Television’s impact on body image has been debated since the late 20th century. Studies suggest a connection between TV images and negative body image, but the extent of this link remains unclear. Men and women are affected, with cultural values and media images playing a role.
Television is one of the most popular means of communication and entertainment on Earth. The connections between television and body image have been the subject of much discussion since the late 20th century. Several scientific and social studies have suggested a connection between the images presented on television and body image, a person’s satisfaction with their physical appearance. The primary concern is that such images foster negative body image for viewers, potentially leading to health problems such as eating disorders. The actual extent of this connection and its effects remain a matter of debate.
Television was introduced to Europe, Asia and North America in the 1930s. In the 21st century, television broadcasts were available in every nation and continent on Earth, including Antarctica. Television is an important medium of communication, information and entertainment, and television advertising generates huge revenues worldwide. Much study and discussion has been devoted to the effects of television on the culture and psychology of its viewers. This includes the precise relationship between television and body image.
In the late 20th century, several high-profile books discussed the changing role of women in culture, particularly that of the United States. These included Susan Faludi’s Backlash, Naomi Wolf’s The Beauty Myth and Mary Pipher’s Reviving Ophelia. Everyone has paid close attention to the connections between television and body image. The general consensus of these and similar works was that television, and advertising in particular, presented an idealized image of women. Real women, consciously or unconsciously, were confronted with these images and their own body images suffered.
A 2007 report by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that such images tend to be highly sexualized, emphasizing the importance of physical attractiveness over other characteristics. A subsequent APA report, however, found that factors such as peers and family also influence a woman’s perception of her body image. A widely cited statistic from the 2007 report cited an increase in eating disorders among Fijian women after the introduction of TV to the island nation. The subsequent report questioned the data underlying this claim. In short, the precise link between television and body image is the subject of ongoing study and debate.
Images on television and body image satisfaction are also issues for men. The figure rating scale is an analytical tool used by psychologists to measure body image satisfaction by having subjects choose their own body shape and an ideal shape. Studies using this tool have found that many men are also dissatisfied with their body image, although to a lesser extent than most women. While women generally prefer a leaner ideal of their body image, men tend to choose a more muscular ideal. In both genders, cultural values appear to be a factor as well as media images that reinforce those values.
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