Mass media encompasses our world. Every where one turns, they find some form of media fighting to get their attention. Unfortunately, the media tends to portray negative self-images to both men and women. From television, fitness and fashion magazines, commercials, billboards, internet, and models, it is inevitable that a person will be bombarded by these messages on a daily basis. Here I will include statistics on the amount of media that a person is exposed to each day to help support my argument. I will also begin my argument with an analogy relating the media in some way to something else that is always present and is constantly drilled into the minds of people.

The influences that the media has on people are negative, degrading, and can lead to dangerous situations. Girls are always being portrayed as thin, so eating disorders are becoming more prevalent. Boys are seen as well-built and strong, which is bringing about obsessive weight lifting and the use of anabolic steroids. I will state why I am addressing the problems that the media is creating. I also will define self-image and then expand upon how the media is altering this definition.

Media provokes many different feelings from people. It brings about body dissatisfaction, perfectionism of appearance, a drive for thinness in women and strength in men, and a sense of personal ineffectiveness. I will begin to introduce some examples of this theory of the media in action. One example that I found so far deals with young children being exposed to this pressure at such young ages. Girls are given Barbie dolls, which are the epitome of the “perfect body” and boys play with action figures, which are always muscular and out to save the day (“Body Image”).

Based on their psychology, people are prone to compare themselves to their surroundings. Since the media tends to rule the world, the images that they portray are the ones that people try to match and surpass. With all media showing the same images, people feel the need to look a certain way just to feel good. With the media conveying many unrealistic appearances, people are prone to lose self-esteem. As a result, they tend to overreact when it comes to being overweight. I will include statistics on the average size of people portrayed in ads, magazines, and on television versus their size in real life.

Because of the negative self-images that the media is conveying, an increase in eating disorders is occurring in both males and females. Anorexia and bulimia are becoming more common and they both have dangerous consequences which can lead to death. Unfortunately, the number of those affected is on the rise. I will put in statistics that show a comparison between the number of people affected ten years ago and those affected with it now.

It is important to try to eliminate the effects that the media is having on people. There are several techniques out there that may help reduce the media's effects. It is important to start informing children at a young age. Young people cannot discriminate between what they see and what is real. They are unaware of the manipulation and digital technology that is used in the media. I am proposing to regulate unnecessary viewing of the media, such as television, both at home and at school. I will also discuss media literacy and education classes. To conclude, I will examine future problems that may result if the media continues to have this effect on people.