TET T 192 1st Edition Lecture 6 Outline of Last Lecture I Themes in Children s Media II Cultivation Theory III Killing Us Softly 4 Documentary Outline of Current Lecture I The Women of Fiji II An Important Distinction III The Thin Ideal in American Mass Media IV Internalization V Body Image VI Eating Disorders VII Theoretical Explanations Current Lecture The Women of Fiji Becker 1995 o In 1995 TV was introduced Within 3 short years eating disorders which had been virtuously nonexistent prior to the introduction of television suddenly became common An important distinction o Eating disorders and body images are two separate and unique concepts o The role of the media in these relationships is a complex process o The media can t cause eating disorders o They can and do influence body image o Takes many years for an eating disorder to occur 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 o MEDIA EXPOSURE leads to INTERNALIZATION which leads to BODY DISSATISFACTION which leads to DISORDERED EATING The Thin Ideal in American Mass Media o Point media Women A very thin woman with a body that less than 5 of the world population have Models in the magazines get thinner as American women get larger Models have gotten as thin as possible and fashion houses are now using Photoshop to make them thinner Men aren t immune to this o Overweight or larger men aren t found in the media o Absence of fat V shapes airbrushing muscles etc are present o Electronic Media Thinness is seen as desirable Fatness is seen as deplorable Same things are happening here as in print media We get more messages with electronic media than we do from print media Fat obese characters are the object of ridicule Good things only typically happen to thin characters Internalization o Buying into cultural ideals of attractiveness and engaging in behaviors aimed at achieving this ideal o Dieting purchases tanning beds etc o The people that are internalizing and comparing themselves to others are more at risk for eating disorders Body Image o The individual s collective evaluative perceptions of his or her body particularly its appearance o Body Image Disturbance More prevalent than disordered eating Typically dissatisfaction with one s body 40 60 of girls and women are dissatisfied with some aspect of appearance Men are susceptible to this too Eating Disorders o Anorexia Nervosa Refusal to maintain a healthy body weight Must be 15 below normal weight for height to be clinically diagnosed Undereating and overexcercising o Bulimia Purging Consume way more than any normal person can digest Get rid of it or purge it by vomiting using laxatives or diuretics Must be binging 2 3 times a week for 6 months to be diagnosed o Haven t come up with an effective way to help cure it High mortality rate 20 o Anorexia takes place in 5 4 of population o Bulimia takes place in 1 4 of population o Most people aren t diagnosed and the ways of diagnosing it aren t working Theoretical Explanations o Cultivation theory o Social Cognitive theory Learn by watching models in our environment Modeling enhanced by rewards punishments Attractive models Can have models in the media Thinness is rewarded while fatness is punished Thin characters get the good stuff and are successful Fat characters are rarely seen so they are seen as unimportant o If they are seen they are ridiculed Attractiveness means they are the hero protagonist or non evil one Villains are usually overweight Heroines are lean and gorgeous o Social Comparison theory Humans have an innate tendency to compare themselves with others in an effort to self evaluate