Women Body Image
Introduction Every human being feels the pressures of society. Moreover, external features are quickly judged and “norms” are pushed upon us through many avenues. Specifically in this paper will examine Myers statement, “It should be acknowledged the advertising industry consciously targets the body image of its female audience” (Myers, 1992, p. 128). Then we will consider the prevalent persuasive strategies and how to use those in other contexts.
Summary of Article This article starts with the hypothesis that television programming and advertising have a negative effect on how women view their body. Myers and Biocca state there is a problem with females, especially adolescents, trying to maintain unhealthy weights because of the way they view themselves (Myers, 1992, p. 112). Researchers conducted a study where women took a mood test, watched approximately twenty-six minutes of television commercials, took another mood test, then gave a projection of what they thought their body looked like. Consistent with previous studies “young females tended to overestimate their body size” (p. 125).
Persuasive Strategies By simply letting study subjects view television programs and advertising and then checking their mood, the facilitators allowed implicit conclusions to be made, that is persuadees were …show more content…
allowed “to reach their own conclusions without being told what to do or believe” (Gass, R. & Seiter, J., 2016, pg. 194). This is key in a study researching the motive behind an attitude or action. The social comparison theory (p. 131) also played a role in the subjects perceptions of themselves. “In advertisements a woman is often treated as a body or a collection of body parts and not a whole.” (Anderson, 2007, para. 4) Thus every part of a woman is examined to see if it aligns with the norms presented. The moment the subject allows the image on the screen to project themselves, the comparison starts, which led the authors to conclude, “Body shape perception can be changed by watching less than thirty minutes of television” (Myers, 1992, p. 126).
Additional Context
It is simple to see these same strategies present in other contexts, even at a young age.
For example, in my many years of teaching at faith-based children’s programs, when asking children to write an answer to a question on a piece of paper the answers vary more than when spoken to the group. This shows the same strategy of allowing implicit conclusions to be made can have a deeper impact because central processing is taking place. Going hand in hand with why the answers were more varied, the social comparison theory explains the premise. If a child deems their answer is not the same as everyone else, they are more likely to change their wording to find
acceptance.
Conclusion
All of this can be summed up by saying what one views with the eyes has the potential to change their perception of reality unless they are actively guarding their mind against change. The Apostle Paul reminds us how to do this, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NASB).
Summary of Article This article starts with the hypothesis that television programming and advertising have a negative effect on how women view their body. Myers and Biocca state there is a problem with females, especially adolescents, trying to maintain unhealthy weights because of the way they view themselves (Myers, 1992, p. 112). Researchers conducted a study where women took a mood test, watched approximately twenty-six minutes of television commercials, took another mood test, then gave a projection of what they thought their body looked like. Consistent with previous studies “young females tended to overestimate their body size” (p. 125).
Persuasive Strategies By simply letting study subjects view television programs and advertising and then checking their mood, the facilitators allowed implicit conclusions to be made, that is persuadees were …show more content…
allowed “to reach their own conclusions without being told what to do or believe” (Gass, R. & Seiter, J., 2016, pg. 194). This is key in a study researching the motive behind an attitude or action. The social comparison theory (p. 131) also played a role in the subjects perceptions of themselves. “In advertisements a woman is often treated as a body or a collection of body parts and not a whole.” (Anderson, 2007, para. 4) Thus every part of a woman is examined to see if it aligns with the norms presented. The moment the subject allows the image on the screen to project themselves, the comparison starts, which led the authors to conclude, “Body shape perception can be changed by watching less than thirty minutes of television” (Myers, 1992, p. 126).
Additional Context
It is simple to see these same strategies present in other contexts, even at a young age.
For example, in my many years of teaching at faith-based children’s programs, when asking children to write an answer to a question on a piece of paper the answers vary more than when spoken to the group. This shows the same strategy of allowing implicit conclusions to be made can have a deeper impact because central processing is taking place. Going hand in hand with why the answers were more varied, the social comparison theory explains the premise. If a child deems their answer is not the same as everyone else, they are more likely to change their wording to find
acceptance.
Conclusion
All of this can be summed up by saying what one views with the eyes has the potential to change their perception of reality unless they are actively guarding their mind against change. The Apostle Paul reminds us how to do this, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NASB).