Social Comparison Theory On Body Image

The media has distorted people’s views on the way they look at their own body image. The media has shown what their ideal body type is, while leaving people to feel as if the average weight is not good enough. (Cardosi, 2006) We live in a world where people feel as if having zero body fat is the idea body type to have. Pictures of models for clothing stores, bathing suits, lingerie etc. all exhibit to this to be true. Body image is perceived to be negatively influenced by the media and the way that the media displays their models. Parents, teachers, adolescence and even children all find themselves to be comparing themselves based on what the media exposes. (Levine & Murnen, 2009)

The authors exposed thin models and average-size models to the participants for the study but they did not did not have a favorable brand attitude towards thin models. Nevertheless, individual’s body images did affect the participant’s perceptions of similarity with model images in the social comparison. This article will be able to support my thesis because it talks about the creation of social norms which is one of the reason why the exposure of ideal advertising images affects negatively individuals’ self-esteem. This article will be used in the sociology section of the research

It was once said by the common woman, “Zero percent of women haven’t struggled with body image issues.”

In today’s society, people tend to focus a lot on females and the problems they have concerning their body image based on popular culture, stereotypes, and other generalizations of how a woman “should look.” What we do not realize however is that males struggle with their body image as much as females do and are often not recognized in their fight to meet the expectations of society. Males struggle with all kinds of eating and body disorders just as females do and the expectations pushed on them by the media, women, and even other guys. There is a frightening lack of treatment because guy’s hardships are ignored and even overshadowed by women’s struggles. Males also go through the harmful effects and risks that come with the efforts they

We all in some point of our lives been, so delighted with a fairy tale movie or a book, but do not think about the drastic consequence it is portraying on having an ideal body image? Over, the decades we have seen how fairy tales have impacted every individual. From having our great grandparents to our parents reading and watching fairy tales at a very young age. Fairy Tales have been a great phenomenon for a very long time. With the making of Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, and much more loved by many people. As time his passing, people are realizing that fairy tales are affecting young girls at a very young age. Targeting mainly their body image. Body image is really important for many girls because they need to be up to date with the fashion trends society is putting out there. Now, a day’s many Fairy Tales movies are being created in looking slim, pretty, blonde, long beautiful dress, and perfect with no imperfection. In creating these false expectations on how a girl is supposed to look is drastically changing their minds. Also, is affecting their self-esteem in being low, due to not being satisfied with their body. Young girls want to be a princess because they have everything and receive all the attention. Having the characteristic of a princess is changing girls in evolving a false identity. In having a perfect body like a princess is causing other girls to not fit in because they do not fit in the category of perfect. Although, some accept

Eleven million women in the United States suffer from eating disorders- either self-induced semi-starvation (anorexia nervosa) or a cycle of bingeing and purging with laxatives, self-induced vomiting, or excessive exercise (bulimia nervosa) (Dunn, 1992). Many eating disorder specialists agree that chronic dieting is a direct consequence of the social pressure on American females to achieve a nearly impossible thinness. The media has been denounced for upholding and perhaps even creating the emaciated standard of beauty by which females are taught from childhood to judge the worth of their own bodies (Stephens & Hill, 1994). To explore the broader context of this controversial issue, this paper draws upon several aspects on how the media

Perhaps you’re just like Tamara, a 21 year old who’s struggled with body image from a young are. Growing up, she would ask her parents “How come my brothers can have ice cream, but I can’t?” “Because they don’t have a weight problem.” She considered herself “fat”. Have you ever dealt with a body image issue?

Looking at body image through gender roles, men and women go through gender socialization, in which they learn the about the cultural norms to their gender. Meso-level agents of socialization such as corporations create materials that socialize children into their socially approved gender. Mass media is a major agent of socialization that corporations use to influence men and women. Body image for men and women is incorporated with gender socialization and there are many advertisements that promote the perfect body image. The pressure of needing a perfect body to in order draw desired reactions deals with Charles Cooley’s social psychological concept of the looking-glass self. The looking-glass self is apart of the symbolic interaction theory, the idea that we impact each other every day with symbols that we have created. There are three main principles to the looking-glass self. At first, we are self conscious of how we want to appear to others. Next, we take the judgements other make on us. Finally, we interpret how that individual views us and then react. Essentially, our self-image is shaped by society and how we believe that people see us. Approximately 24 million men and women have an eating disorder, many of which is attributed to the way people view them and what they aspire to look like. The gender role expectation of women needing to have a perfect body can lead to depression and health problems. As for men, the bodybuilder stature can lead to anxiety, guilt, or even early death. At this point, a rational choice theorist should step in and weigh the costs against the benefits. The benefits for men and women are that they will be accepted and look the way they want. But the costs are health issues, self-criticism, relationship strains, and he or she are adhering to the gender roles society has put forth. Although most humans are judgmental,

Social comparison theory allows researchers to understand the connections women make with the models that are used in the fashion industry and magazines. The models that are used in the fashions magazines are considered a main factor in what sets the bar on the traits women should obtain in order to be perceived as beautiful and attractive. Women use this concept, so they can evaluate themselves and see whether or not they are fitting into the mold that the media and marketing companies are constantly creating. Women continually strive to uphold the criteria that the media creates as most desirable.

The social comparison theory offers some level of explanation for how media images actually come to impact the way women feel about their bodies. It examines how individuals evaluate themselves in relation to peers, groups, and/or social categories (Milkie, 1999). The main argument is that people compare themselves on many different dimensions with other individuals who are similar to them. Depending on the target of comparison, a person will usually judge themselves as being either or better or worse on some dimension. An upward comparison occurs when an individual compares himself or herself to someone who fares better than they do on a particular construct. In contrast, downward comparisons involve a person comparing himself or herself to

The way people perceive their body image is based on many different variables in his or her life. Today, one’s body image plays a key role in who they are and the popularity of that person. A man may choose a body image that is larger than himself because in society, a more masculine male is a better protector than a smaller male. It seems that women may choose to be bigger or smaller than their actual body image because the media influences perceive that a smaller woman is more attractive in society than a heavier one. An assumption of why men and women would rate themselves larger or smaller could be the result of trying to fit into the perceived societal

Social comparison theory was originally defined by Leon Festinger and has been improved and studied by many others since. It is defined as how we learn and shape our own abilities and attitudes about things by comparing ourselves to those around us (Aronson, Wilson, & Ackert, 2013). This is done by observing others behavior and mimicking it in our own lives. This can be to look a certain way, act a certain way, speak in a way that others do, or to own particular things. Comparing oneself to an unrealistic standard of beauty set by what media says is acceptable has become a problem in current American society.

Understanding the effects of beauty standards to both men and women requires research of both sexes and different orientations in regard to the influence the media has on them. While cultural standards contribute to beauty standards, media carries most of the responsibility for swaying public opinion of attractiveness. In order to find an answer as to why certain beauty standards currently exist, one must examine the root cause: media.

Today’s culture has accredited women to focusing on their bodies as a strategy that sanctions them to determine how well others will treat them (Knoblock-Westerwick & Crane, 2012). A meta-analysis conducted by Festinger and Botta, discussed social comparison theory which revolved around the paradigm that individuals made mental judgments in relation to their own qualities and compared them to others (image one below discusses the process of social comparison based on various factors). It was found that college-going females who were more appearance driven were more likely to suffer from body image dissatisfaction since they often compared themselves to those who were better off. Further studies indicated that students frequently conformed to such appearance related expectations to gain approval of peers (Ferreday, 2011)(Knoblock-Westerwick &

Body image refers to how the physical self is perceived. Different cultures and different periods have different concerns and standards. In Western countries, the female body image is regarded as good if it is attractive, thin and fit. Therefore, consumers will look for clothing that can help them in building this image.