofitreallyworththe effectit’shavingonourchildren…
grandchildren…sisters…brothers…friends…ourfuture generation?Tune intoITV1 onTuesday8th
Decemberat9pm for the full documentary tofindoutmore.
