The Media
and its impact on body image
Nutrition and Body
Image
Some people diet because they have poor body image, rather
than because they want to eat nutritionally well, or be in a
healthy weight range.
Your body image is how you think and feel about your body.
Body image involved your thoughts, perception, imagination
and emotions. It does not necessarily reflect what you see in the
mirror or what other people see.
Poor body image is often linked to dieting, over-exercising, or
eating disorders, and to other mental health issues such as low
self-esteem, depression, or anxiety.
While it’s important to maintain healthy eating behaviors,
constant dieting can lead to physical illness and depression,
especially if your weight goes up and down after dieting.
Think…
 What makes a body healthy?
 Do you have to be thin to be health?
 How might wanting to look like the people we see on
TV and in magazines be a negative thing?
Dove Campaign
 Evolution of Beauty--Dove Campaign
 Body Evolution--Model Before and After
 Dove--Onslought
Positive Body Image
 Grab a piece of paper.
 On that paper, draw a picture of yourself. (It doesn’t matter
how realistic or artistically appealing the picture is. This is
NOT the time to be a perfectionist.)
 After drawing your picture, make a list of all the things
your like/love/appreciate about your body. You MUST list
at least FIVE things. You may also list ONE (no more than
that) thing you don’t like about your body.
 After everyone is finished drawing, we will share as a
group.
Group Share
 How did that feel?
 Let’s discuss as a group.
 Why is it so hard to talk positively about our bodies?
Magazine Project
Choose 3 or 4 magazines to look through.
Think about the following questions related to media’s influence of body image.
1.
Are ads more likely to make people feel satisfied or dissatisfied with themselves?
2.
Why would it be to an advertiser’s advantage to make people feel satisfied or
dissatisfied with themselves?
3.
Are ads created primarily for the consumer’s benefit or the advertiser’s benefit?
4.
Do you think the magazines you selected use photos of people who realistically
represent the general public?
5.
Do they use photos of models or do they use photos of real people? If they use photos
of real people, what parts of the magazine can they be found?
1.
The cover, advertisements, beauty/style section, content (photos that accompany
articles)
Reflect…

Think about the people you saw in the magazines.

Write a reflection paper answering these questions in detail.
Write reflection in paragraph form. Do NOT number.
1)
What are some words you would use to describe the
men/women you saw?
2)
What is the message that these images tell us about how people
should look?
3)
Do you feel any pressure to have a body like those portrayed in
the media?
4)
Think about your family and friends—do they look like the
people you see in the media?
5)
Do you think the people you see in the media would look like
that if you saw them in person?
6)
Is this ethical? How do you feel about the use of Photoshop?
7)
How do gender stereotyping and body image affect mental,
emotional, and even physical health?
Around the World
Beauty Around the World
Ideals of Beauty
Define these terms:
 Read the “Eating Disorders Brochure” on the blog,
then:
 Using the web, define the following terms and briefly
discuss how each disorder (no, self-esteem and body
image are not disorders) can be caused by the media:
 Self-Esteem
 Body Image:
 Body Dysmorphic Disorder
 Anorexia:
 Bulimia:
 Bigorexia (a.k.a. ?):
 Binge Eating Disorder:
Example Cases
1. Read the following example cases
2. Write which eating disorder each individual is
suffering from, then
3. List 3-4 possible health risks for the disorder
Case #1
Emily is a 17-year-old female who goes to her doctor after
vomiting blood. After further questioning, the girl admits
she has been self-inducing vomiting to control her weight
for the past two years. She initially started vomiting at a
friend’s suggestion after eating an entire pizza. She now
vomits three to five times per week after an uncontrollable
eating binge (4 slices of pizza, one pint of ice cream, half
a box of cookies). She tearfully reports that she may have
injured her throat with her fingernail last night, and says
she feels very guilty about her actions. Emily also drinks
alcohol and smokes cigarettes two to three times per
week. She has not lost any weight despite her purging.
Case #2
Jennifer is a 14 year-old female who is sent to the school
nurse because she fainted during gym class. She has lost
20 pounds over the past 6 months. She the nurse asks
about the weight loss, Jennifer states that she is “fat” and
avoids looking at herself in the mirror. She also complains
that she constantly feels bloated and has constipation. She
is an excellent straight-A student. She currently weighs 85
pounds, and she stopped menstruating 6 months ago
when she began losing weight.
Stats

20% or women who are underweight think they are overweight and are dieting to lose
weight.

95% or people with eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25

Only 10% of people suffering from an eating disorder will seek professional help

Studies show that the more reality tv a young girl watches, the more likely she is to find
appearance important

58% of college-aged girls feel pressured to be a certain weight

Approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting to
achieve their ideal body shape

Only 5% of women naturally possess the body type often portrayed by Americans in
the media

40% of 9 and 10 year old girls (in 1 study) have tried to lose weight
Critical Thinking…
 Eating disorders are diseases still found predominantly
among young women, yet studies show more and
more young men are exhibiting symptoms. What are
some possible reasons for this trend?
 Think about your daily life and factors that influence
your eating habits. Which factors encourage positive
eating habits? Which contribute to less healthy eating
habits?
Create
 Create a Public Service Announcement, slogan, poem
or image that will help people feel good about
themselves, celebrate different looks, and promote
healthy living.
 Work individually, in a pair, or group of 3
 Create poster, iMovie, brochure, or any form of media
(no PowerPoints) and present to class