The media also reaches audiences via magazines through written articles, advertisements, and spreads.  Spreads and advertisements tend to be most eye-catching, yet written text plays a major role in the effect on the reader.  Tiggemann noted a significant correlation between the increased reading of magazines and the acceptance of thin body image in her study regarding media exposure and body dissatisfaction (418).  Periodicals such as Seventeen and YM, Your Magazine, which are intended for adolescent girls, feature stories each month about weight loss, body toning, curbing cravings, and how to emulate the look of famous celebrities.  Shouldn’t females at that age be more concerned with the development of self and the enjoyment of life?  The media makes thin body image a more pressing issue. 

            The most recent issue of Seventeen.com (11/04) includes seven workout articles, a quiz titled “Do you hate your body?” and a detailed list of low-fat recipes provided by an “in house” chef.  Other periodicals geared towards the more adult female include similar articles regarding weight loss and how to best obtain Julia Roberts’ or Cameron Diaz’s flat stomach.  In addition, the interviews of prominent actresses, models, businesswomen and musicians in magazines such as Allure and Glamour always ask these infamous questions: What is your diet secret? How do you stay in shape while on tour? How can readers look like you?

            The articles aside, magazines are guilty of projecting a negative body image through featured advertisements and photos.  Everyone knows that a picture speaks a thousand words.  The photos used in magazines are a prime example of this adage; the message sent to readers is just as powerful as any full length article.  The major culprit in promotion of thin body ideal images is fashion magazines, especially Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Mademoiselle, and Glamour (426).  Women who regularly read fashion magazines are more susceptible to the internalization of thin body image (Tiggemann 256).  The spreads and advertisements consist of unrealistically shaped bodies that are disproportionate and have become the norm of culture’s desired look.  The thin body images projected are not often genuine, either.  Airbrushing is a technique that is frequently used to create a more flawless, thin, or desirable image.  While this practice is often used to touch up blotchy skin, to remove “red eye”, or to erase other unsightly blemishes, it is also employed to completely restructure human bodies as to make them appear more slender, muscular, or voluptuous. The cover of the July 2004 issue of Redbook featured a spliced picture of Julia Roberts, the headshot from a photo taken at the 2002 People’s Choice awards and the remainder of her body from a four year old photo (Freydkin 1).  The explanation for the photo fusion?  The publisher of Redbook said that the picture combination was done in order to create a more “popping” photo for the cover of the magazine (Freydkin 2).  Similarly, actress Kate Winslet’s legs were unnaturally elongated for her GQ cover image for the February 2004 issue.  The actress has been quoted saying that her legs in the original photos looked great and did not need to be altered (Freydkin 2).  Many people contend that celebrities must be thin because their success depends on it, but stars like Kate Winslet, and especially Camryn Manheim, have spoken out against the media's overly thin body image and are examples of success without succumbing to the media's pressure.  

Home Complete Essay Mood, Self Esteem, Body Dissatisfaction. Television Advertisements Celebrities and Models Eating Disorders

Photos obtained via the following sites: Magazine Display , Seventeen , Redbook