Does the Media Influence Young Women's Body Image in Ireland

An estimated 97 million adults in the United States are overweight or obese (Klein 2000). “"Affecting one in five Americans – or more than 22 percent of the U.S. population – obesity is one of the most pervasive health problems in our nation right now," said George L. Blackburn, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of surgery and associate director of the Division of Nutrition at Harvard Medical School/Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. "We need to implement steps to slow the progression of this national epidemic” (NAASO 1999). But the problem of obesity does not only affect the United States. "We now know that the growing prevalence of obesity is creating major health problems worldwide," said Dr. James O. Hill, president of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO) and Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Obesity was once regarded as unique to Americans, but it is now seen as a global health risk affecting developing and underdeveloped countries (AOA 2000). Obesity is increasing at an epidemic rate in the United States - 1.3% a year for women over 20. Rates of obesity among minority populations, including African-Americans and Hispanic Americans are especially high (AOA 2000). There is also a marked increase in obesity among children.

For example, in the article “Advertising and Image” researchers say that 23% of models weigh less than the average female and because of this 80% of 10-year old girls report having dieted. This happens because teens try to become just like the models on tv and magazine ads.

Over the years obesity has become more and more prevalent in the United States. Currently, approximately 35% of Americans are obese. The Center for Disease Control statistics on obesity are alarming. They have reported the obesity rate to be higher in Non-Hispanic blacks than Hispanics. 47% to 42%, while 32.6% of Non-Hispanic whites are obese. In addition to ethnicity, the CDC looked at obesity among age groups. Obesity was found to be higher among middle-aged adults 40-59, rather than younger adults age 20-39. As far as socio-economic groups were considered, Non-Hispanic black and Mexican American men with higher incomes are more likely to be obese than those with low income. When genders were factored in, the opposite was found. Non-Hispanic

NEDA. (2016). Media, body image, and eating disorders. Retrieved March 20, 2017, from NEDA. Finding Hope website: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/media-body-image-and-eating-disorders

Nearly a third of adult Americans are obese (NCHS 2003). The occurrence of obesity in the United States’ adult population has more than doubled in the last 25 years, from about 15 percent in 1976 to more than 30 percent in 2000. Since obesity in the US has reached epidemic levels, it is important to understand as many aspects of the social determinants of this disease as possible. Obesity is not a standalone disorder; rather it has caused increases in increasing risks of disability, related diseases, and death as well as important and burdensome increases in the cost of health care (Allison, Zannolli, and Narayan 1999; Wang et al. 2003). Further, obesity is estimated as contributing to almost 15 percept of deaths in the US each year (Allison and Fontaine et al. 1999; McGinnis and Forge 1993; Rogers, Hummer, and Krueger 2003; Sturm 2002).

Many negativities have resulted from what the media is portraying as the idealized body image; the body size of women portrayed in the media is noticeably getting smaller. The media will do everything to sell a product, especially when it tugs on someones insecurities. The term “thin-ideal media” refers to media images, shows, and films that contain very thin female leads (“Body, Of”). The media has made a thin body appear as if that is what the ideal body image should be, even if it is harmful to a person’s health. The average fashion model is typically 4-7 inches taller and 50 pounds lighter than the average American (Insel 292). Many consider that having good looks means you have good health; furthermore, it then makes it difficult for some women to go without thinking

Source I: The Obesity Epidemic in the United States: Gender, Age, Socioeconomic, Racial/ethnic, and Geographic Characteristics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis.

Body image is a major concern amongst the majority, primarily the youth of the female population, ranging from as young as five years old to tertiary students, ’74.4% of the normal-weight women stated that they thought about their weight or appearance ‘all the time’ or ‘frequently’’ (Brown University, unknown).

Many people can relate to media being the blame for eating disorders because they’ve either dealt with this or know someone who has had an eating disorder due to what the media says you should look like.

The argument about whether the mass media effect on eating disorder has a positive effect or a negative effect is under debate. Some people believe that mass effect on eating disorder is the biggest problem and other believe that the real issue of body image rather than the media. However, there is no role of media on eating disorder, it is because eating disorder is a psychological issue. Body image gives positive attitude to teenage girls and boys, women and men to become healthy and happy. The eating disorder is heavenly influenced by genetics, neurobiology,

We live in a body-obsessed culture. Women feel pressured to have the perfect bodies, and we believe so many lies about what a perfect body is from the media. Women are today influenced by images that we see in the media, and sometimes the influence is so great that we risk our lives trying to portray what we see. Across the board throughout different civilizations, there have been so many distortions of what the perfect body looks like placed in our minds by the media. Many people between ages 19 - 50 become obsessed with looking like the images they see delineated by the media. Women and teenagers what to look like their favorite celebrity, so they do plastic surgeries to portray what they

Obesity in the United State has increasingly been cited as major health issue. Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey show that the proportion of adults who are obese has more than doubled from 15% in 1971–1974 to 34% In 2003–2006 for adults 20-74 years.In 1990, obese adults made up less than 15 percent of the population in most US states however by the year 2010 , 36 states had obesity rates of 25 percent or higher and 12 of those states had obesity of 30 percent or higher (CDCP 2012).

“The attention-grabbing pictures of various high-flying supermodels and actors on different magazine covers and advertisements go a long way in influencing our choices” (Bagley). The media is highly affective to everyone, although they promote an improper image of living. Research proved says those with low self-esteem are most influenced by media. Media is not the only culprit behind eating disorders. However, that does not mean that they have no part in eating disorders. Media is omnipresent and challenging it can halt the constant pressure on people to be perfect (Bagley). Socio-cultural influences, like the false images of thin women have been researched to distort eating and cause un-satisfaction of an individual’s body. However, it

In the US, there was a significant increase in obesity levels among adults and youth from 1999 to 2000 through 2013 to 2014. In 2010, obesity led to about 678 000 annual deaths (Benjamin et al., 2017). There was more than one-third of adults and 17% of youth that was obese, although the prevalence did remain stable between 2003-2004 and 2009-2010 (Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2014). Flegal, Kruszon-Moran, Carroll, Fryar, & Ogden (2016) reported a study, done in 2013 to 2014, based from 2638 adult men of about a mean age of 46.7 and 2817 women of a mean age of 48.4 years. The results stated that the prevalence of obesity was 37.7% in the US. Among men, it 35% and 40.4% in women.

Models and advertisements in magazines highly influences teenage girl’s self-esteems. “Magazine advertisements aren’t that great but they work. Some girls believe that buying these products advertised will make them less insecure” (Levine 239). When magazines advertise they show various body parts. For example, magazines could advertise shoes by showing a girl’s legs with a thigh gap. Girls will want the thigh gap that the model has. They will start to wonder why they don 't have them. Another example is that magazines will advertise makeup and the girls face will look flawless. Some girls may believe that the makeup will help them also look flawless. Thin women featured in magazines and most media gives