Effects of Media on Women and Children - 2408 Words

The Effect of the Media on Women and Girls Mass media creates unrealistic, unhealthy portrayals of female sexuality, sexual health, and shows unnecessary female sexuality and nudity on an immense level. The average woman is misrepresented in the media; this is unhealthy for many women and girls. Studies show viewing sexually objectifying material contributes to eating disorders, low self-esteem, depression and body dissatisfaction. In a 1992 study of female students at Stanford University, 70% of women reported feeling worse about themselves and their bodies after looking at magazines. Lack of identity is a major concern for adolescents and the media is constantly telling them who or what to act and look like. While it is up to an†¦show more content†¦There are countless studies that show viewing sexually objectifying material contributes to body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression. â€Å"Girls develop their identities as teenagers and as women, and they learn the socially acceptable ways to engage in intimate relationships by modeling what they see older girls and young women doing† (Bussey Bandora, 1984, 1992) and â€Å"by imitating the ways in which women are represented in the media† (Huston Wright, 1998). There is no question that girls and boys grow up in a society and culture that is saturated with sexual images. Girls are major consumers of the media. The average child or teen watches three hours of television a day, the numbers are higher for Black and Latino youth (APA Task Force Report, 2005). When various media are combined, children view 6 hours and 32 minutes per day of media exposure (APA Task Force Report, 2005). There are psychiatric and developmental effects caused by the sexualization of women and girls. The developmental process is relevant to how girls perceive sexuality and what society deems acceptable. Defined as cognitive development, this affects children’s abil ity to critically process cultural messages. Researchers Borzekowski Robinson (1999) discovered that â€Å"very young children are highly susceptible to marketing, they have difficulty distinguishing betweenShow MoreRelatedMedia and Beauty1592 Words   |  7 Pages The Media and Beauty Beauty is the interpretation of one’s physical body and the portrayal of the one’s own body so called body image exists within the mind. It is unbelievable that media world tries to exploit the body image which can affect an individual psychologically and physically whether it is in a good or bad way. In the article, â€Å"How the Media Keeps Us Hung Up on Body Image† by Shari Graydon, the author claims that women of all ages are suffering and media is the sourceRead MoreSexual Objectification and the Effects on Women Essay1265 Words   |  6 PagesObjectification of Women and the Effect on Women Everywhere you turn, there are magazine covers, movies, reality TV shows that portray woman in a sexual light. When was the last time that we as a society sat down and realized the effect that this is having on young girls, teens and even grown women. The portrayal of women as sexual objects in these and many other types of media have greatly affected the mindset of society. What affects has this had you ask? There are there main effects that we will exploreRead MoreThe Lolita Effect On Children s Health Network1275 Words   |  6 PagesIn Western society, the media hypersexualizes children from birth. However, this hypersexuality is commonly focused on girls aged eight to fifteen (Canadian Women’s Health Network). This leads to self-esteem issues, high teenage pregnancy rates, eating disorders, sex trafficking, suicidal thoughts, and actions, and what is called the â€Å"Lolita effect.† This hypersexuality also leads to violent relational abuse, and in boys, has been shown linked with violence (Keating). These all have devastating consequencesRead MoreHow does advertisement influence peoples behaviour?1319 Words   |  6 Pagesto marketing message, which is presented by an identified sponsor in extinctive media such as the television, newspapers, radio, magazines and Internet. The term may be used to refer to message presentation in the marketplace. The term may also be extended to show a product in a television program or movie, which in order to target audience. This research paper focus on how does advertisement influence children and women on the society? NowadaysRead MoreThe Between Media And Body Image1348 Words   |  6 Pagesconstructed by the society and by the media. But women are affected that kind of construction. Mass media give narrow definition about the standard of beauty. Delis noticed this massage everywhere, especially in the media, â€Å"I am so affected by Glamour magazine and Vogue and all that; I’m looking at all these beautiful women. They’re thin. I want to be just as beautiful. I want to be just as thin. Because that is what guys like† (Hesse-Biber, Sharlene Nagy 12). The media representation of the thin idealRead MoreEssay about Gender Based Stereotype in the Media1723 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The media plays an extremely important and arguably the most powerful role in shaping the perception individuals and members of the public holds towards themselves and their surroundings. This therefore makes it extremely difficult for one to maintain his/her unique self identity or perception of others without the influence of the media. People will define themselves and others based on the messages insinuated by the media. The problem hence emerges when the media insinuate the wrongRead MoreThe Traditional Roles of Women in the 1970 ´s 1274 Words   |  5 Pagesadverts they reviewed reflected the following stereotypes of women. Women were portrayed as being home-makers, only being dependent on men, sex objects for men and not being able to make important decisions (Wenner and Jackson, 2009). One way adverts have portrayed women is stereotypically, emphasising on the importance of women looking pretty, the traditional roles of being a good housewife and mother. In 1950’s, adverts depicted women always at home and being a good housewife, cleaning, cookingRead MoreThe Impact Of Media On Society Today911 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to Dictionary.com, â€Å"media† is defined as means of communication that reach and influence society or people widely. For instance, radios, televisions, newspapers, and magazines are forms of media. The influence the media has around the globe is profound, therefore, in this essay, I am going to discuss the impact that media has on the society today. Although social media can connect all people in the world instantly, the negative effects have a great impact on the society because itRead MoreBeauty Culture: An Examination the Effects Media Has on Society 1440 Words   |  6 Pagesthirty-three billion dollar industry, with the cosmetic industry following close behind with twenty billion yearly (Wolf 16). However, this obsession with beauty is not without cause. As stated in Body Image: Understanding Body Dissatisfaction in Men, Women, and Children, â€Å"In affluent Western societies, slenderness is generally associated with happiness, success, youthfulness, and social acceptability. Being overweight is linked to laziness, lack of willpower, and being out of control.†(Grogan 325) Despite commonRead MoreNegative Influence of Advertising1524 Words   |  7 Pagesskinny models and pretty women in  promoting their products. There is nothing wrong here at first glance .Since beautiful women are good to stare at. However, if we look more  closely, most models endorsing beauty products are slim, skinny and with  fair-complexion. Most women, therefore, who would see these advertisements, would want  to emulate the thinness and beauty of such models. This fixation with  beauty has a negative effect even in very young girls. A number of women  would feel insecure and