Effect of Modern Media on Women

Hannah Laugharn

Vitagliano

Psychology

10 November 2015

Effect of Modern Media on Women

Movies, TV shows, and social media have a growing effect on today’s society, particularly young women, who are shown a near impossible ideal for how they should look. Social media, which has grown exponentially in recent years, has had an especially large role in contributing to the idea of the ‘ideal’ woman. The pressure on women, especially young girls, to fit this ideal, has proven to have a significant effect on their self esteem, which can result in depression and self image issues, eating disorders, and damaged relationships.

There have been many studies in the last decade that prove the relationship between low self esteem and this picture of the ideal woman portrayed in pop culture and social media. In a study by Benjie Achtenberg Macalester College, ninth grade students were asked a series of questions meant to determine what kind of effect media has on their self image. The study concluded that media had a direct influence on the way young girls see themselves. When asked what types of female bodies the media presents, the female students said that women in media are skinny, pretty, and curvy, and half of them said that women would try to alter themselves, either by eating disorders or surgery, in order to conform with these ideals. The study concluded that images these students saw every day had a large impact in their self image, which could escalate into depression, eating disorders, and even body dysmorphic disorder.

In 2013, 16.2% of teenage girls between 12 and 17 suffered from depression, according to a survey by the National Institute of Mental Health (Sharma). Depression and anxiety often go hand in hand with eating disorders. The most common eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by “abnormally low body weight, intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of body weight”. (Mayo Clinic) Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by compulsive bingeing on food, followed by purging to lose the weight gained by bingeing. Usually, those afflicted with bulimia purge by inducing vomiting, excessively exercising, or fasting. These disorders stem from low self esteem or body image, which is often caused by the pressure to be seen as beautiful and thin (“Bulimia Nervosa”). Both anorexia and bulimia list depression as an effect (“Eating Disorders, Anxiety And Depression”). Studies show that the pressure on young women to conform to society’s ideals has a big impact on women’s self images, which can lead to concerns that go beyond even those associated with anorexia and bulimia.

Self image issues relating to appearance can lead to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), an anxiety disorder characterized by obsessive and disproportionate anxieties about very small, sometimes nonexistent, flaws in appearance. These anxieties are far bigger than typical self image issues, often impairing their abilities to function in daily life, making it difficult to participate academically and professionally (“Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptoms and Treatment”). People with body dysmorphic disorder are unable to control their obsessive thoughts about their flaws, and it consumes their mind for hours each day. Sometimes, people with BDD spend hours a day looking into a mirror, assessing their perceived flaws. BDD is a result of low self esteem and anxiety, which can lead to self injurious behavior, suicidal thoughts, and even suicide attempts (“Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) | Anxiety And Depression Association of America, ADAA”). Suicide is 45 more times more common among people with body dysmorphia than in others. One girl, Samantha, recounted sitting in her room, looking at pictures of celebrities and comparing their attributes to her own, finding nothing desirable in herself. After years of living with BDD, she began cutting herself, eventually attempting suicide three times. Her body dysmorphic disorder stemmed from dissatisfaction with her own body in comparison to those that she had seen on tv and in popular culture, as well as preexisting anxiety (Williams). This is yet another example of how