Mass Media and Self Esteem Body Image and Eating Disorder Tendencies In College Going Girls

Abstract

This study examines whether the level of exposure to mass media is related to newlineself-esteem, body image, and eating disorder tendencies in a college girls.A thin body newlineand an attractive face are considered to define the desirable feminine beauty ideal and newlinethis narrow concept of beauty has been promoted through mass media. Women often newlinecompare themselves with the idealized images in the media and such comparisons may newlinelead to body dissatisfaction and lower self-esteem. Individuals who are dissatisfied with newlinetheir body are likely to engage in appearance management behaviors, such as makeup, newlinedieting, eating disorders, and cosmetic surgery. Sociocultural theory has been used to newlineexplain the development of body dissatisfaction as negative effects of exposure to the newlinesocietal beauty ideal and social comparison theory has been used to explain how newlinewomen experience body dissatisfaction and psychological problems, such as lower selfesteem and eating disorders The level of attitudes toward social comparison an newlineindividual holds may be an important predictor of the negative outcomes of exposure to newlineideal media images. In addition, the impact of exposure to ideal media images may newlinediffer by similarity or dissimilarity of a comparison target to the person making the newlinecomparison. Thus, this study examined the association of attitudes toward social newlinecomparison to female models in advertisements with self-esteem, body image, and newlineeating disorder in college going girls. newlineA convenience sample of 1000 female college students participated in this study. newlineSignificant positive relationships between exposure to fashion or beauty magazines and newline(a) overall appearance dissatisfaction and (b) eating disorder tendencies were found. In newlineaddition, risk of eating disorder tendencies was associated with low self-esteem, body newlinedissatisfaction, and overall appearance dissatisfaction.The result indicates the need for newlinemedia intervention to help change the current normative body discontent of women in newlineIndia