The Effect of Magazine

Advertising on

Body Image Disorder

among Young

Adolescent Girls

The media plays a significant role in the way young girls feel about themselves,

possibly because of the power of advertising. Pre-adolescents (ages 11-14), commonly

referred to as “tweens,” are subjected to 400 – 600 advertisements per day. By the time an

adolescent reaches age 17, she has seen 250, 000 advertisements (mediascope, nd).

The amount of advertisements an adolescent sees can have an impact on how she

views herself, and thus affect the important task of identity formation (Frost, 2001). As a

young woman creates a sense of herself as well as her vision of the structure of her life,

identity formation becomes one of the most important developmental tasks of her

adolescence. Every choice an adolescent makes, whether conscious or unconscious,

contributes to identity formation (Josselson, 1987).

Included in identity formation is an idea of body image. Adolescent girls are

beginning to think about their appearance, and according to Frost (2001), they are

beginning to wonder if they meet society’s beauty standards. Studies show that early in

life, girls begin to view their bodies as objects and boys begin to view their bodies as

power. Girls’ objectification of their bodies typically leads them to the conclusion that

physical beauty is the most important aspect of their value as an individual (Gentry &

Martin, 1997).

Advertisements are salient to adolescent girls as they begin to notice and adhere to

society’s beauty standards. Magazine advertisements reinforce a beautiful and thin body

ideal, and research indicates that models in magazines are the standard to which

many adolescent girls hold themselves when picturing the ideal body (Groesz, Levine &

Murnen, 2002). This is disturbing in many ways, because it can lead to body image

dissatisfaction. Body image dissatisfaction occurs when females become unhappy with

their appearance, specifically their weight. It encourages adolescent girls to strive for an

unrealistically thin and unhealthy body ideal. In fact, according to an articlefeatured in

mediascope “seventy-five percent of "normal" weight women think they are overweight

and 90% of women overestimate their body size.”

The mass media have a history of using female beauty to sell products by linking

appearance to self worth. Englis, Solomon, and Ashmore (1994) found that advertisements

appearing in currently popular fashion magazines (Cosmopolitan, Mademoiselle, Glamour,

Self, Seventeen, Vogue) highlighted a select set of beauty ideals, with thinness being one of

the most important.

In fact, a content analysis of 30 issues of three major teen magazines (Sassy,

Seventeen, and Young Miss) found that the 46% of the magazine content was devoted to

advertisements selling beauty products, fashion, and accessories. These advertisements

were dominated by photos of slim white girls with blonde hair and blue eyes (Evans,

Sather, Rutberg, & Turner, 1992). Since advertisements make up almost half of the space

in teen girl magazines, they can be very influential. Many of these ads depict women as

beautiful, thin, and sexy. If young girls see these same images over and over, they may

begin to think that they too should be beautiful, thin, and sexy to meet society’s beauty

standards. (Englis, Solomon & Ashmore, 1994).

Females who are often exposed to media images of models have good reason to

believe this ultra-thin weight standard is normal. “Today's fashion models weigh 23%

less than the average female, and a young woman between the ages of 18-34 has a 7%

chance of being as slim as a catwalk model and a 1% chance of being as thin as a

supermodel” (mediascope, nd). When these images are prevalent in a young girl’s life,

she will begin to make comparisons between herself and the models (Gentry & Martin,

1997).

Social comparison theory is used to help explain the phenomenon of an

individual’s comparison of themselves to those who are more beautiful, have more money,

and have more material possessions than that individual. It holds that people have a drive to

evaluate themselves by comparisons with others. Since 69% of girls in one study said that

magazine models influence their idea of the perfect body shape, social comparison theory

attempts to explain why females compare themselves to the models in magazines, possibly

decreasing their body images satisfaction (mediascope, nd; Gentry & Martin, 1997).

Another study found that females who saw slides of thin models had lower

body image evaluations than females who had seen average and heavy models, and girls

reported in a Body Image Survey that very thin models made them feel insecure. More

specifically, a study of Stanford undergraduates found that 68% of the females that

participated felt significantly worse about their bodies after looking through women’s

magazines (mediascope, nd).

The trend of increasing body image dissatisfaction is alarming because it can lead

to more serious disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and even

drug use (Groez, Levine & Murnen, 2002; mediascope, nd). More common effects of body

dissatisfaction, such as excessive dieting and low self- esteem are now common

among middle school girls (6th-8

th grade). In the past, these issues were almost exclusively

a problem for high school and college females. Even worse, 80% of 10-yearold girls have

actually tried dieting. It seems that advertisements in teen magazines are now affecting

younger girls as well. Since teen magazines account for more than one-half of all reported

adolescent reading, advertisements in these magazines may be one source of the body

image dissatisfaction (facts and figures, nd)

This information will be useful on a Website because young adolescent females

need to know that the models featured in advertisements are not what most girls look like.

Adolescents are more susceptible to body image dissatisfaction than college students and

older women (Josselson, 1987), so it is imperative that they realize that being “model

thin” is not normal, and very few girls naturally have that physique. If they learn the

importance of finding and maintaining a healthy weight, they will not feel as badly about

their own body. Perhaps, as they learn, they will be less likely to succumb to low self

esteem or the next miracle diet. This could prevent them from becoming depressed,

developing an anxiety or eating disorder, or turning to drugs.

The effectiveness of this project can be assessed by viewing the number of visitors

to the site. Also, an email link to the author might encourage visitors to email and ask

further questions about the topic, so the author can see how many people are reading the

site.

Bibliography

Englis, B.G., Solomon, M.R., & Ashmore, R.D. (1994) Beauty before the eyes of the

aaaaaabeholder: The cultural encoding of beauty types in magazine advertising and music

aaaaaatelevision. Journal of Advertising, 23 (2), 49-65.

Evans, E., Rutberg, J., Sather, C, & Turner, C. (1992). Content analysis of

aaaaacontemporary teen magazines for adolescent females. Youth and Society, 23,

99-aaaaa120.

Frost, L. (2001). Young women and the body: A feminist sociology. New York:

aaaaaPalgrave.

Gentry, J., and Martin, M. (1997) Stuck in the model trap: The effects of beautiful

aaaaaamodels in ads on female pre-adolescents and adolescents. The Journal of

aaaaaaAdvertising, 26 (2), 19-33.

Groesz, L., Levine, M.P., & Murnen, S.K. (2002) The effects of experimental

aaaaaapresentation of thin media images on body satisfaction: A meta-analysis.

aaaaaaInternational Journal of Eating Disorders, 31 (1), 1-16.

Josselson, R. (1987). Finding herself: Pathways to identity development in women.

aaaaaCalifornia: Jossy-Bass Inc.

Media Scope. Body image and advertising (n.d.) Retrieved March 21, 2004 from

aaaaaahttp://www.mediascope.org/pubs/ibriefs/bia.htm

Facts and figures. (n.d.) Retrieved March 21 from http://www.vipe.org

Annotated Bibliography

Englis, B.G., Solomon, M.R., & Ashmore, R.D. (1994) Beauty before the eyes of the

aaaaaabeholder: The cultural encoding of beauty types in magazine advertising and music

aaaaaatelevision. Journal of Advertising, 23 (2), 49-65.

Most people strive to attain ideals of beauty that are relevant to their culture. There

is a long history of using female beauty to sell products, and the mass media has a history

of linking appearance and self worth. “Media gatekeepers” (fashion/beauty editors, film

directors, etc) play a pivotal role in what certain cultures perceive as beautiful. Fashion

magazines are important means of socializing young consumers about beauty and fashion

and for advertising beauty and fashion related products. The idea of media gatekeepers is

really interesting, and it takes blame away from the advertising industry.

Evans, E., Rutberg, J., Sather, & C., Turner, C. (1992). Content analysis of

aaaaacontemporary teen magazines for adolescent females. Youth and Society, 23,

99-aaaaa120.

This study analyzed 30 issues off three major teen magazines (Sassy, Seventeen,

and Young Miss) from January of 1988 through March of 1989. Ten issues of each

magazine were chosen. The researchers found that articles focused mostly of beauty,

fashion, entertainment, health and dating/relationships. The types of advertisements in the

magazines focused on similar topics and were 46% of the magazine content on average.

This is a great content analysis, but unfortunately it is over 10 years old. Sassy magazine is

not even in print anymore, and Young Miss has changed its name to Your Magazine. No

one has done an analysis like this recently, so this is the most current information that

society has on the percentage of advertisements in magazines.

Frost, L. (2001). Young women and the body: A feminist sociology. New York:

aaaaaPalgrave.

Commercial consumption is seen as a form of constructing and expressing identity,

especially adolescents, who for the first time have a disposable income and the freedom to

spend as they please. Images and advertisements can reinforce this version of self by

targeting their product to a certain type of person, thus helping a convincing adolescent

who wants to be that type of person to buy the product. Frost does not cite other authors in

her book, so the information comes just from her viewpoint. Again, the information is

interesting, but Frost is writing from a feminist standpoint, so the information could be

biased.

Gentry, J., & Martin, M. (1997) Stuck in the model trap: The effects of beautiful

aaaaaamodels in ads on female pre-adolescents and adolescents. The Journal of

aaaaaaAdvertising, 26 (2), 19-33.

A growing concern in society is the role of advertising in convincing young girls

that their goal in life is to be thin and beautiful by continuing to reinforce an unattainable

standard of physical attractiveness. This raises concerns of advertising ethics.

Advertisements often use the social comparison theory which states that “people have a

drive to evaluate their opinions and abilities which can be satisfied by social comparisons

with other people.” This theory basically holds that females compare themselves to the

models in magazines. The information on social comparison theory gets complicated, but

the article is targeted toward professionals in the field. However, the theory really helps

explain why advertising can be dangerous to young girls.

Groesz, L., Levine, M.P., & Murnen, S.K. (2002) The effects of experimental

aaaaapresentation of thin media images on body satisfaction: A meta-analysis.

aaaaaInternational Journal of Eating Disorders, 31 (1), 1-16.

A thin body ideal is reinforced by the mass media, but mostly by magazine

advertisements. Research indicates that models in magazine advertisements are the

standard that many girls hold themselves to when picturing the ideal body. However,

some studies show that girls viewing models in magazines have no more body

dissatisfaction than the girls viewing cars. This article is great resource. It provides

contrasting viewpoints, results of many different studies, and reasons that the studies were

or were not valid. It also appears in a scholarly journal, which is more accurate than a

Website.

Josselson, R. (1987). Finding herself: Pathways to identity development in women.

aaaaaCalifornia: Jossy-Bass Inc.

Identity allows us to function unconsciously, to make everyday decisions without

thinking twice. Erikson’s coined the term “Moratorium phase” as the time when one

becomes acquainted with their identity (he also coined the term “identity crisis”). This

“identity crisis” often happens in adolescence when teens realize that things do not have to

continue as before. Although this is good information, it would be better to get the

information straight from the source, a book that Erik Erikson wrote on identity. The

information is probably the same, but it is always better to go to the original source.

Pierce, Kate. (1995). In C Lont (Ed.), Socialization messages in seventeen and teen

aaaaaamagazines. Women and media: Content, careers and critisicm (pp. 79-66).

aaaaaaCalifornia: Wadsworth Publishing Co.

Teen magazines have not been extensively researched, but through what little we

do know, it seems that they are encouraging girls to focus on “traditional” girl problems,

such as fashion, beauty, romance, and pop stars. This is troubling because teen girls are

often dependent on teen magazines for information, and this is the largest medium

targeted solely to teen girls. The information here should be accurate because Kate Pierce

has written extensively on this topic in other publications. However, she writes from a

very liberal standpoint, so her information is presented in a biased way.

MediaScope. Body image and advertising (n.d.) Retrieved March 21, 2004 from

aaaaaahttp://www.mediascope.org/pubs/ibriefs/bia.htm

Advertisers often portray an unrealistically thin body image. Studies have shown

that girls shown thin models felt more insecure about themselves than girls shown pictures

of average or heavy models. Health professionals are concerned that these idealized

images are causing a distorted body image among young women, and leading them to

believe that are overweight when they are normal or even underweight. This is a

Website, so it may not be as accurate as a scholarly journal, but it is a .org, so the

information should be more accurate than a personal homepage. Also, the article cites

scholarly journals, so it must be somewhat accurate.

Chang, C. (2002, Dec. 12). Stereotypical influence on ideal body images. Retrieved

aaaaaaMarch 21, 2004 from http:/www.clearinghouse.mwsc.edu/manuscripts/370.asp

It has been suggested that Caucasian adolescent females are more susceptible to

body image dissatisfaction than adolescent females of other races. Studies show that the

media in societies shape the way adolescents think about their bodies, and different

societies portray the ideal body differently. American media portray the ideal body image as

very thin. This study suggests that African Americans are not as strongly affected by the

American beauty ideal as Caucasian women. Again, this is a Website, but it is a .edu,

which is more accurate than a personal homepage. Again, this article cites many scholarly

journals and experimental studies done in this field.

Facts and figures. Retrieved March 21 from http://www.vipe.org

The site appears very biased toward American culture, but the works cited page

suggests that the author of this Website, who calls herself “Vipe Girl,” did her research.

The Website hosts many different studies, facts, and figures about body satisfaction and

how it affects women, all taken from books or other reputable Websites, such as

www.now.org. The Website is a page written by one person, but it is also a .org site,

making it fairly reputable.