JMC 1100 1st Edition Lecture 18Media Uses and EffectsBody Image and Social ComparisonMedia TodayI. Indiana and the Dangers of Inattentiona. Pro-Religion law has Anti-Equality consequencesII. Tara Reid and the Body Fighta. Actress is ridiculed for being too skinny and unhealthy in recent bikini photosLast timeI. Cultivation theorya. Long term exposure to heavy TV content has accumulated effects on the perceptions of the audience II. Mean world syndromeIII. Mainstreaming of attitudesToday, Social IdentityI. We classify ourselves and others into various social categoriesa. Examples: age, gender, religious affiliation, hipsters, walking dead fansII. In the past we used the people around us as models of these different categoriesSelf-IdentityI. Self- Identity: is how a person understands and views, themselvesII. It is a general self assessmenta. Personality, skills, abilities, occupation, hobbies, beliefs, attitudes, etcIII. Helps you define who you are and what you believeComponents of Self- IdentityI. World View: your understanding of how the world works and how you think it should worka. Ex: you identify as “green” and you think everyone else should be “green”II. Self-Esteem : Your overall appraisal of your own wortha. Ex: Feeling like you are smart, successful, and good personSelf Identity and MediaI. Individuals actively sample cultural symbols, myths, and rituals as they produce their identities (Brown et al., 1994)These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.a. Mass media is convenient tool for observing other identities and comparing them to your own4 characteristics of identityII. Identity= social identity + self identitya. Constructed over a period of timeb. Can be updated or changedc. Can be future-basedd. That it impacts your behavior and attitudesSocial comparison TheoryIII. Individuals constantly make comparisons between themselves and like othersa. Identification is importantb. If media images are rare, nonexistent, or of a narrow range, social comparison can be negativeTwo Types of ComparisonI. Downward Comparison- we compare to someone who is less than ourselves to feel better about ourselvesa. Outcomesi. Boost in self esteemii. Keep you status quoII. Upward Comparison- we compare to someone bettera. Outcomesi. Dissatisfaction with self (lower self esteem)ii. Might serve as motivation for self-improvementBody images: a source for comparisonI. Our idea of what beauty (both male and female) has changed over time.II. A dramatic changed occurred with the development of media.Social Comparison and Body imageI. Fact: Women who compare themselves to other women- particularly media images- are more dissatisfied with their bodiesa. Increasingly true for men as wellFiji Islands StudyII. Wanted to study Fijian girls exposure to “American” TV and how this effected body imageIII. Before TV Fijian girls believed that going thin was a bad sign and that gaining weight was healthya. Only one reported case of anorexia by the mid- 1990’sIV. Three years later after their exposure to American TV 74% girls reported feeling “too big”a. 62% were dietingb. 15% were purgingV. Linked body images of women on TV with successa. Saw these ideals and wanted to emulate themThe Thin IdealI. Thin Ideal- media portrayals of thinness as the most desirable body types for womenII. Often pairs with other traits to show that thinness= successIII. Not about health, but about a sizeThe Lean/muscular IdealI. The Lean, Muscular Ideal- media portrays lean, muscular and toned as the most desirable body type for menII. Links body type to masculinity Impacts of the Thin/Lean IdealsI. Exposure to these ideals increases body dissatisfaction and decreases self-esteemII. Link to social comparison and identityWhy does all of this matter?I. Negative effects of body image can impact many areas of your lifeII. Social comparisons may lead to lower self esteem OR motivate self-improvementIII. Trying your identity to your body may deemphasize other valuable traitsa. Intelligence, personality, kindness, etc. Objectification and the TheoryI. Objectification: when the body as a sexual object is the primary means of associationa. Attaches value to your body partsII. Objectification Theorya. Girls and women are culturally trained to internalize other’s views of themselves as theirprimary view of their physical selvesObjectificationI. The media exposes us to the body as a sexualized objectII. Often, we only see bits and piecesa. All of it is sexualizedTwo types of ObjectificationI. Self Objectification: we start thinking about ourselves in terms of specific, external partsa. Body monitoring- women check something about their body or appearance every 30 seconds (avg.)II. Partner-objectification: we start evaluation others in terms of specific, external partsObjectificationI. Objectifying media consumption is related to partner objectificationII. Partner objectification is related to decrease in relationship satisfactiona. Relationships suffer because of thisConclusionI. Media influences how we think about ourselvesII. But what about how we think about