Trina gazes at the television screen as she begins walking her third mile on the treadmill. Watching her favorite teen stars while exercising offers her not only entertainment, but also “inspiration.” Young Trina, only eleven years old, looks up to these teen actresses and musicians. Their characters on television encompass everything that Trina one day hopes to achieve: intelligence, popularity, grace, and beauty.


Trina continues to walk on the treadmill, imagining herself as one of the beautiful starlets dancing before her eyes. As soon as her fantasy drifts away, reality smacks her in the face. She feels a fold of fat protruding over her pants and pinches her double chin. Her self-esteem plummets downward, like a sinking ship. The child begins scolding herself for eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, as tears begin to well in her eyes for her lack of self-control and motivation. “A movie star would never eat a PB&J! What was I thinking?” Trina gasps.
The guilt Trina experiences from eating one peanut butter and jelly sandwich is enough to dull her mood for the rest of the day. Comparing herself to her TV idols, the impressionable girl begins to link the fold of fat protruding over her pants and her double chin with her self-worth. She does not resemble her role models, and, therefore, her self -esteem drops.
II. The History of the Ideal Form
In society today, body fat often has a negative connotation. Emaciated models poured into tight-fitting clothes represent beauty. However, this has not always been the case. Throughout history, the dominant media and political powers have always defined the ideal body shape. Likewise, society’s idea of “beauty” has differed at different points in time.
According to Psychiatry Online, during the colonial period, society believed that an “ideal” female body type was strong and sturdy. They appreciated competent, capable, efficient, and maternal women. Many colonial families were large, due to extensive labor needs for housework, farm work, and other daily chores. Therefore, a fertile and capable woman was preferred, and easily married off.
As time went on, this preferred image of a woman shifted. While men still valued women for their fertility, they came to disapprove of female strength. Corsets became the new rage, and women strived to appear dainty, fragile, and helpless. Women who were constantly ill were considered “attractive”, and fainting due to a woman’s weakness was accepted and praised in society. A vulnerable and sickly woman with a small waist and womanly shape was an ideal representation of the perfect nineteenth century woman.
Once again, the archetypal form of a woman changed at the beginning of the twentieth century. With many political changes, such as women’s suffrage, a new form of feminism emerged. Thin and angular “tom-boys” were glorified and advertised in the media. Women’s rights and female rebellion were popular and encouraged. Think for instance of flappers, women who took pride in their deviation from socially appropriate behavior and dress.
During World War II, the colonial idea of a preferred body form reappeared. With all of the men away fighting, women were called upon to work in industry. Once again, a strong, competent, physically able woman was lauded and idolized. Consider Rosie the Riveter. She was used to encourage women to work in industry and factories. The best well-known picture of Rosie depicts a woman with her hair pinned back in a bandana, flexing her muscles and the phrase “We Can Do It!” These posters were used as propaganda issued by the U.S. government to persuade women to work.
However, after the war, many men came home with a different perception of what the ideal body form should be. They valued the traditional distinctions between males and females, such as a woman’s place being in the home and the idea that it was a man’s duty to work and bring home the bacon. A woman’s maternity and fertility were once again praised and highly valued. A curvy, very feminine body type was exalted. The 1960s brought about a new wave of feminism, and a new popular body type. Along with the Civil Right’s Movement, women fought for equality in society. A very boyish and thin body type became clique.
Today, society pressures women to resemble dangerously thin models and actors. Many movies, television shows, and advertisements portray thin, slender women as having intelligence, wit, beauty, and a fulfilling social life. This portrait of what a successful woman is and should be “inspires” women to lose weight. As actress Jamie Lee Curtis admitted, “Figures portrayed by media are rarely real.” While many people’s entire lives revolve around trying to look like actors and actresses, this is often an unrealistic and futile effort. For example, the University of Massachusetts and Stanford University have conducted several studies, and found that seventy percent of college women reported feeling worse after reading a magazine. Media often leaves viewers with lower self-esteem and a horrible body image, which isn’t conducive to mental or physical health.
III. Self Change
Trina flips through several issues of Vogue and Seventeen. Searching for a hairstyle, she steadily scans the pages of the magazines. Nothing appeals to the spunky eleven-year-old. She strides back to the magazine stand, continuing her quest for the perfect look.
Suddenly she spots a large movie poster across the street advertising the new movie Spring Breakers. She’s instantly drawn to the poster. The young girl recognizes her favorite teen star, Selena Gomez. Nostalgia overwhelms Trina as she recalls watching Gomez on her favorite television shows, such as Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place.
However, Selena dawns a skimpy bikini in this advertisement. Trina remembers Selena always being slender on her favorite shows. But, Trina never saw Selena portrayed quite like this. She gazes at the poster in awe. She tugs at her mother and points to the poster. “I want my hair to look like hers!” Trina gushes. Trina doesn’t just want her same hairstyle, but she wanted her body as well. Trina has subconsciously set a new goal for herself. She will strive to resemble this gorgeous teen goddess, even if it means changing herself in the process.

IV. The Medical Industry
Today, we’re surrounded by advertisements encouraging us to change. Magazines, television commercials, and those around us often push us to modify ourselves. While change is often a good thing, constantly being told that we must better ourselves can often lead to low self-esteem and unhappiness.
With plastic surgery available, we’re faced with unrealistic representations of beauty. Many models we see advertised have twig-like figures and extremely large breasts. However, what companies don’t advertise is the fact that most of these models must have breast implants because they don’t have enough body fat to support such large breasts on their own.
In 2001, the National Cancer Institute found that women with breast implants were four times more likely to commit suicide than other patients who underwent plastic surgery. Other researchers concluded that plastic surgery increases pleasure with the specific body part operated on, but doesn’t have any affect on self-confidence or self-esteem.
Many people agree to under going plastic surgery with unrealistic expectations that they will look dramatically better. Research in April of 2003 in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found that patients who had unrealistic expectations or had a history of anxiety or depression are dissatisfied with their final appearance. These same patients undergo depression, social isolation, family problems, and self-destructive behavior, according to the research.
Another business prompting women to “change” themselves is the diet industry. According to Mary Piper’s book, Hunger Pains, the diet industry is a multibillion-dollar business. Hundreds of companies such as Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutria-System and Special K promote the idea that self-betterment is achieved by weight loss.
Often, companies such as these will have slender, attractive people advertising the large amount of weight they have lost using the companies’ product. They’ll then go on to say how it’s not a diet, but it’s a lifestyle change. However, in the study Interactive Group Treatment for Bulimia Nervosa, Dr. Helen Rises states that less than five percent of individuals who lose twenty pounds are able to keep it off for five years.
It’s easy to imagine how many of us feel the need to “improve” ourselves. But we must realize that plastic surgery and dieting products are fruitless efforts in achieving a positive body image. On the contrary, those who engage in dieting or undergo plastic surgery will often develop a negative personal body image.
V. Obsession
The youth’s quest for physical perfection continues. Trina spends hours researching the lives of popular teen starlets. Her “inspiration” has now grown into an obsession.
She lies in her bed into the early hours of the morning on her computer, soaking up all the information available about the lives of her favorite teen idols. She searches things such as their weights, heights, exercise routines, and meal plans.
Then, she begins to compare the starlet’s weights, heights, exercise routines, and meal plans, to her own. Soon, a strong wave of depression and self-disgust overwhelm her.
“How can these stars be so tall and weigh so little?” she asks herself. “I’m shorter than all of these stars and I weigh more than they do.” she thinks. A tear rolls down her cheek as the feelings of worthlessness and loneliness begin to settle.
Trina doesn’t realize that constantly comparing herself to models and actresses is contributing greatly to her low self-esteem and negative body image. She doesn’t realize that her exposure to the media is influencing her idea of what success is.
VI. Effects
In the article “The Role of Television in Adolescent Women’s Body Dissatisfaction and Drive for Thinness,” Maria Triggerman and Amy Slater Pickering reveal that negative body image is associated with the type of exposure to media, not the amount of exposure to the media. Media such as soap operas, music videos, and movies all invoke a desire for thinness in the audience, leaving viewers with an unfavorable body image. Having a negative body image can often lead to depression and other complications.
Dr. Anne E. Becker, comparing the rates of eating disorders before and after TV was introduced to Fiji, conducted a similar study in 1995. Traditionally, Fijians have extolled women who had hearty appetites. They honored these women because it symbolized wealth and maternity. In 1995, there was only one reported case of anorexia nervosa (psychological disorder where one has a strong fear of gaining weight, often leads to malnutrition and dangerous weight loss). This all changed after the introduction of TV in Fiji. In 1998 the dieting rates of Fijians shifted from zero percent to sixty-nine percent. When Fijians were interviewed, they referred to television stars as their “inspiration” and reason for losing weight. They were trying to resemble emaciated actors and actresses.
This constant struggle and comparison between television stars and ourselves is unhealthy, and ultimately result in a poor body image. A poor body image can later on lead to an eating disorder. We must keep in mind that certain people are more susceptible to eating disorders than others. Those who have a tendency to be anxious, depressed, live in dysfunctional families, and have a past history of mood disorders are at higher risk of developing an eating disorder.
Many girls like Trina feel pressured by the media and society to change themselves to look like models and movie stars. This constant reminder that we’re not as beautiful or as slender as popular actors and actresses leaves young, impressionable children with low self-esteem and a negative body image.
Parents can only try to control the types of exposure our children have to the media, to avoid negative body image and low self esteem in their kids. We’re immersed in a culture where negative messages about body image are ubiquitous.