EFFECTS OF THE MEDIA IDEAL

Physical, Mental, and Emotional Health

The historical weight of structural sexism is ingrained in the media, and media messages have made it apparent that (1) a woman's most valuable asset was her body and (2) she should feel compelled to fit the mold of Western beauty that idealizes thinness. Mass media and social media use photo editing and filters to create a female ("feminine") shape that is often unattainable and distorts our reality while doing so. These messages can shape how we think and feel about our bodies and lead women and girls to self-objectify and sexualize their bodies to fit the media ideal. 

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Using body-editing apps to modify one’s body is the epitome of self-objectification and encourages many to over-sexualize their bodies to better fit the media-ideal, in which there is great correlational influence between overexposure to unrealistic representations of women's bodies and resulting consequences including:

• Body dissatisfaction

• Self-objectification

• Body dysmorphia

• Depression/Anxiety

• Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, restrictive food intake disorder, etc.)

• Self-esteem

• Body shame