THESIS ( Fashion magazines and body image)

Yesterday, I read an article by Sherry Turner about the influence of fashion magazines on the body image satisfaction. she did her research on if the depictions of women in magazines would affect women's perceptions of their own bodies. Eight magazines were used as stimulus materials. Each magazine was selected on the basis of its popularity and availability. Four magazines that had reputations for exhibiting the thin fashion ideal among women were chosen: Vogue (November, 1991), Bazaar (October, 1991), Elle (November, 1991), and Allure (November, 1991). The four news magazines used in the control condition included Time (November 4, 1991), Newsweek (October 28, 1991), U.S. News & World Report (October 28, 1991), and Business Week (November 4, 1991).

Thirty-minute appointments were scheduled for those women who expressed an interest in this study. Upon arrival, each participant was greeted by a member of the research team and given a consent form explaining that the study was designed to examine body image satisfaction among college women. After giving consent, each participant was informed that there would be a short delay, asked to leave her books and other items in the lobby, and escorted to a small room where she waited alone.

The waiting room contained three chairs and a coffee table on which four magazines were placed. For half of the participants, the waiting room contained only news magazines; for the remaining half, there were only fashion magazines. No other posters or pictures of people or reading materials were available in the waiting room. After 13 minutes, participants were escorted to a large classroom and given the questionnaire to complete. Unlimited time was given for completion.

Ten participants indicated on their questionnaire that they did not read a magazine while waiting. These students were eliminated from the data analyses. The resulting sample consisted of 18 (37%) participants in the fashion magazine condition and 21 (43%) in the news magazine condition. Their major hypothesis was that when compared to their peers who viewed news magazines, women who viewed fashion magazines prior to completing a body image satisfaction questionnaire would: (1) be less satisfied with their bodies; (2) prefer an ideal body type that is smaller, and (3) express greater preoccupation with thinness and dieting. T-tests were used to examine differences between participants in the fashion magazine and news magazine conditions. The results of this investigation demonstrate the role of the media in shaping, rather than merely reflecting, societal perceptions of the female body. Consistent with our hypothesis, it was found that women's body image satisfaction is, indeed, influenced by their exposure to the thin ideal presented in fashion magazines. Although the two groups of women in this study did not differ significantly in height or weight, those who read fashion magazines prior to completing a body image satisfaction survey desired to weigh less and perceived themselves more negatively than did those who read news magazines. Exposure to fashion magazines was related to women's greater preoccupation with being thin, dissatisfaction with their bodies, frustration about weight, and fear about deviating from the thin standard. The influence of the media on the body image satisfaction and self-perception of non-white women also deserves attention. African American, Asian American, Native American, and Latina women are often overlooked in research on this subject. Further, women of color are grossly underrepresented in fashion magazines and other types of media. Thus, the impact of the media's reinforcement of the thin and white ideal on the physical and emotional well-being of women of color should be understood.

Sherry L. Turner "The influence of fashion magazines on the body image satisfaction of college women: an exploratory analysis". Adolescence. FindArticles.com. 07 March, 2010. http://findarticles.com/p/articles