The effect of the media on body satisfaction in adolescent girls

It has been suggested that the media, in consistently portraying thin, stereotypically attractive bodies, exacerbates the phenomenon of body dissatisfaction, and in consequence may be partly responsible for the increase in the prevalence of eating disorders. A recent study by Ogden and Mundray (1996) observed that an acute exposure to such images increased the body image dissatisfaction of adult subjects, whilst exposure to images of overweight individuals ameliorated dissatisfaction. The present study attempted to investigate this effect in adolescent girls. The results failed to support the experimental hypothesis, however possible reasons for this are discussed. It is suggested that the media's influence on individuals' self‐evaluations may be more complex than Ogden and Mundray's results imply, differentially affecting individuals' levels of satisfaction. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.