Wednesday, January 13, 2010

How does the media affect teenagers and the way they view body image?

can you list some ways the do.


and why?How does the media affect teenagers and the way they view body image?
Media is an inseparable part of life for most of the teenagers. There are different types of mass media that are inherently a part of the routine life of teenagers 鈥?for example television, computer, mobile phone or a music player. Considering the current influence of media, we need to agree on the fact that media plays an important role in shaping up opinions of teenagers. Media is a double-edged sword and hence there are positive effects of media as well as negative influences of media.





Positive Media Effects on Teenagers





One of the most positive effects of media today is the ease with which teenagers have learned to embrace technology 鈥?be it the computers, Internet or the ipods. The teenagers have no phobia for technology. Media has also contributed to increase the overall awareness of teenagers about their surroundings. In addition to this, media has also resulted in enhanced overall knowledge and understanding of curriculum subjects owing to the vast information resources that the media has to offer. If managed properly, media can be effectively used to generate awareness amongst teenagers about issues like sex, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, drugs, alcohol and smoking.





Negative Media Effects on Teenagers





There are several negative media effects on teenagers as well. Media is responsible for creating ideals about body image, owing to which several teenagers (especially girls) suffer from inferiority complex and resort to unhealthy practices to lose weight and get skinny. The amount of excessive violence in media 鈥?be it the television, movies or the video games, tends to increase aggressive tendencies in teenagers. The amount of celebrity hype created by the media causes many children to make irrational demands for designer clothing, accessories and other perks of the celebrity life that they are exposed to. Glorification of unhealthy habits like smoking, drug abuse, unprotected sex and alcohol can encourage these habits in teenagers, which can permanently scar their lives. How does the media affect teenagers and the way they view body image?
The affect is seen everywhere. You spend your entire life judging yourself and striving for an ideal version of what you want to be. Outside influence and opinion is the model that makes people do the things they do, dress the way they dress, act the way they act. Seeing a person you look up too wearing/doing a particular thing influences you to do the same, or your version of same. All of us want to blend in with the crowd at times in our lives, until the point where we want to branch out and do our own thing, in tern influencing those that look up to us. This is the cycle that makes us who we are. Everyone is an individual, to a point.
This is really an issue with female teens.





They photo shop pictures of women in their magazines.


They show slim and attractive women in their advertising.


On TV and in films, they usually have attractive people playing the popular girls. These are the ones who have the most friends and get dates easily.


The Barbie dolls and Bratz dolls they sell are always skinny with great figures.





By doing this, they send the message that you are only beautiful and/or valuable if you look like these women. They also make it look like these people never suffer from acne.





Why do they do this? They want to sell magazines. They also want to sell products. If the product happens to be makeup, they make it seem as if you will look like the model if you buy their makeup.
Hello!


Haha, i just did a test on media and how it affects our minds. Got an excellence! :)





Well, media is a big part of everyday life these days.


Media can start up new trends that aren't even good but people follow it.





Well people watch celebrities and tend to follow their habits etc because they want to be like them.


Teenagers look and them and think of a perfect life. But that's not right. The media shows us what we WANT to see and not things we try to avoid.


Eg, would you want to see famous people you look up to go into depression because of the things they do?


Of cause not! You'd want to see the perfect life that you think they have only because we can't have it.





A big part of the media would be sterotypes. TV, radio, etc potray the 'cool' people in a certain way and the 'uncool' people in another.


When teens look at this, they'd wanna be in the 'cool' group and start acting the way they do on TV and that's designer clothes, being unhealthy thin, being as*holes to people around them.





Hope this helped!! :)
When was the last time you saw a Rubenesque or obese woman in any commercial, other than one advertising weight loss? Have you ever seen a ';fat'; Barbie or other doll? Ever seen a slightly overweight model?

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