Convincing Women Not to Idealize the Thin Ideal

Body image is can be described as how a person perceives their physical appearance, how they feel about their body, and how they think others view them (Holmstrom, 2004) Marcia Hutchinson (1985), author of the book Transforming Body Image states, "Our body image is formed out of every experience we have ever had - parents, role models, and peers who give us an idea of what it is like to love and value a body. Image is formed from the positive and the negative feedback from people whose opinions matter to us. It is also the way we ourselves have perceived our body to fit or not fit the cultural image." Body image influences behavior, self-esteem, and people 's psyche. When people feel bad about their bodies, their satisfaction and mood plummet. If people are constantly trying to push, reshape or remake their bodies, their sense of self becomes unhealthy. People lose confidence in their abilities. Unfortunately, the media pushes an unnatural body type, making it difficult for many people to accept natural beauty in others and themselves.
Research has shown that there is a definite link between body image and the media, especially in advertising. Advertisers often emphasize sexuality and the importance of physical attractiveness in an attempt to sell products, but researchers are concerned that this places too much pressure on women and men to focus on their appearance. Researchers suggest advertising media may adversely impact women 's body image, which can lead to unhealthy behavior as women and girls strive for the ultra-thin body idealized by the media (Tiggemann & McGill, 2004). Advertising images have also been recently accused of setting unrealistic ideals for males, and men and boys are beginning to risk their health to achieve the well-built media standard.
Little research has attended to the effects of media exposure on males ' body image. However, there was a recent study done by Agliata and Tantleff-Dunn (2004) that explored this issue. The study

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