The Effects of Media on Adolescent Girls Essay - 1029 Words

Media has become a significant component within society. While media provides many pros, it supplies various cons as well. One very prominent fault that the significance of media has is its visual depiction of women. There is an abundance of media portraying women to have ideal bodies, and this undoubtedly has a negative effect on adolescent girls. Two of the many effects of media on females are depression and self esteem issues, as well as eating disorders. Unfortunately, body dissatisfaction caused by media is becoming more and more common. In today’s society, media is a part of everyone’s lives, whether people want it to be or not. One of the most openly disliked components of the media is the thin, ideal, hour-glass figure that is†¦show more content†¦Depression is when an individual has feelings of hopelessness and has very little energy to accomplish tasks; many people have tremendous trouble sustaining an interest in life. In today’s culture, girl s have become more depressed in adolescence compared to boys (Stice and Bearman). One of the major influences on why girls are frequently more depressed than boys, is that girls struggle to obtain the perfect body in their own eyes. Findings show that, compared to teen boys, teen girls have higher body shame. Fifty-three percent of adolescent girls reported being dissatisfied with their body after the study (Knauss). Low-self esteem, combined with depression, can potentially be very dangerous for young women. Furthermore, media surrounds teenage girls in today’s culture. It is impossible to escape the sight of media. The media’s constant idealistic beauty is ever present to a vast amount of self-conscious girls. This image of beauty causes girls to have low self-esteem (Clay, Vignoles, and Dittmar). Media defining this perfect body image causes many adolescent girls to feel dissatisfied with their bodies and become depressed. â€Å"Viewing ultra-thin or average-size models led to decreases in both body satisfaction and self-esteem in adolescent girls aged eleven to sixteen, with changes in self-esteem fully mediated by changes in body satisfaction† (Clay, Vignoles, and Dittmar).Show MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Media On Body Dissatisfaction Of Young Girls And Adolescents1214 Words   |  5 PagesThe media is an important aspect of the current society and is ever present to the public. With the creation of new technology, there are more and more ways the media can be rec eived and displayed for people to see everywhere they go. There are so many media sights nowadays such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as new magazines, commercials and other media publications made every day that allow people to connect to current events and new trends. Although today’s media has the potentialRead MoreEffect of Television Media on Body Image in Adolescent Girls Diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa.2866 Words   |  12 PagesEffect of Television Media on Body Image in Adolescent Girls diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa. Research has continually revealed that television media has had an impact on viewers, however, more specifically studies have indicated that the adolescent has been most impacted especially the population that are diagnosed with eating disorders. In particular, this study will examine the adolescent population diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa usually begins with the adolescent experiencingRead MoreWomen and adolescent girls are exposed, daily, to the medias portrayal of perfect beauty. Being1600 Words   |  7 PagesWomen and adolescent girls are exposed, daily, to the medias portrayal of perfect beauty. 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