Body Images of women in the media

Today, the ideal image of feminine attractiveness is currently presented in the media with an extreme emphasis on thinness. (Posavac) Media images of attractiveness may be responsible for the body image disturbance among young women in society today. Body image disturbance occurs when a person experiences a distortion in perception, behavior, or cognition and affect related to body weight and shape. Body image disturbance is prevalent among women in Western society and researchers have concluded that females’ concerns with weight and body image has reached epidemic proportions and such concern is now considered a normal part of the female experience. (Posavac & Weigel) Researchers have proposed that women engage in a social comparison process with media images when viewing models in magazines, or watching them on television. When women compare themselves with media images of ideal feminine attractiveness, a perceived discrepancy between their actual attractiveness and the mediaâ...