Models in media often appear flawless and thin, leading to negative effects on body image, particularly for females and young women. This can result in self-esteem issues and eating disorders. Advertisers may intentionally create insecurity to sell products.
Models are nearly ubiquitous in modern cultures, appearing in advertisements, television, magazines, and many other sources of information. Female models often appear to have perfect skin and hair and are incredibly thin, while male models often appear perfectly fit and very well dressed. Many psychologists and social scientists have pointed out that the prevalence of models in societies can have a powerful effect on body image. The effect of models on body image is generally negative, as it pushes people to compare themselves with models who, in many cases, are deliberately presented to appear flawless. The overall effect is, in many cases, a feeling of inadequacy which can lead to self-esteem issues, eating disorders, and other body image issues.
The overall effect of models on body image varies based on a wide range of different factors, but particularly gender and age. Females, for example, tend to be more adversely affected than males, and young women and adolescents tend to be affected more than older women. There are a variety of social factors that cause these differences. The ubiquity of lean, flawless models suggests to girls and young women that they should have a particular look, which can be quite devastating when they’re too young to fully understand how unrealistic those expectations are. Male models are, in many cases, more diverse and often emphasize wealth and status over physical appearance, so the effect of male models on body image is not always that significant.
These destructive effects of thin and often scanty models on body image can contribute to a variety of problems such as low self-esteem and eating disorders. People who are confronted with unrealistic standards of attractiveness, weight, and sexuality can find themselves feeling inadequate. Those who cannot agree to hold themselves to unrealistic standards may become depressed and even develop eating disorders, such as anorexia, because they feel they must be as thin as the models they see in the media.
An increased feeling of insecurity about one’s body is the most common impact of models on body image. Unfortunately, in many cases this is exactly what advertisers and others are trying to achieve. People who are satisfied with their appearance are far less likely to spend money on health and beauty products, expensive health foods and home exercise equipment, not to mention diet pills and cosmetic surgery, than those who are satisfied with their appearance. they cannot accept themselves as they are.
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