Analysis of Article “Influence of Mass Media on Body...

Mass media consists of a range of multimedia technologies that have enhanced our way of communication. The media conveys norms and attitudes that socially construct those who are involved. Inadvertently, the media depicts a widely accepted misconception of personal image. â€Å"Influence of Mass Media on Body Image and Eating Disordered Attitudes and Behaviors in Females† reveals the high correlation between media content and females’ idea of beauty. Although the article does not specify on their intended audience, the reader can infer the audience to be adolescent females and important familiars to them, i.e. mothers and friends. Appealing to individuals who have the most impact on an adolescent female may evoke guilt through the pressures†¦show more content†¦They use cross-sectional studies, experimental studies, and longitudinal studies to strengthen their credibility amongst the audience. Each study fulfills a different purpose to cross-reference the corre lations between television, images of thin beauty ideals, and â€Å"casual risk factors† to body dissatisfaction amongst adolescents (390-401). This allows the research to focus on different components of the media – television, magazines, billboards, radio etc. It is apparent that the authors and sponsors believe the mass media to be the primary factor of recent increases involving a female’s concern on her body and eating disorders. For example, the article describes how the fashion industry uses digital enhancement to obtain thinner sizes on their models. Thus, the norms of beauty become nearly impossible to achieve. The sponsors of the article created a review that considered both the nature and implications of media effects. More importantly, the article serves as a guide in minimizing the negative affects the media places on adolescent females. While the article contrasts the effects of television and magazines on female body dissatisfaction, it does not talk about the psychological aspects of these effects. The audience can infer that a portion of adolescent females acquire mental instabilities with years of body dissatisfaction.