Alex Wagenaar

Ms. Eaker
ENGL 1102
Monday 31, 2014
The Media Body
Most people believe that the media poses poor values for personal body image, however is it
true that the media also promotes positive values of body image? That is the conversational topic being
delved into, does the media promote positive values for body image. The well-known issue surrounding
the media is that it forces teenagers to become unsatisfied with their body image and obsessed with
being perfect. People go to drastic measures to try and achieve the perfect media body, however in
some cases their efforts take a turn for the worst. There are several different voices within the
conversation, some examples being educators, families and educational researchers. The voices within
the conversation hold different views on the subject which is what Ill be discussing.
The first voice that became apparent in my research was that of the educational researcher. A
study conducted in Australia by professors from Queensland University in Brisbane, Australia asked over
900 children from ages nine to fourteen on three main questions. The three questions were if the media
had a. if the media influenced them to become slimmer, b. if the media influenced them to gain weight
and c. if the media influenced them to become more muscular. Overall the results were against the
statement that the media influenced them to gain weight, but the children would agree with the other
two statements (University #). Based off of their research it shows that the professors would believe
that the media poses poor body image values for adolescence. What we can see from this research is
that a large amount of children feel influenced by the media to become slimmer, which becoming
slimmer could be a good value if it is meant to be interpreted as staying fit, not trying going to extremes
to become skinny. However the method at which kids take to achieve their slim goal could be
considered unhealthy which is what leads to eating disorders. Even though the media may be proven to
not be the sole cause for eating disorders being developed, research has proven the media has become
a large factor (Media, Body 4).
Research is always good to have been conducted on any topic; however it is always good to
have the actual voice of the people affected in the situation, in this case that is the families. Asking the
question if the media poses positive or negative values of body image, the answers may vary from family
to family. However when interviewed by CNN journalist Kelly Wallace, the family of Dawn Larkin-
Wallace answered the question by stating they do not allow their body image to be controlled and
distorted by the media. Larkin-Wallace who is the mother of 3 children joined the group Black Girls Run
which inspired her to take her running to a level she never dreamed of. Once Larkin-Wallace began, the
rest of the family followed suit. The family drawn together by running disagrees with the classic media
body image and believes in being fit over being a supermodel. Eldest of the three siblings, Kayla,
described her idea of being fit as being exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet (Wallace #). The
view of the average family based off the interview would point towards the idea that regardless of what
the media says the typical body image should be, the family has the choice of what values to promote.
The mother, Kelly, chose to encourage her children to run and taught them that being healthy means
not fixating over appearance, but just being in shape. She did not force them, nor have the children
forced themselves to look like a supermodel as seen in the media, they are happy with their appearance.
Another area that I found information about concerning body image in the media was from
health services departments. The student health center at Georgia Tech University promoted their
findings after searching for the top 10 positive body image influences from the media some of which
being Doves campaign for real beauty and popular TV show Glee (Top 10). The project was shared on
their website as well as several social media sources such as Facebook and attempted to spread
awareness of positive influences within. After finding not just one, but multiple examples of how the
media attempts to promote a positive body image it became very clear that where some areas of the
media have chosen to promote superficial and unreal body types like in magazines and Hollywood
movies, other mediums within the media choose to pose as a positive influence to teens.
After taking a step back and looking at the research I have collected, I believe that where the
media has given plenty of poor influences regarding personal body image, there have been many cases
where the media has tried to boost and promote positive values. Research shows through tests that
adolescence across the globe feel pressured by the media to be slimmer and that gaining weight is bad.
However health services providers like from Georgia Tech has collected and promoted examples of how
they believe the media has provided positive examples. Programs like the Beautiful Operation and
popular shows like Glee are a few of the ways shown by them. In ways, the media attempts to achieve
the goal of saying because you do not look like a supermodel, which in many cases is an impossible look
to achieve to begin with, is perfectly okay.


References:
Body Image. Brown University. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/nutrition_%26_eating_co
ncerns/body_image.php#77
"Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders." National Eating Disorders Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Apr.
2014. <https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/media-body-image-and-eating-disorders>.
Top 10 Positive Media Influences. Stamps Health Services, Georgia Tech, n.d. Web. 25 Mar, 2014.
http://health.gatech.edu/promotion/newsarticles/Pages/Top10.aspx.
"University Profile." The University of Queensland. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014
.http://www.uq.edu.au/about/university-profile
Wallace, Kelly. Helping Teens Build A Healthy Body Image. CNN. Cable News Network, 09 Jan. 2014.
Web. 21 Mar. 2014. http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/09/living/parents-teens-healthy-living-body-
image/index.html?iref=allsearch