February 20, 2007
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Media Images
A recent study suggested that media images of “sex-up girls and women posing as adolescents can cause” harm to young women.
(Sorry, the picture came with the article).
The pressure is called “sexualization.” It can lead to depression, eating disorders, and poor academic performance. Here is the link: Link
Do media images lead to psychological harm to young women?
Comments (145)
Maybe.
Yes. Those pictures SUCK when you don’t know how much they photoshop them. I know enough people who think that have the above issues. I hate the media. But watch TV a lot. hmm…
It can and does. Not to everyone and not in neccessarily observable way. But the general trend…. is there is a psychological effect. And it’s generally negative.
sexualization. wow
Yes…
Only if they don’t have people to give them the other side of the story … and help them have a healthy self image (as is stated in the end of the article). If a girl is predisposed to issues, then it could exacerbate them I suppose… but I really don’t know, maybe it’s just because I grew up overseas and sexualization is rampant there and “normal” … I think it’s a cultural issue here… the cultural taboo here combined with the pressure… it makes it even more insane.
most definitely
Oh yes.
What’s this? What’s going on? I’m completely out of the loop. I’ve never heard of this.
YES. It can and it does.
I wouldn’t say it causes anything. but often times girls think this is how they should look to be accepted. and sadly… it’s true.. even if it isn’t fair… and even if it doesn’t make sense.
BTW, it’s ‘recent,’ not ‘resent.’
Everything probably causes psychological harm to someone to some degree..
Yes, but what can you do about it?? Nothing . . .
P.S. Bring back the funny girl videos . . . Brittany isn’t as entertaining!
Yeah,
look at a lot of high-class ads, notice how women are posed in them
Makes girls feel like they have to be sexy to be loved and wanted and accepted. And the one things girls want most is to be accepted…
whatever. fat ppl. should know that they are fat.
I’d say yes, based on my personal experiences, at the same time, I wouldnt want it to change.
it can be pretty harmful, yeah, but it is almost never a sole cause.
yep
It could but most likely it’s not the main cause.
What? Fourth graders getting caught giving oral sex to each other and fourteen year old girls gettting pregnant and people think the media is to blame? Heavens no. This is how extemely young women have ALWAYS been…. :-/ (Just in case anyone is wondering, I’m being extremely sarcastic.)
If only women knew that God made them beautiful to begin with… but I guess that doesn’t sell enough lingerie and makeup…
I think you just helped me on my junior research paper… thank you Dan!
[I'm doing it on bulimia.]
Only if they were raised by idiot parents that let them look at that stuff in the first place and didn’t tell them that God loves them just the way they were made.
yes- they are not helpful for both males and females- females for the reasons you describe and males because it sets them up to have unrealistic expectations.
oh yes. the media is evil.
**recent, dan, not resent.
and really, if they were raised to take media in such high esteem, then yeah. but you really gotta think what kinda weak person let’s television rule their view of themselves?
Only if they were raised by idiot parents that let them look at that stuff in the first place and didn’t tell them that God loves them just the way they were made.
Posted 2/20/2007 2:13 PM by Building_A_Mystery
I agree. I really do. I grew up in a Christian household, but unfortunately, my mom never reitterated how God loves me just as I am, and instead was constantly on me about how I needed to lose weight in order to be “pretty.” As a result, between that and images such as the one above, I have had a ton of weight issues since, and only recently have truly started eating healthy for me, and not to be “pretty.” It’s very damaging.
I believe it
Absolutely it does. That fact actually first flashed into my mind when you showed the “mudflap girl”, so I’m not surprised you actually started going in this direction.
That’s one reason all those women responding “oh, I’m a 36D” annoyed me that time, because I could tell it was going right over their defensive little heads that the issue is that the images we inundate ourselves with do not take into account the infinite variety of the female form in the objectification of it. Most of us do not look like Barbie dolls, like the mudflap girl, or like Pam Anderson. If you do, well bully for you. But that isn’t really the issue, is it.
One thing that I really like is that some elements in the media are kind of backing up against this sexualization trend, like the Dove commercials, or the Be Ugly in ’07 campaign. I doubt the media will ever actually try and kill the monster it’s created, but it’s good that at least there are finally alternative viewpoints out there… ok gotta go for today, later!
they can, but only “if a girl is predisposed to issues” (I agree with LetMeGoToo). the same images that can cause a girl with issues to consider starving herself can be a source of admiration to another girl who treats her body in a healthy way.
I think either way it goes that the issues start at home and in teens’ peer groups and are only enhanced by the media.
as far as sex in the media goes, my personal opinion is that we could do with less.
Of course! I actually just was thinking about this. I got a hair cut today and was reading a magazine for a little bit and upon seeing a picture thought “Holy Crap! That lady is 54? She looks a heck of a lot better than me and I’m 21! I think I have more laugh lines and saggy skin than she does!”
It can. The girls you see on TV and in magazines are usually ‘perfect’. All their makeup, tans, and perfect white teeth. They’re always like a size 0-5. In reality, the average size in the US is a 12, and that’s considered a plus size. But no one tells girls that, so they think they need to look like the models to be attractive and they focus on that.
i say the we blame the paretns, they are suposed to watch over the kids, not a television.
everything leads to psychological harm. everything leads to counseling. everything leads to more problems in our society
yeah, it’s bad for both guys and girls.
http://www.hallpass.com/media/revolutionaresponsetodoveevoluti.html
the origanal is pretty good too, but I couldn’t find it.
Yes.
Not if they are taught self respect at home and are shown that they are valued for more than appearance.
mooks n midriffs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMxxelZHs8Y
here it is.
The media can cause damage to girls and young when, especially if they don’t have positive female role models that define the true and honorable womanhood and dispel the myths that they’re job is to measure up to society’s image of “beauty” and positive male role models that value and honor women for who they are and what they contribute to society and love them for being mothers and daughters and sisters of integrity and teach and reinforce them to live so. Parents need to teach their children about self-image and lay the healthy foundation they can build upon, whether they do it with faith or without. Personally, I think a knowledge that God created each of us to be the unique person that we are and we are beautiful to him because of they way that we live and will never judge us by physical beauty helps me find strength and comfort to counter the damage that the family and media have caused me.
I agree with what RaVnR said: “it can be pretty harmful, yeah, but it is almost never a sole cause.”
recent** and yes.
I honestly don’t know, but I question whether the study they did really proved the point they were trying to make. I think any woman – college-aged or older – would feel a bit uncomfortable wearing a swimsuit around people she doesn’t know well in a setting where one would not ordinarily wear a swimsuit. (as opposed to the beach or at a pool) I’m assuming that the people doing the study were dressed in street clothes and that would only make her feel more uncomfortable and less likely to do well on the test, IMO.
yeah
It can definitley have an impact not only on the girls but on what boys expect from the girls. However attacking the issue at the point of the media is useless attack the problem at the sourse help children to have a healthy self image and self respect.
Yes, this is absolutely harmful. Although, I think that the media is only contributing to a problem, not the cause of it. We live in a culture that equates beauty with value, and sexuality with beauty. Girls are trained to believe that their value, their only value, is in being a sexual creature. This not only breaks my heart, but infuriates me to know that there are girls who are pressured into sexuality and sexual activity before they are ready because they feel that they need to do so to have some sort of self-worth.
I am angry that parents don’t support and love their kids more. I am angry that fathers don’t tell their daughters that they are loved, and that mothers do not tell their daughters that they are lovely. John Mayer did a good song on this actually.
I am also angry at the men who take advantage of these girls; men encourage girls to develop their sexuality and perform sexual acts. Whether it is through teasing, or emotional manipulation, or simply ignoring girls who choose not to be oversexualised, I find that men are irresponsibly (and perhaps criminally) promoting the fallacy that girls need to be sexual in order to be loved.
I am fiercely protective of the girls and the women in my sphere of influence. It is my desire to assure them of their beauty and lovliness and their worth. I encourage them to develop their talents, pursue their interests, and to realise that there is much more to a woman than her sexual abilities.
Bottom line: Sexy does not equal Beauty
In your opinion, is the world fundamentally good or evil?
what’s the point of this xanga? what do you hope to gain or hope others to gain from it?
I know that a brotha just can’t get enough a’ that ass.
It’s LIFE.
“yes- they are not helpful for both males and females- females for the reasons you describe and males because it sets them up to have unrealistic expectations.”
SO TRUE.
YES! – and it doesnt help men dealing with lust and pornography either.
- Daniel (doubledb)
I have a bikini but I’ll never wear it in public, too afraid I won’t look like those girls, though I probably do.
most definitely…
I think the bombardment of emaciated bodies as the beauty norm skews our viewpoint of what a healthy body is supposed to look like. Women have breasts, curvy hips and full thighs. To teach us that we should resemble prepubescent boys is just plain wrong! Any image you see repeatedly is going to have a long-term affect of making you think this is the norm.
i dunno… *dool slowly creeps down my chin*
too bad they don’t know how made up some of these pics can be (ie photoshopped)
probably. yeah.
Most definitely. I have never met a girl without at least some body issues or a girl that hasn’t felt insecure after watching television.
if the women are dumb enough XD
Yes, but the smart ones learn to overcome it.
100%, absolutely YES. As a teen girl who knows a million other teen girls this is a VERY big and real problem.
YES
After spending about five minutes looking at that picture, I’m commenting. Just so that I can go back to looking at that picture without the distraction of wondering if I should comment yet.
yes
Yes, as a young girl I would see pictures of pin-ups on my brothers’ walls and think that I had to look like those if I wanted guys to admire me. I didnt have low self esteem until I started looking at those so intently. It’s hard to dispute that the media influences our trends and our self-image and anyone who says that the media’s use of girls that are size 2 with 36Ds in tight pants and tube tops will not make girls want to be them.
Somewhat, but I don’t really think that it’s the cause of things as serious as eating disorders and depression.
Yes it does distort body images of our children. I was doing some research on anorexia the other day. Children as young a 8 years old are becoming anorexic these days! 8!!!! There has to be something in a child’s life causing this. I commend all of the people who are teaching their children their own self worth. I commend those of you who tell your children they are beautiful no matter what. However, the fact of the matter is, those other little brats your children go to school with will call a spade a spade. If your child is overweight, you can protect and shelter them all you want. Some other little kid will let them know that they have bad hair, they are fat, or that their clothes are not in fashion. I have wished for a long time there is something that can stop this.
I just want to know why that girl is wearing boots.
o.O
Man I know so many girls who think that their self worth as a person is found in how they look and whether guys are interested in them or not.
i don’t know…I think that it’s not helpful, but with great friends and loving parents, it makes life easier.
yes.
“Only if they were raised by idiot parents that let them look at that stuff in the first place”
images of over-sexualizedwoman is everywhere and can’t be controlled or shielded by ‘idiot parents’.
YEAH.
Not at all
I think so. Maybe not absolutely everyone, but it definitely affects most people I know.
I think this guy is right on target:
“
What? Fourth graders getting caught giving oral sex to each other and fourteen year old girls gettting pregnant and people think the media is to blame? Heavens no. This is how extemely young women have ALWAYS been…. :-/ (Just in case anyone is wondering, I’m being extremely sarcastic.)
If only women knew that God made them beautiful to begin with… but I guess that doesn’t sell enough lingerie and makeup…
Posted 2/20/2007 2:12 PM by Ancient_Scribe“
Without a doubt, yes.
Yes.
But stuff like premarital sex and such have been going on since before Jesus. It’s nothing new, but I think the media is definitely not helping.
It differs from girl to girl. But, generally, I think most girls are pressured from the media’s view of “perfection.”
Yes, they do. Studies have basically proven that the media directly affects things like this.
Yes.
Look at the Xangas of the girls in the pro-ana blogrings, and look at the list of the people they want to look like.
It is most certainly the media.
Not for me, but I know it does for some people. And then girls that are just slightly overweight wear clothes that are way too tight, and it makes them look hideously fat. I know what kind of clothes to wear, and even though I’m not skinny people think I am because I don’t go around wearing bikinis.
The problem is, kids are getting the importance of high self-esteem pushed down their throats, and that causes them to have a lower self-esteem when they see pictures like that and that’s what makes them starve themselves.
“Only if they were raised by idiot parents that let them look at that stuff in the first place”
images of over-sexualizedwoman is everywhere and can’t be controlled or shielded by ‘idiot parents’.
Posted 2/20/2007 4:04 PM by on_theroad
But these ‘idiot parents’ can teach their children how to react to these images when they do encounter them.
damn straight it does.
Hmm. I think that the media is a quick fix for people to blame. A lot of girls (and guys) who have e.d’s are usually abused or have been abused. This is usually the cause of ed’s. Not all the time, but usually. So no i dont think the media has any part in this..unless of course they have “fake ed’s” which happens a lot. And what the heck are you talking about? That picture is disgusting. Those women are fat. Not thin whatsoever (and yes I have had an ed).
Yes. Thats where girls get the idea that they have to be the skinniest girl with the biggest boobs in order for someone to love them and accept them.
Where else to girls get that idea? Basically everything can be stemmed back to some sort of media.
We need more “sexualization” in the US. We would probably get into less wars, but small penis governing people will keep that from ever happening.
Impeach presidents with small penis behavior!
Fight mental illness stigma!
obviously.
… You know, I started to make a comment, but the argument I was about to make with this would have taken too long to type.
(Lifts shirt.) Look! I have boobs! Just like half the world’s population, isn’t it AMAZING!? /sarcasm.
I’m sorry, what was the question?
Absolutely.
it’s a case by case basis, dan. some women are going to be effected more than others. my 11 year old cousin is very sensitive to these things, her older sister however, is not. i’m not effected, but i’m also underweight for my height. if i was overweight or even a normal weight i would be more effected.
Fight Mental Illness Stigma
Absolutely not. You’re always going to have some sort of ideal image to work up to.
Yeah, it kinda indirectly encourages anorexia. It’s like “look over here at these beautiful people! and look how skinny they are!”
Which leads thousands of teenage girls to either not eat or throw up everything they eat.
Indeed.
Probably… It makes people objectify each other… not good… for either gender.
No. Not Really. What about the harm Elvis was supposed to cause to young women way back when?
elli_monkey
ha! ha! yea. and I agree with you about the cause of eating disorders as well. Blaming the media is a quick fix.
definitely. The same people who tell you that you are beautiful the way you are are the same people that tell you you should wear a size 3 in pants.
It doesn’t do anything for me.
but yeah…I’m sure it does.
I like the Dove Campaigne
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/flat3.asp?id=2287
They hurt young girls so much. It’s sad to see what girls are willing to put themselves through to fit into the expected social standard.
They can, yes. The images also have an effect on men and their expectations about women, which in turn just puts more pressure on the women.
I just heard a psycholiogts talk about studies he did involving imitation is INFANTS. There have also been studies that show that, when someone sees an act being performed (in person or on screen) it activates the same part of their brain as if they were doing the act themselves.
Clearly what we see in the media affects us, affects how we think and develop, and what we do. “Monkey see, monkey do” has been shown time and time again to be a truth about human beings. It IS that simple. Why do people refuse to believe and accept this???
I guess they could. I’ve personally never paid that much attention to them.
Yes.
You can learn to ignore the media, but people aren’t instructed to do so, and have no idea what it’s doing to them. So I guess they have to learn to ignore it all the hard way, which we shouldn’t have to.
(We shouldn’t have to learn the hard way, that is.)
Yes.
I think it does in that it shows them what is “normal” and they try to live up to standards that are either ridiculously high or low. They either have to physically perfect and dumb or incredibly smart to be of use to society. This leaves alot of young women thinking that they need to be Jessica Simpson to be worthy of anything. It is really sad to me that we encourage women to be that way.
I think it does have an effect on everyone, and, yes, especially on girls. Sometimes the level of negative effects is not as great on some as on others, but there will always be this image of the media’s “perfect woman” which we so often believe is what you have to look like in order to be attractive or accepted. (but yes, pretty much almost everyone’s said that . . . so I’ll move on . . . )
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Only if they were raised by idiot parents that let them look at that stuff in the first place and didn’t tell them that God loves them just the way they were made.
Posted 2/20/2007 2:13 PM by Building_A_Mystery
I’m sorry, but you CAN’T escape the media unless you live in a hole or the vast wilderness without any technology, newspaper, or magazine AT ALL. I grew up in a very loving, supportive home–my parents (who were NOT idiots) often told me I was beautiful, that God loved me just as I was and that He makes no mistakes, and they were very careful to shelter me from what they thougth was “harmful” media, but that didn’t change me negative feelings about my appearance. My peers did not accept me, and the silent messages that movies (even silly, innocent cartoons) sent me images of what was “the way to be,” something I wasn’t. After the first grade, my self-esteem plummetted and remained very low pretty much for the rest of my life. I was never a troubled child, and there wasn’t anything clinically wrong with me, but I still had low self esteem. Why? Because EVERYONE DOES in some form or another–some hide it better than others, others have small doses of it, and some do eventually overcome it, but the point is that all of us struggle with it, no matter how small. Unless a preteen or teenager is unnaturally confident, he/she will be be insecure, especially during the “becoming” years. It’s a very delicate and long process to accept and love yourself just as you are.
i guess so…
Yeah. Most girls today are really insecure, and with the media/Hollywood’s/the world’s obsession with beautiful women, teen girls see these pictures of gorgeous, sexy (and photoshopped) women and think that it’s perfection, and that they just don’t add up. I’ve never been one of those girls that was obsessed with looks and outer perfection (well most of the time anyway), but sometimes I just see a beautiful woman, and it can be a bit depressing, because I know I’ll never measure up to that. But then I remember that God made me in His image and that I’m beautiful in His eyes and it’s all gravy again.
it depends on the individual. Some people are more susceptible to those images than others, but I dont think its good in any case
i dunno.. maybe it motivates the gals to work hard to have that kind of bod.. lol
yes. Especially because it is linked to devaluation of their internal content. Not great for males or females! as danalyn1972 said. If you want lasting love; stable relationship…this stuff doesn’t help. And those relationhsips are the ones that consistently show the most happiness and long life etc. so- if you want LIFE, this is not great…
it’s true. I read the article. I’ve seen the damaging effects on both young women and men… and something needs to change!
Yes! I have seen all those things occur in my friends, because of the media.
i think it does cause harm to girls cuz they compare them selves to the girls on tv and stuff… my girlfriend has told me herself and i think its just RETARDED.
Most definately
The strength… the faith… to drop everything… ane help a world in need… do we even understand?… do we even know?…
My daughter used to love to swim – a fish in water. She hit puberty and no longer wanted to go out in public in a swimsuit. A lasted until my late-20′s before I got that paranoid. It seems to get younger and younger in each generation.
I used to compare myself to Farrah Fawcett on Charlie’s Angels when I was a teen. At 16 I became anorexic and by 17 was puking too. Then came diet pills and laxatives. The bulimia lasted til I was mid-30′s, so a good 15 years. It was ups and downs. I recall going to the park for a walk or jog, seeing young skinny girls all about me and then going home to vomit. I’m pretty lucky to be alive, considering cases like Karen Carpenters – she did not make it.
It’s terrible the way our own minds turn on us – sabotages our ability to feel joy in who we are and in experiencing the fullness of life everyday. I wanted so much to be better – so absorbed, and as a single parent, this is what I taught my daughters …
Most definately. Duh. It also leads to “cheating.”
Sure it can be harmful. In some cases being “sexualized” can even cause girls to go through puberty early. And I agree that being bombarded through the media with perfect, airbrushed images images of women also gives young males unrealistic ideas about women.
yes
This post reminded me of this video…
hope it works..
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1395821170
1) Don’t apologize for the picture
2) Psychological harm, I don’t know, but I don’t think so. But can it lead to them thinking they’re not good enough and eating disorders? Yes.
of course. [too bad people need a study to realize this]
Yes, I think it can. Look at the women in that picture. If it’s not in your genetics to look like those images, and have bodies & faces like the ones pictured, couldn’t it make you feel less pretty or important? I don’t think the damage the media can cause is limited to just the young girls.
yes….and in all honesty I don’t think having someone in their life to tell them that this isn’t true helps as much as some peopel think it should….i can tell my daughters all i want that it’s not right and it’s not important and that the pictures are fake, but they are going to believe what they see more then what they hear and they are going to compare themselves to those women….
yeah.. it’s pretty sad
yes. i should now. my friend thinks that she is fat. she’s only 90 something lbs fer god sake!
I thought that this was basic fact.
acually, i’m working on a research paper for english and i chose this as my topic. so, thanks for the link.
yes, the media is destroying confidence in young girls. the people they use in advertisements are portrayed as “perfect” but behind all the plastic surgery and airbrushing they’re all imposters. its sad to think that so many girls are looking down on themselves because they’re not like these morons.
advertisers have power. i think they’d be more successful if they promoted confidence instead of degrading people. look at dove’s campaign for real beauty. i buy their stuff because they target people who are happy with themselves. i am happy with myself.
this is also why i refuse to ever in my life shop at victoria’s secret.
Happened to the girls at my grade school and they belittled me because I didn’t care as much… The guys too…
Yes, admit or not, yes, it does.
Personally, I was influenced, I don’t let it ALL get to me, but I do want to try and keep myself in shape, and thats all that those things tell me. I’ve never let school or morals decline- my boyfriend likes my “big beautiful brain”- and yes, he stole that from Family Guy. But its true.
duh
Most definitely.
If you have good support at home then that can counter act the affects. I never really cared about being in the norm growing up maybe its natural maybe its up bringing. I lean toward natural cause all my bros and sis’ are different.
It ruins healthy body images, that’s for sure. More than 90% of women think they need to lose weight, even though a majority of them are considered normal body weight.
Many good comments here!
And I agree with almost of them. Media is at fault for this. Sad, but true. Take it from a Communications student…
Yeah.
um, YEAH *sarcastic*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U
Our vision of female (and male, for that matter) beauty is most definately skewed by the media. As a digital art student, I know the power of Photoshop… and fear it.
yes, of course, most definately. Those images put girls under SUCH pressure to look a certain way and it hurts them when they can’t be like that. Girls should embrace their bodies, especially at that age because that’s when they’re growing and changing. And it also sort of puts men on the spot too because those images tell men that these body images are what are desired and it makes them judge women based on those images.
horrible.