Media Images and Eating Disorders Essay

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These results are important, however, in understanding if and how media images may be related to eating disorders in women. Polivy and Herman (2004) ask the commonsense question: "Why do women and girls continue to buy fashion magazines featuring thin models that make them feel anxious, depressed, and generally miserable about their bodies?" Some women find them to be a relaxing way to spend time. This shows that it is much too simple-minded for people to say that media images make women feel bad about themselves. Wouldn't it be smart to consider that maybe these small populations of women who do develop eating disorders are already dissatisfied and the media images may reinforce their inherent paranoia about their bodies? Or, perhaps it is people who are critical of every aspect of media who feel like they need to criticize the media because they themselves are made to feel insecure about it? Perhaps these two reactions are also too simplistic.

What is clear from the three articles is that there is some correlation between media images and the way that women feel about their bodies, but there is also evidence to suggest that most women are not made to feel bad about their bodies when viewing media images.

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Tiggemann, Polivy, and Hargreaves (2009) contemplate how positive effects come of looking at thin models in fashion magazines. There is the suggestion of a "thinness fantasy" that is induced by exposure to the media. "Instead of felling worse about herself after seeing slim media images, a girl or woman may engage in a fantasy of believing herself to be thinner and more attractive" (2009). The fantasy concept is interesting to consider, but perhaps it is simply that women feel inspired when they see images of women who are thinner and prettier than they believe themselves to be. Perhaps looking at the images that the media presents as "beautiful" inspires them to work out, take better care of their hair and skin, or dress nicer.

It is way too simplistic to believe that media can be to blame for just the negative effects in women. One also must consider the fact that there is a much larger population of women who get positive effects from media images......

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