The document discusses a survey of 100 college students about body image and their perceptions of beauty ideals promoted by the media. The key findings were that nearly 70% of female students were unhappy with their appearance, 94% wanted to change something about their face or body, and 72% felt they learned the "perfect body" standard from media exposure. The document advocates increasing media literacy and promoting alternative messages of healthy body image to reduce the negative impacts of unrealistic beauty standards.

1. The media’s effect on…
Body Image
Arianna, Kristen, Andrea

2. What is body image?
• The mental representation we create of
what we think we look like.
• Body dissatisfaction and eating disorders
are found to be common in college
females and adolescents.
– The avg. person receive at least 14 messages
a day related to attractiveness from the
media.

3. Case Study
Surveyed 100 students at Rutgers to see
how they felt about their bodies

4. 66 female 34 male
Question 1: Are you happy with the way you
look?
46% of students said no!
69% of these students were female

5. Question 2: If you could, would you
change your appearance?
Even though 60% answered that they were
content with their appearance…
94% of students wanted to
change something about
their face and/or body

6. Question 3: What would students
change?
WE WANT TO CHANGE….
“teeth” “stomach” “breasts” “thinner” “legs” “arms”
“taller” “abs” ”under-eyes” “shorter” “eye lashes” “waist”
“thighs” “neck” “nose” “butt” “less acne” “hair not so
wavy” “lose a little weight” “height” “ears” “feet size”

7. Question 4: Who taught you what
the “perfect body” looks like?
72% said they were taught by the media
91% said NO, media’s representations of
males/females are NOT a healthy image to
follow

8. IT NEEDS TO STOP.

9. Question 5: What is beauty?
“Beauty is where your looks don’t make you stand
out in a bad way”
“Self confidence” “Natural” “Anything” “Amazing”
“Deceiving” “Personality” “Selflessness”
“Compassion” “Confidence” “Healthy” “Nice”
“Content” “Honest” “Happiness” “Inside”
“Uniqueness” “in the heart” “different for
everyone”
“me”
“you”

10. “The Social Construction of a
Women’s Body”
What is Internalization?
• Women have internalized the “patriarchal” view of what body image is
accepted into society
• Women work towards restructuring their bodies to the “current body of
fashion that is taut, small breasted, narrow-hipped, slim… almost like a
young teen in a pubescent stage” rather than a grown women.
• Magazines run articles such as “Fat Burning Exercise Guide”, “Six
Sleek- Down Strategies”, “Help Stamp out Cellulite”, and “How to Shed
Ugly Winter Fat..”- these promote the body becoming an “enemy” to
a women.
• “Tyranny of Slenderness”  Women must be seen as slim, and are
forbidden to look muscular or massive. Must take up as little space as
possible.

12. So What?  A Media Example
• Conclusion: The more influence the media has to
stop this, the less women will feel negatively about
their bodies

13. Celebrities Speak OutCcCC
• Emma Stone spoke out against body-shaming in an interview
with seventeen magazine and Stone was not alone.
• Singer Lorde criticized excessive use of airbrushing in the media
by posting two photos of herself, one retouched to perfection,
the other revealing her real skin, blemishes and all. The singer
tweeted, “Remember flaws are OK.”
• Actress Shailene Woodley refused to wear makeup to several
Hollywood events. She also opted to go barefaced for the
majority of her role in last summer’s teen flick The Spectacular
Now.
• Actress Jennifer Lawrence criticized fat talk in an interview last
December. She argued, “I just think it should be illegal to call
somebody fat on TV. I mean, if we’re regulating cigarettes and
sex and cuss words because of the effect it has on our younger
generation, why aren’t we regulating thing like calling people
fat?”
• Actress Jennifer Lawrence slammed fat talk in an

14. SSO WHAT NOW?
Solutions & Suggestions
• Get More celebrities, like Sophia Bush, to encourage
change.
• What Do you Think we can do to Promote Change?
• Stop the Influence of Media .. HOW?

15. RReducing Media’s Negative Impact
• The Body Project/ Reflections- A scientifically supported
group intervention focuses on cognitive dissonance to promote
a health body image and decrease the risk for disordered
eating. Through different activities group leaders will
encourage young women to think, speak, write, and act in
ways that critique the thin ideal and challenge their previously
conditioned thoughts of beauty.
• Media Literacy- Teaching people, especially young people, to
think critically about the images they see in the media help to
reduce body dissatisfaction.
• Disclaimers and Warnings- Warning consumers that photos
are retouched and trying to look as thin as these models could
be harmful to one’s health.

16. WE BEAUTIFUL