The Effects of the Media on Body Image: A Meta-Analysis

Holmstrom, Amanda J.

doi:10.1207/s15506878jobem4802_3

Cited by 164 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…The significance of the media in propagating thinness as beauty was certainly here (Orbach, 1986;Wolf, 1991;Bordo, 1993), and a plethora of subsequent ED research has explored the degree to which media constructs are implicated within cultures of body/ eating distress (see summaries in Holstrom, 2004;and Stice et al, 2008). At the same time, the later feminist research has also been wary of overemphasising 'the inscriptive power of cultural images of thinness', or even the characterisation of EDs as 'body image' problems (Malson, 2009, p. 124), and situate anorexia and bulimia as 'graphic cultural statement[s]' about 'the "conditions of being a woman" in contemporary western cultures… and ….…”

Section: Literature Review: Feminist Approaches To Eating Disordersmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Blindness to the obvious’? Treatment experiences and feminist approaches to eating disorders

Holmes

2016

Feminism & Psychology

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Eating disorders are currently often approached as biopsychosocial problems. But the social or cultural aspects of the equation are frequently marginalised in treatment – relegated to mere contributory or facilitating factors. In contrast, feminist and socio-cultural approaches are primarily concerned with the relationship between eating disorders and the social/cultural construction of gender. Yet, although such approaches emerged directly from the work of feminist therapists, the feminist scholarship has increasingly observed, critiqued and challenged the biomedical model from a scholarly distance. As such, this article draws upon data from 15 semi-structured interviews with women in the UK context who have experience of anorexia and/or bulimia in order to explore a series of interlocking themes concerning the relationship between gender identity and treatment. In engaging the women in debate about the feminist approaches (something that has been absent from previous feminist work), the article examines how gender featured in women’s understandings of their problem, and the ways in which it was – or was not – addressed in treatment. The article also explores the women’s evaluations of the feminist discourse, and their discussions of how it might be implemented within therapeutic and clinical contexts.

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Section: Literature Review: Feminist Approaches To Eating Disordersmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Blindness to the obvious’? Treatment experiences and feminist approaches to eating disorders

Holmes

2016

Feminism & Psychology

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“…This pattern is thought problematic because media could foster anti-feminist attitudes and increase aggressive behavior toward women [62][63][64][65][66][67]. Furthermore, the media's glorification of thin bodies and its sexualization of women is linked to increased body dissatisfaction and decreased self-esteem [68][69][70][71]. Weight discrimination is also linked to hiring and promotional discrimination in the workplace and lower overall earnings, especially for women [72,73].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

White Women Wanted? An Analysis of Gender Diversity in Social Justice Magazines

Wrenn

Lutz

2016

Societies

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Abstract:The role of media in collective action repertoires has been extensively studied, but media as an agent of socialization in social movement identity is less understood. It could be that social movement media is normalizing a particular activist identity to the exclusion of other demographics. For instance, Harper has identified white-centrism in anti-speciesist media produced by the Nonhuman Animal rights movement and supposes that this lack of diversity stunts movement potential. Using the lesser-studied Nonhuman Animal rights movement as a starting point, this study investigates two prominent Nonhuman Animal rights magazines. We compare those findings with an analysis of comparable leftist movements also known to exhibit diversity strains. A content analysis of Nonhuman Animal rights, women's rights, and gay rights magazine covers spanning from 2000 to 2012 was undertaken to determine the manifestation of gender, race, body type, and sexualization. We find that the Nonhuman Animal rights media in our sample overwhelmingly portrays white women with a tendency toward thinness, but with low levels of sexualization as comparable to that of the other movements. All three movement samples unevenly depicted gender, overrepresented whites, and underrepresented non-thin body types.

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“…It has also been suggested that exposure to sexually explicit media could foster misogynist attitudes and increase men's aggressive behavior towards women (Kalof 1999;MacKay and Covell 1997;Malamuth and Check 1981;Mundorf et al 2007;Ward 2002). The media's glorification of thin bodies and female sexualization is also linked to increased body dissatisfaction and decreased self-esteem among women (Aubrey et al 2009;Groesz et al 2002;Holmstrom 2004;Turner et al 1997). Adding to this, weight discrimination is correlated with hiring and promotional discrimination in the workplace and lower overall earnings, especially for women (Puhl et al 2008;Zagorsky 2004).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the findings do not suggest that sexualization is as prevalent on magazines covers as might be expected, the relationship between sexualization and activist mobilization commands careful consideration nonetheless. Recall that research has shown that female sexualization is increasing in other media spaces (Coltrane and Messineo 2000;Hatton and Trautner 2011), and that these images have been linked to sexist attitudes and behaviors (Kalof 1999;MacKay and Covell 1997;Malamuth and Check 1981;Mundorf et al 2007;Ward 2002), selfobjectification, and low self-esteem (Aubrey et al 2009;Groesz et al 2002;Holmstrom 2004;Turner et al 1997). The Nonhuman Animal rights movement and the mediums that represent it might consider avoiding this trend if the hope is to remain welcoming to marginalized groups and to avoid eroding the agency and selfefficacy of female-identified activists.…”

Section: Sexualizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Analysis of Diversity in Nonhuman Animal Rights Media

Wrenn

2015

J Agric Environ Ethics

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Lack of diversity in the ranks as well as a failure to resonate with disadvantaged groups and other anti-oppression movements has been cited as one important barrier to the American Nonhuman Animal rights movement's success (Kymlicka and Donaldson in Animal rights, multiculturalism and the Left. The Mellon Sawyer Seminar at the Graduate Center, CUNY. City University of New York, New York, 2013). It is possible that social movements are actively inhibiting diversity in the ranks and audience by producing literature that reflects a narrow activist identity. This article creates a platform from which these larger issues can be explored by investigating the actual demographic representations present in a small sample of popular media sources produced by the movement for other animals. A content analysis of 131 magazine covers produced by two highly visible movement actors, PETA and VegNews, was conducted to demonstrate that activist representations in at least some dominant American Nonhuman Animal rights media are mostly white, female, and thin.

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The Effects of the Media on Body Image: A Meta-Analysis

Cited by 164 publications

References 52 publications

‘Blindness to the obvious’? Treatment experiences and feminist approaches to eating disorders

‘Blindness to the obvious’? Treatment experiences and feminist approaches to eating disorders

White Women Wanted? An Analysis of Gender Diversity in Social Justice Magazines

An Analysis of Diversity in Nonhuman Animal Rights Media

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