Images of people in the media are manipulated so dramatically these days, that it can feel like 'beauty' is less and less attainable. Help your child resist media influence and see the real picture.
Media influence on teenagers
Are you worried that your child's expectations for their appearance are unrealistic? It's hardly surprising. Research published by Psychology Today, Ads Everywhere: The Race to Grab Your Brain🔗, estimates that today's young people are bombarded by 5,000 advertising messages a day. These come not only via television and magazines but also websites, blogs, social media, music videos, films, and even mobile phones.
The way that people are portrayed in this advertising – both the words and the pictures – has a big impact on the way our children view themselves and who they aspire to be.
The connection between images of women in the media and low self-esteem in girls
Constant reinforcement of the 'perfect' woman in the media directly impacts girls' body confidence. Body Image🔗 research found that looking at magazines for just 60 minutes lowers the self-esteem of more than 80% of girls.
In research published in the Girlguiding, 2016 Girls' Attitudes Survey (PDF) (2.1 MB)🔗, 61% of girls said when women are portrayed as ‘sex objects’ it makes girls feel disempowered. And almost half of young women in the Pretty as a Picture (PDF) (2 MB)🔗 poll by UK think tank Credos agreed with the statement 'seeing adverts using thin models makes me feel more conscious of the way I look and makes me want to diet/lose weight'.