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It has become obvious now that the media is advertising and promoting a very unhealthy trend of extreme diets and other bad eating habits for women. Most of the media put images of emancipated skinny women on their front pages. By doing this, they influence the subconscious mind of the masses. And women continue to spend their money trying to achieve this unattainable look that they constantly see in media hype.

To try to solve this problem, let’s answer the following questions.

1. What is body image?
2. What kind of trends in the media industry are we noticing right now?
3. How do the media influence our perception of body image?
4. What could be the reasons behind this?
5. What are the consequences of this kind of trend?
6. What are some real tips on how to improve your body image?

Your body image is how you perceive, think, and feel about your body. This may not have anything to do with your actual appearance. For example, it is common in Western nations for women to believe that they are bigger and fatter than they really are. Only one in five women is satisfied with her body weight. Almost half of all women of normal weight overestimate their size and shape. A distorted body image can lead to self-destructive behavior, such as dieting or eating disorders. Approximately nine in 10 young Australian women have dieted at least once in their lives.

Therefore, the basic trend in the media industry right now is to promote unnatural-looking thin, even skinny, female bodies as beautiful.

Women of all ages, but especially young women, look at magazines, television, movies, and other media products filled with images that show thin female bodies. And these are perceived by the subconscious mind of young women as a role model and what they aspire to be. Achieving this skinny look does not come naturally; it inevitably leads to the practice of some type of diet, excessive exercise, or abnormal eating behaviors.

Twenty years ago, the average model weighed 8 percent less than the average woman, but today’s models weigh 23 percent less. Advertisers believe that skinny models sell products. When Australia’s New Woman magazine recently featured a photo of a burly model on its cover, it received a slew of letters from appreciative readers praising the move. But her advertisers complained, and the magazine returned to featuring skinny models.

What could be the reason behind all this? Why has this fashion trend occurred now?
Why are beauty standards imposed on women, most of whom are naturally larger than any of the models?

The reasons for this, according to some analysts, is economic. By presenting an ideal look that is difficult to achieve and maintain, the cosmetic and diet products industries are assured of growth and profits. The diet industry alone is estimated to be worth $100 billion (US) a year. This is a lot of money and certainly worth continuing to encourage emancipated women as the norm.

And the consequences of this trend are enormous. For one thing, women who feel insecure about their bodies are more likely to buy beauty products, new clothes, and diet pills or other dietary supplies.

On the other hand, research indicates that exposure to images of thin, young, airbrushed female bodies is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem, and the development of unhealthy eating habits in women and girls.

The level of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia is rising rapidly every year. It is estimated that about 5 percent of women and 1 percent of men have an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia or binge eating at some point in their lives.

And about 15 percent of all young women have significantly distorted eating attitudes and behaviors that may lead to developing anorexia or bulimia in the near future.

So what would be some real tips on how to improve your body image without resorting to unhealthy eating habits?

The first is to change your goal from losing weight to simply improving your health. Second, it is to focus more on inner beauty such as improving his self-esteem, self-confidence and inner strengths of character.
Educate yourself by reading about body image issues and self-improvement books. And take a break from women’s magazines and mass media advertising for a while if you feel you’re prone to these kinds of misperceptions.

In summary, the media have a significant impact on women’s body image and can negatively affect women’s physical and mental health. And the only way to stop these negative media effects is to teach women not to judge themselves by beauty industry standards and to learn not to compare themselves to the cover girls. And it is also important to promote a healthy lifestyle with an emphasis on inner beauty such as improving self-esteem and self-confidence. Not on being a stick as a model.

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