Summary of Project Sources

In the two sources I found that focused on how men are affected by advertising in the media, I was surprised to find that they, too, suffered from just as many damaging outcomes as well due to negative media exposure.   It has been found that continuous exposure to images of the “ideal man” in the media could lead to “anabolic steroid use, eating disorders, and muscle dysmorphia” (Baird & Grieve, 2006)- a disorder in which one feels that they aren’t muscular enough despite how muscular they really are-,as well as low self-esteem and depression, in the average male viewer.  Most media sources encourage women to control their weight through dieting, whereas the media encourages men to control their body through excessive exercise.  Studying these effects on men have often been overlooked due to the fact that they have many other attributes that are viewed as positive in society compared to women, who are not seen as equal to men.  Although they have other areas in their lives to succeed, they still suffer from insecurities and poor body image just as much as women do.

More focus has been put on women, their representation in the media , and the negative outcomes that may result than for men.  There have been multiple campaigns combating the negative effects of some advertisements revolving around women and more of an effort to use “real women” as the models, instead of the stick-thin models that are normally used—which, accoriding to Bissell and Rask’s study on the impact of the Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, creates an unattainable “thin ideal” for women.  This “thin ideal” is something that sits in the back of a woman’s mind as she continues to compare herself to these models in an effort to look just like them, despite how unhealthy they may be.  The Dove campaign was started to “inspire women and society to think differently about what is identified as beautiful” (2006) in order cancel out the negative outcomes of these advertisements (i.e. eating disorders, depression, anxiety, etc.).   In an article that summarizes the impact of media images on body image, they discuss something that directly relates to the Dove campaign.  It states that models used in advertisements overseas that are the average size of women are “just as effective in advertising products as ultra-thin” models, which will more than likely lead to the intended audiences to feel better about themselves if they see a model that resembles their own body shape.

The video below is a trailer of a speech by Jean Kilbourne called "Killing Us Soflty: Advertising's Image of Women".  This particular trailer is from her fourth installment of this speech that covers the topic of the "distorted and destructive ideals of femininity" in the media today (Kilbourne).

Ladies, check out this "before and after" picture of Britney Spears in her advertisement for Candie's clothing! We often think of celebrities as the "perfect" human beings, but it's clear that even they can't measure up to the unreasonably high standards set up by the media.  Bisell and Rask also noted that "even though women and young girls may acknowledge that the photographs of models in advertisements have been enhanced or retouched, they still seem to be inclined to believe this unrealistic standard is still ideal for them" (2006).

Sources:

Agliata, Daniel, and Tantleff-Dunn, Stacey. "The Impact of Media Exposure on Males'

Body Image." Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 23.1 (2004): 7-22. Web. 13 Oct. 2012.

 Baird, Amy, and Grieve, Frederick. "Exposure to Male Models in Advertisements Leads

to a Decrease in Men's Body Satisfaction." North American Journal of Psychology 8.1 (2006): 115

-122. Web. 13 Oct. 2012.

Bisseil, Kimberly, and Amy Rask. "Real Women On Real Beauty: Self-Discrepancy,

Internalisation Of The Thin Ideal, And Perceptions Of Attractiveness And Thinness In Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty[MB1] ." International Journal Of Advertising 29.4 (2010): 643-668. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. 

http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/uploads/file/The%20Impact%20of%20Media%20Images%20on%20Body%20Image%20and%20Behaviours%206%20Nov(1).pdf

Advertising and Body Image

Hello! The information on this blog is on the behalf of my other group members (John, Jamie, Brian, and Jack) and our research question: What effect does advertising in the media have on men and women’s body image?  We felt that this topic was important, especially in today’s world, because people have started to take notice of how much of an influence the media has on the average citizen—something as simple as what to wear out of the house or what to eat for dinner probably has some connection to the media, more specifically advertising.  With all of this influence on the public, many people have started to compare themselves to the “perfect being” that advertisements often promote.  This can result in depression, low self-esteem and, most harmful, eating disorders due to one’s negative body image.  So, we are taking it upon ourselves to do some research to look at how one’s body image is altered by advertisements, most of these effects being negative.  We are mostly researching the terms “advertising” and “male/female body image” in order to see what information is out there for us to learn more about the effects of these advertisements.

The link below provides some information that applies to our topic and some of the ideal that the media presents through the media, as well as the subsequent effects on men and women.

http://www.healthyplace.com/eating-disorders/articles/eating-disorders-body-image-and-advertising/

Guys, how does this image make you feel? Do you feel that you could "match up" to this model? Unless you have Photoshop that works on real-life human beings....probably not.