Body Image

Body image refers to the picture that a person forms of their body in their mind. A person's body image is influenced by their own beliefs and attitudes as well as ideals in society. One's body image does not remain the same but changes in response to lifestyle events (puberty, pregnancy, disability, illness, surgery, menopause and even different stages in the menstrual cycle) (1). Body image is closely connected to a person's self esteem. Self esteem refers to how much a person values or accepts themselves for who and what they are (2).

In society, men tend to be valued for their achievements (both career and wealth) and power status. Conversely, women are often valued more for their attractiveness and desirability than, for example, their achievements. Think of how often comments about personal appearance feature in media reports involving high profile women. Constant reminders that the way women look is central to their success and happiness can impact on women's self esteem and confidence. If our society values bodies which are thin, young, white and able-bodied, it is no wonder that many women do not have a positive view of their bodies.

So where does this pressure about body image come from?

Images of women in the media (magazines, television, internet, advertising) tend to emphasise beauty, youth and thinness. Advertisers in particular portray an ideal ‘look’, suggesting that women who do not reach this perfection require either enhancement (ie., mascara that makes eye lashes longer) or ways to hide their flaws (eg., skin creams). Some designers in the fashion industry are replacing the traditional dress sizes of 6, 8,10 ect with sizing that begins at ‘0’ (0, 1, 2 ect). While the actual sizing is the same, the move is worrying; should there really be a sizing system that includes a size 0? Cosmetic surgery is also offered to women as a way of achieving the ‘ideal’ look. Improvements in surgical techniques and an increase in cosmetic surgery providers mean that such surgery is no longer restricted to just the rich and famous.

The main issue with the ‘ideal’ being promoted to women is that it is often far from reality or is unattainable for the average woman. Airbrushing, the use of a computer assisted tools to modify appearances, is heavily used in the media. Consequently, women are striving for a look that can never be naturally achieved, as it is actually computer generated. In addition, the celebrity 'ideal' that women admire has been achieved via thousands of dollars worth of cosmetic surgery, a personal stylist, chef and physical trainer and a large wardrobe budget. Women who naturally have figures like catwalk models only make up a small percentage of the general population. Pursuing such ideals leaves women open to failure, which can in turn further erode self-esteem and a positive body image.

Although the fashion industry and media play an influential role in women’s body image they are not the only contributing factors. Body ideals can come from within families (eg., having a naturally thin mother, sister), work environments (eg., entertainment industry) or even from a partner or friends.

Some facts and figures

• Adolescent girls are consistently more dissatisfied with their bodies than adolescent boys. In a survey of high school students, 70% of adolescent girls wanted to be thinner, compared to 34% of boys. Only 7% of girls reported wanting to be larger, in comparison to 35% of the boys surveyed (3).
• A study involving 869 school girls aged 14-16 found that more than one third (36%) of the girls reported using at least one extreme dieting method in the past month (crash dieting, fasting, slimming tablets, diuretics, laxatives or cigarettes) (4).
• The Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health found that of 13 003 women in their 18-22 age cohort, 74% reported wanting to weigh less, with only 25% of women in the 'healthy weight' category being happy with their weight. The study also revealed that 48% of the women had dieted to lose weight in the previous year (5).
• It has been estimated that young women see more images of beautiful women in one day than their mothers saw through their entire adolescence (6).

Where to from here?

Body image and self-esteem remain important issues for women and girls. It seems that the significance of these topics is likely to continue, particularly in light of the obesity epidemic that Australia is currently facing. The growing disparity between the actual size and shape of women and girls and the ‘ideal’ being portrayed in the media and fashion industry will greatly impact on the way that women think and feel about their bodies.

There are, however, some positive signs that the ideals are being challenged. Beauty product company Dove has been running the Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty (7). The campaign has included the “Evolution” advertisement which features a young woman whose image is captured by a high-end fashion photographer and then retouched on a computer. The time-lapsed footage provides a great example of how distorted the images used in the media actually are (8). Dove has also featured everyday women in their advertisements and most recently used women over the age of 50 to promote a new product range for mature women.

In 2006, underweight models were banned from participating in Madrid Fashion Week (9). Models were asked to attend a pre-show medical test and models with a body mass index (BMI) below 18 were not accepted. While similar bans were not enforced at other major fashion weeks, organisers did make a number of changes including workshops on eating disorders (New York Fashion Week) and requiring medical certificates for models (Milan Fashion Week).

Pressure has also been put on advertisers to accurately portray their products. The Advertising Standards Authority (UK) found that the TV and press ads for L’Oreal Telescopic mascara (L’Oreal Paris) were misleading as consumers were not informed that the actress promoting the product, Penelope Cruz was wearing individual false eyelashes. L’Oreal was required to include a disclaimer in future ads which featured models wearing false eyelashes (10).

For individual women and girls, recognising the types of pressures placed on them is a starting point to resisting them. Having an understanding of how the images used in print media are computer modified and knowing the tricks used by advertisers allows women and girls to challenge the ideals being portrayed.

Many organisations and schools run body image and self esteem programs which encourage women and girls to find strategies to build their sense of self worth. There are also a number of books, videos and tapes on improving self esteem that are widely available.

References

For further information sources on this topic see our "Internet resources for assignments" page

This student factsheet is one of a series produced by Women's Health Queensland Wide. They have been developed in response to students' most frequently asked questions and reflect a range of topics examined by high school and tertiary students. It has been reviewed by our Editorial Committee. This factsheet is designed for student assignment purposes and, therefore, may not be an appropriate source of information for personal use.

Back to the top

Last Modified: October 30, 2007