Body Image

The scope of media today is more vast and powerful than it has ever been. Television, magazines, radio and to a lesser extent, the Internet, tell people what to think, feel, buy, listen to and wear. Teenagers, and in particular, teenage girls, are the most vulnerable when it comes to outside influences. The media has become both our best friend and our worst enemy.

62 per cent of the respondents to my survey strongly agreed that teenage girls were being ‘influenced’ or pressured into being or becoming the media’s perception of beautiful.

The fashion industry manipulates people into buying their items, by showing ‘beautiful’ people wearing them, and displaying ‘desirable’ accessories associated with them, such as boyfriends/girlfriends, nice cars, nice houses and a better lifestyle and so on. The media, and its many forms, has teenage girls wrapped around its collective finger. Generally, teenage girls are too naïve not to conform, and too preoccupied with how their peers, and the world, perceives them.

Magazines intended for the consumption of teenage girls (i.e. Girlfriend, Dolly et al) display images of so-called ‘perfect’ people. These people are of an ‘ideal’ weight, with no facial blemishes and bodily dysfunctions or abnormalities. Teenage girls are led to believe that this is normal, when in fact; these ‘perfect’ people are a very small minority of people. Sarah Durkin, author of Relationship between Female’s Body Image and the Mass Media, believes that this distorted view of the female body fails to cover the diversity of the human (and in particular female) body shapes.

Dr. Lina Ricciardelli from the School of Psychology at Deakin University, author of Children and Body Image, believes that children establish the recognition of sexual differences between males and females between 8 and 10 years of age. As they become older, boys will often see the difference between their perceived and ideal body weight decrease, and in girls, this difference increases. As girls enter puberty, their present body size moves away from their ideal body size, while the boys move closer towards their ideal body size.

Research by Eleanor H. Wertheim, an associate professor at the School of Psychological Science at La Trobe University believes that parents are strong role models of morals, values, attitudes and behaviours for children, and those adolescents who are criticized by their parents about their weight appear to be more dissatisfied with their body image and engage in weight loss processes. A possibility for this is that weight-related criticism from family members might lower self-esteem, and increase thoughts of body dissatisfaction. Teenage girls who have low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction may be more sensitive about their weight, and misinterpret what seem to be harmless comments about their weight as criticism.

Social pressure is another factor in how teenage girls view themselves. If they do not meet the expectations of their peers, they often feel degraded and rejected. It seems to be that girls, from a fairly early age, are more likely to compare themselves with others and view themselves in a more negative light than in comparison with boys.

There are many effects related to body image and the battle to become ‘beautiful’. The first of these (and the most well-known) are eating disorders. 23 per cent of the respondents to my survey selected ‘eating disorders’ as the main effect of desiring to be ‘beautiful’.

In the last thirty or so years, there has been a sharp increase in occurrences of eating disorders in Western civilization. However, it is uncertain if this is because of an increased rate of people developing eating disorders, or because of more widespread recognition of eating disorders as a disease. The phrase ‘eating disorders’ is also used not only to include anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, but also compulsive eating, obesity and some weight loss regimes or behaviours. Thus, it is quite difficult to ascertain an accurate representation of how many people who suffer from these various forms of eating disorders.

According to healthstar.com.au, 2% of young girls, and 0.2% of young men are affected by anorexia and bulimia in Australia alone. However, around 10% of teenage girls suffer from eating disorders, although some are in very mild cases. Statistics at womhealth.org.au suggest that anorexia nervosa affects 0.5%, while 0.5 to 1% of the Australian population suffers from bulimia.

Because eating disorders are quite complex problems, they also have quite differing and varying causes. But there are some causes that have been identified, such as cultural factors (the representation of the female body), family factors, biological factors (genetic predisposition), individual factors (type of personality), and life events. According to womhealth.org.au, it is thought that a combination of these factors could cause eating disorders in some people. Other factors may include pressures from school and social situations, depression and poor self-esteem and loneliness.

According to womhealth.org.au, society’s emphasis on thinness, the power of media, stress, violence towards women, and poor self-image connected to adolescence and low self-esteem have been identified as risk factors for young women developing eating disorders.

Many teenage girls experience food-related difficulties at some point in their lives. They can range from not liking a certain food or type of food, to severe eating problems, which may arise due to medical and/or emotional reasons.

Anorexia nervosa is a disease typified by someone intentionally engaging in acts of self-starvation, resulting in losing a sheer amount of weight (usually over 25% of normal body weight), amenorrhoea (the loss of menstrual periods), a distorted view of themselves, radical weight loss tactics and/or procedures, and a fear of fat. Symptoms can incorporate: over-exercise, vomiting, laxative abuse, the use of diuretics and/or appetite suppressants, poor body image, low self-esteem, perfectionism, deceitful behaviour to forestall eating, depression, an unhealthy obsession with food, body weight and shape.

Bulimia nervosa is the term used for when people binge and then make themselves vomit to get rid of the food. Bulimia sufferers may not look overweight and might sometimes find it easy to disguise their eating problems. Most are unaware that continual binging and vomiting can ultimately cause some serious damage to the body.

Compulsive eating is when people consume more than their recommended intake over a long period of time, or use food as a comforting tool, or to distract themselves from something. Compulsive eating can lead to obesity and other serious medical problems.

Another effect of aspiring to become ‘beautiful’ is unplanned or unwanted teenage pregnancy. 16 per cent of the survey respondents believed that unplanned and/or unwanted teenage pregnancies were the main effect of aspiring to become ‘beautiful’.

Although the number of births to teenage mothers in Australia has decreased in the last thirty years, it is still a problem. Research at womhealth.org.au suggests that this reduction is most probably due to the winder accessibility of contraception and abortion, rather than a decline in sexual activity among teenagers. These pregnancies are commonly the consequence of a teenage girl’s sexual inexperience and insufficient knowledge of their menstrual cycle.

According to research at womhealth.org.au, the rate of teenage fertility has dropped rapidly in the last three decades, from 55.5 babies per 1000 women in 1971, compared to 18 per 1000 women in 2001. However, these figures only indicate live births. In 2001, there were 11 704 births to mothers aged under 19 years of age. But look on the bright side; Australia’s teenage fertility rate (18 per 1000 in 1998) is significantly lower than in the United States (51.1), the United Kingdom (29.7) and New Zealand (29.8).

Falling pregnant at a young age can significantly increase a girl’s chances of complications during pregnancy and/or delivery. In girls aged over 16 years, these problems may arise due to poor care, smoking and an inadequate diet. In those under the age of 15, biological immaturity is a big factor in causing complications. There is also a higher risk of premature birth and lower birth weight if a child is born to a teenage mother.

When a teenager falls pregnant, she is also less likely to return to school, and this deficiency of education can damage their chances of future employment opportunities. Pregnant teens may also experience estrangement from friends and family.

At a time of self-discovery and searching of independence, pregnancy can limit a girl’s options. For teenagers seeking an acceptable position in society, this may seem like a good choice.

Depression is an also effect that can be linked to the media’s ‘influence’ on the youth. In the last half of the 20th century, depression has become a common problem, and the occurrences have increased considerably.

People are lead to believe that the images they see on television and in magazines are the accurate portrayal of what is ‘normal’. In the pursuit of normality and acceptance, they sometimes feel that this goal in unattainable, and they become depressed. According to headroom.com.au, 40 per cent of young people suffer from periods of sadness and/or unhappiness, but not necessarily depression. Depression is a lasting sadness, and can be a life changing process. 21 per cent of the respondents to my survey indicated that depression is major effect in aspiring to become ‘beautiful’.

But is the media to blame for the disfigurement of teenagers, and in particular, teenage girls? 62 per cent of the respondents to my survey strongly believe that the media does indeed pressure teenage girls into becoming ‘beautiful’, while 19 per cent agree, and another 19 per cent are neutral on the matter. A total of 81 per cent believe that the media has a case to answer.

But what is beautiful? Is it the media’s perception? Is it a friend or family member’s perception?

I believe that real beauty comes from within. If you can believe that you are special the way you are, without being unhealthy, you are beautiful. But being the vulnerable people that they are, teenage girls fall into the vanity trap.

62 per cent of the respondents to my survey believe that something can be done to change and/or address this issue, while 38 per cent don’t think that anything can be done. First of all, the media erroneously depicts teenage culture, as it fails to illustrate the diversity of teenagers today, and especially their body shapes.

The media, in its varying forms, should be careful what they print, televise and make people believe. It has to realize that they are playing with the minds of people who have not yet matured enough to make informed opinions and decisions. It needs to show more of the ‘real’ people in order to make some positive changes, not only to the perceptions of the teenagers themselves, but to people in general.

The struggle with body image is not just a ‘teen’ problem; it is a problem for people of all ages. Until the media decides to display an accurate representation of the body, people will continue to suffer and resort to desperate measures to reach the expectations of themselves and others.