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Essay / The beauty of the human body
The image of the body has gone through history, where it has been concerned with the beauty of the human body. Every change in the surrounding society, the emergence of media, the change in culture and its impact on other cultures affects people's perception of their bodies, but these changes in their lives are not always successful. Today, many media outlets have emerged that can be influenced by people's thinking about their body shape which leads to dissatisfaction and the appearance of a narrow mind and bad behavior towards themselves which will affect their lives and their relationships with others (Brazier, 2017). Today, body image is a very popular topic because most people are conscious of how they look compared to people in the media. The media has strong effects on body image, but it has more negative effects than positive effects. Body image is defined in many ways, including people's thoughts and feelings about their overall body shape, and body image has multiple dimensions and consists of both cognitive and emotional. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The cognitive section includes personal reflection on the body, the other section is the emotional section which goes through personal experiences including psychological comfort and self-reflection. body image satisfaction. This emotional part depends on people's thinking and interpretation (Sparhawk, 2003). Body image is preoccupied with overthinking external appearance. According to Brown University, in a study, 74.4% of women think about natural weight all the time. But the women were not alone. The study also found that 46% of men think the same way as women about weight (n.d.). Most people think about the growing concern about how to change appearance and dissatisfaction with how negative body image is, which generates a feeling of despair and outrage over the image of the body. Therefore, people may resort to bad practices that lead to loss of weight and height, for example, dieting is not suitable for the nature of the body and the use of stimulants or medications can lead to other diseases (Brown University, nd). People think that women are more likely than men to be dissatisfied with their bodies, but some studies have shown otherwise. According to Medical News Today, “Studies show that men are also concerned about their appearance. According to one report, 95% of male students are dissatisfied with some aspect of their body” (Brazier, 2017). Today, with the development of media, people believe that men and women are very similar in the way they think negatively about their bodies and are influenced by the media that is exposed daily in our lives. However, men are more reserved about their thoughts and keep their secrets while women show their thoughts and how they feel to others. Over the millennia, media has been thought to have a negative effect on people who consume it heavily. As Starker (1989) reports, in the 20th century, newspapers that supported the emergence of cinema were attacked more than because they believed that films had negative effects (cited in Kirsh, 2010). In other research, Jowett, Jarive, and Fuller (1969) conducted the first large-scale experimental study of youth media in 1930, which included a study of the impact of movie viewingon children and adolescents. By the end of the study, negative outcomes included the emergence of negative stereotypes, poor sleep habits, low levels of cooperation, and increased anxiety. However, the introduction of a new form of media does not guarantee its negative impact. For example, radio was not considered a threat to young people until receivers were found in 90% of American homes, approximately 40 years after its introduction into their homes (cited in Kirsh, 2010). Another example of the recent appearance of television in most people's homes and its spread around the world has not had a negative impact on thinking about body image but has been limited to the broadcast of political and sports information. But over time, the emergence of various channels and advertisements to market products aimed at all groups of society from children, adolescents and adults and their way of thinking about the orientation of their body. Many people also believe that media such as television, advertising, and celebrities on social media have a strong influence on body image and how people perceive their bodies (GoodTherapy.org, n.d.). In the United States, children spend about seven to nine hours a day there. they use more than one form of media at a time. For example, they use computers, phones, video games, and other media (Conway, 2013). That the use of long and continuous hours affects people and their thinking, especially children and adolescents, which lies in the emergence of negative effects that lead to recklessness and the use of unsuitable means at their age to feel satisfied with themselves and their body image. Where they believe that comparing themselves to people in the media and imitating them increases their love for themselves and their high self-confidence. According to Conway, most agree that three steps are necessary. First, when people use media, they accept all ideas about beauty. Second, they start to think about themselves and compare. Third, they begin to change themselves or work hard on their appearance (Conway, 2013). Body image and the media is not a simple issue because the effects of media on body image are numerous and change over time. The heavy use of social media affects heightened fears about body image, particularly if users consume certain types of social media activities, such as makeup comparisons with others. The most famous examples of these products are shampoo commercials, where most women compare the softness of their hair with the softness of the actress who appears in the television commercial and believe that this product is a major cause of their hair and there are many advertisements that affect women's thinking. According to Fardouly & Vartanian, as well as other cases similar to those found for traditional media such as magazines, the available examples indicate that body image must be addressed through awareness programs and education of people, in particularly children and adolescents, in order to minimize the potential impact of e.g. interference programs can highlight the idealistic nature of images and content uploaded to social media and educate children and adolescents about fears appearance (Fardouly & Vartanian, 2016). The positive impact of media is that some people think positively about their bodies and are happy and satisfied with their body and appearance. And the media just helps them adopt a lifestyle/