Author: Amy L Barid and Frederick G. Grieve
Source: North American Journal of Psychology, 2006, Vol.8, No.1, 115-122
- Background: Past studies revealed that women are more influenced to media than men in regards to the ideal body image. It was believed that men are not affected by the media pressure to shape their body in to the ideal image. Internalization of the ideal body is a factor in developing an eating disorder. In advertisements, male models are increasingly more muscular than the past.
- Argument: Men are affect by the exposure of muscular male models in product advertisements by increasing body dissatisfaction.
- Method: There were 173 male college students that participated to answer questionnaires regarding their body satisfaction and advertisement assessments. Advertisement questionnaires are questions that formulated from 16 selected product advertisements in magazines for men.
- Results: When assessing advertisements with products only (no models), there was no change in body dissatisfaction. When assessing advertisements with products and male models, most men experienced body dissatisfaction.
- Personal thoughts: The results supported that argument because men did become more insecure about their appearance after viewing advertisements that had male models. Most of the advertisements in magazines that are focused for men almost always have muscular men in the ads. I have never seen a regular or overweight male model in ads, unless it was in a comedic matter. I believe that the advertisements with muscular male models does affect body satisfaction among men today. Usually men would feel insecure when the male models are more muscular than they are. From the result of the study, ads that do not have models does not affect men's body satisfaction because they are not comparing their body to the models. Insecurities arise when they feel like they are lacking the ideal body shape that is desired by women or men.
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