Mass media and body image : a preliminary study on the association between media consumption patterns and body image among university students patterns and body image among university students

Abstract

It has been suggested that the mass media, in consistently portraying thin, muscular, stereotypically attractive bodies, exacerbate the phenomenon of body dissatisfaction. Researches reinforce the belief that young people are in a continuous struggle to achieve the 'ideal body' as portrayed by the mass media. This study attempted to examine the association between mass media consumption and body image dissatisfaction among university students. Both the quantitative and the qualitative approaches were employed in order to get a holistic view of the issue under study. In all 200 questionnaires were distributed and four focus groups were carried out among university students. The results indicate that a relationship does exist among the level of mass media consumption and body image dissatisfaction among university students. This was also supported by the focus groups' results which indicate that mass media does exert pressure on young people, to be thin, muscular and attractive. The differing factual and emotional responses of the male and female participants are also discussed. Recommendations and future research directions are suggested.