The impact of Reality TV and The Influence on Individuals' Body Image and Perception
Introduction:
The impact of media on girls and young women’s esteem of self and body imagery has been researched for years and has produced varied results. However research has mainly focused on magazines, television shows and advertisment, very little has been researched in terms of the increased viewing of reality television.
Some might argue that reality television does not depict real life events (Chaney,2011), but the new phenomenon of reality television is the most widely viewed and has given channels increased TRP ratings.
Festinger(1954) posits that humans possess a drive to evaluate their abilities and their opinions with
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It has been noted that the body size of women portrayed in mass media has been steadily getting smaller (Park 2005).
There are particular messages associated in the manner body weight is showcased in media; media celebrities are viewed as the epitome of success and social desirability. Their body and beauty have often been associated with their success chart. This phenomena is apparent in thin-ideal media. The word “thin-ideal media” refers to media that contains noticeably thin female characters, which is likely seen in fashion magazines and television programs. This phenomena promotes the idea that thinness is an advantageous attribute and associate it to the most “beautiful, desirable and successful protagonists” (Harrison, 2000, p.121)
Research has found that girls between the age group of 3 to 6 did not endorse the thin ideal even when exposed to the media. It was concluded that the girls in this range, simply adopted the persona of characters that they found attractive and identified with, they did not compare themselves and their body image to the character (Hayes and Tantleff- Dunn,