The Making and Unmaking of Body Problems in Seventeen Magazine, 1992-2003

Ballentine and Ogle (2005) conducted a study examining the making and unmaking of body problems in Seventeen magazine.  The researchers analyzed 266 articles from issues published between 1992 and 2003 using the constant comparison method.  They found that editorial features that focused on making body problems were published more often than those that related to the unmaking of body problems.  Seventeen described the desirable body as “smooth, trim, toned, tight, long lean, flat, strong, young, sexy, healthy, clean, and free of odor and certain types of hair (e.g., arm, nipple),” (Ballentine & Ogle, 2005, p. 290). They determined that presenting such a limited view of the ideal body type may suggest to readers that there is a fine line between attractiveness and unattractiveness.  The unmaking of body problems was typically presented in two ways:  consume body products or services to rectify the issue or use body management techniques (e.g., exercise) and stage an act of resistance (rebel against what society says is ideal).  Articles urging girls to rebel peaked in 2000, which the researchers surmised could imply that the magazine is once again encouraging girls to conform.

(3 minutes to insecurity, 2007)

 Only 5% of women have the “ideal” body type (Body Image, n.a.), yet so women try to conform to the standards set by the media. It is my assumption, considering how few women belong in this category, that this ideal has been set by marketers in the position to make a profit from women’s insecurities. The more we can find wrong with ourselves, the more profit they stand to make. I suppose purchasing self-improvement products is important considering people have already cut back on spending, given the state of the economy. Newsweek recently printed an article stating that 8 to 12-year olds in the U.S. spend more than $40 million a month on beauty products and teens spending another $100 million (Bennet, 2009). Surely, we could all cut back a little more. It would be very fascinating to see how different our society would be if more women spent the same amount on their education each year as they spent on their beauty.

Female Body Dissatisfaction After Exposure to Overweight and Thin Media Images: The Role of the Body Mass Index and Neuroticism

Dalley, Buunk, and Umit (2009) conducted a study examining the development of body dissatisfaction in females.  The study was conducted using a group of female undergraduate students ranging from 18 to 31 years. They were shown 40 images of females in swimsuits from popular fashion magazines.  The participants were asked to rank the images on a 7-point Likert scale on how representative the models were of the culturally thin ideal body type.  Using the one-way ANOVA method, the researchers found that the thin images were significantly more appealing to respondents than the images of plus-sized models.  The researchers wanted to determine whether seeing the images of thin or plus-sized models would affect respondents’ body image dissatisfaction.  They found that regardless of body mass index, females typically had a greater level of body image dissatisfaction after viewing the images of the thin models.  Respondents who had a high body mass index and neuroticism were more vulnerable to body image dissatisfaction after exposure to the images of overweight models.  Overall, their study suggests that some females are actually more likely to feel body image dissatisfaction after viewing images of plus-sized models than thin models.

(ModelsGroup2, n.d.)

VERSUS

(Helm, 2007)

This study goes against the common belief that the media’s dominant coverage of thin people negatively affects the self-esteem of people without the ideal body type.  Seeing images of overweight models may also affect these people.  However, the study does not mention how flattering the photos the respondents viewed of the plus-sized models.  Take for example the photos of models in Dove’s Campaign for Real Women.  Plus-sized models appeared happy with their bodies and were free of the stigmatized love handles and cellulite that many overweight women embody.  Images that showed what many people consider imperfections would likely have a more negative impact on participants than the ad above.  Of course, it wasn’t long before the truth was uncovered that even those models weren’t the “real women” that the campaign portrayed them to be.

Friendly Advice? Beauty Messages in Web Sites of Teen Magazines

Labre and Childers (2003) conducted a study analyzing themes of teen magazine Web sites. The researchers  analyzed content from CosmoGirl, Teen People, Seventeen, and Teen magazine Web sites. Using an ethnographic content analysis, Labre and Childers compared and analyzed narrative and numerical data for patterns, themes, and messages.  They found three major themes on the Web sites: beauty is a requirement, beauty can only be achieved through products, and their magazine can help girls find the products that they need to become beautiful. They suggest that like the magazines themselves, the Web sites may play an important role in the perpetuation of beauty ideals in Western society.

Being beautiful and the products and tools that help females achieve this goal has traditionally been one of the key aspects of being a girl. It is not a secret that magazine’s thrive from the revenue generated from advertisers. Well, what are the products and service that they endorse or encourage costing us? I encourage you to experiment with this interactive graphic to learn more about the estimated cosmetic maintenance cost that females incur at each stage of their lives.

Using Ivory soap will keep women looking young forever?

(Vintage Infantilization, 2009)

An Alternative Voice Amid Teen ‘Zines: An Analysis of Body-Related Content in Girl Zone

Ogle and Thornburg (2003) conducted a study examining the body-related content in Girl Zone, an online teen magazine. This study  examined all content on the site except advertisements, which totaled 55 features related to body appearance, ideals, changes, satisfaction, or related behaviors, such as dieting and exercising. Content was analyzed for themes using the constant comparative process. The researchers found three prominent themes that are different from themes found in most magazines that target adolescent females. The site highlighted common concerns teens had about their bodies, helped deconstruct body-related discourses common in mainstream media, and provided strategies to help deal with societal pressure to conform to ideals along with ways to change those ideals. The authors suggest that the content that Girl Zone provides (and print and online publications like it) is a step in the process of restoring a socially responsible approach that nurtures girls during a time when they tend to be more self-conscious and are trying to understand physical changes.

Though out of context, women can play a strong role in the messages promoted to younger girls.

(Miller, n.d.)

York Region Health Services created a handout to help teens develop a positive body image. The tips listed are all very helpful, but adults should especially pay attention to the following: be a positive role model, talk about their insides not their outsides, banish teasing, resist the temptation to put teens on a diet, and explore different types of physical activities. These tips should help teens to develop a positive body image naturally, without the diet tips and fitness regimes that are promoted in most teen magazines. Online magazine Web sites, like Girl Zone, are great to help counter the other types of teen magazines, but parents and adults also play a very important role in girls’ development.

Conclusion

The studies discussed in this blog have covered a variety of ways that magazines influence teenage girls and young women. For some, these publications are a rite of passage—a way to learn what it means to be a young woman and may even help to develop those social skills that are important to womanhood. Learning what it means to be a woman must mean learning about body image, considering it was among the highest segments of teen magazine’s content. Sadly, it did not promote acceptance of various body types; instead, girls were taught to strive for a body type that only makes up only 5% of the population. Encouraging young women to strive for better health and to portray their best face to the world would be more practical than promoting and adapting to the European ideals that fill their pages. Diversity and racial stereotypes are very uncommon in these magazines and do not typically reflect the various races that comprise the countries that they serve. As a result, women of these underrepresented groups are unlikely to find women that look like them modeling a range of products. Feminism, as generally defined by Pierce (1990) as female independence, is too often overlooked in teen magazines. The United States has more women graduating from college than men, yet the teen magazines still commonly portray women as dependent on men. Regardless of the education and careers that so many women have attained, occupations in these magazines geared toward adolescent females still portray males in jobs twice and often as females. Male dominance also carries over into the way relationships are featured. Girls are often portrayed in advertisements and articles in teen magazines as either being submissive to boys or ideally being submissive to boys. The only time girls are usually encouraged to stand up to boys is when it come to their sexuality; however, girls are still taught to expect boys’ sexual advances but are expected to also fight them. These magazines that seem so innocent contain far more harmful message than people often realize. While there are a few magazines that support independent females and a realistic approach to body image, magazines the ones typically discussed are likely hear to stay. Media literacy is the only way that young women and people as a whole can see through the messages that many take for granted. I encourage all people to learn more about media literacy, especially in regard to the media’s values. Consider visiting the Center for Media Literacy’s page for more information.