The Influence of Media on Body Image

Media is a part of everyday life for children and adolescents and can play an important role in the development of internalized body ideals, a healthy lifestyle, etc. The basic problem: For the most part, only young and very slim women are shown in the media. This starts with children’s television and continues with shows like the international “Next Top Model” franchise and on social media platforms like Instagram. The almost continuous hidden message is: Only women who are stereotypically beautiful, young, and exceptionally thin have a happy and successful life. If girls and women internalize this image, the likelihood of them being dissatisfied with their own bodies is high. If the need for constant self-optimization is then propagated and any deviation from this body image is pathologized, as happens in “Fitspiration” and “Pro-Ana” communities, people can be led into an eating disorder and harmful eating behavior can be promoted.