Correlates of young Women's Interest in Obtaining Surgery

Author: Charlotte n Markey and Patrick M. Marley
Source: Sex Roles Aug2009, Vol. 61 Issue 3/4, p158-166

• Background: From current statistics, cosmetic surgery has increased 59% from 2000 to 2007. the majority of patient are women (90%). The cause of these cosmetic surgery trend is that people can choose how they can shape their appearance. Also, important factors that people may choose to have surgery is weight status, self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, being teased about their bodies, and media messages.
• Argument:
  ~Women's body dissatisfaction will be related to their interest in cosmetic surgery and that this relationship will remain significant even when their actual body size is taken in to account
  ~Women's socioculture experiences as predictors of their interest in cosmetic surgery
  ~Body dissatisfaction as a mediator of weight status, women's internalization of media messages, and teasing in predicting women's interest in cosmetic surgery
• Method: This study included 101 female participants that complete a survey with a series of questions involving their personal income, how they feel about themselves, their appearance, and options they want to alter their appearance. The survey measures weight status by Body Mass Index, body dissatisfaction by Contour Drawing rating Scale, media influences by Socioculture Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire, physical appearance teasing by the rate of how often they were teased, and their interest in cosmetic surgery.
• Results:
  ~The results was consistent with women who were dissatisfied with their bodies were more interested in cosmetic surgery to alter their body. Also, women that were more satisfied with their body were not as interested in cosmetic surgery to alter their bodies. Women interest in cosmetic surgery only do it to change how they look, but also how the feel.
  ~Weight status, media influence, and teasing were all factors that would predict women's interest toward cosmetic surgery. There was a direct relation between media influence and interest in cosmetic surgery because women who view media messages as a basis for comparison for their own bodies are more likely to be interested in cosmetic surgery. Women that were teased in their childhood about their body are more likely to be interested in cosmetic surgery to change their appearance.
  ~With the combination of the results for the first two argument, it was found that weight status, media influence, and teasing and interest in cosmetic surgery were mediated by by dissatisfaction.
• Personal thoughts: Despite of all the media messages that influence women's appearance, I believe that women who consider cosmetic surgery to improve their looks have self-esteem issues. Other than reconstruction surgery due to accidents, diseases, and extreme cases, patient who choose to get cosmetic surgery has deep emotional issues to be able to go under knife, cut their skin open, and then get sewed up. I do support cosmetic surgery to people to a certain extent because I understand how important self-esteem is, but I do not support people who excessively get cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgery was suppose improve the way you look, not to change your look. Some people get cosmetic surgery to become someone else, which is also the wrong reason to get cosmetic surgery. The media does emphasize on celebrities' features as they are the norms.

Exposure to Male Models in Advertisments Leads to a Decrease in Mens' Body Satisfaction

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.

Body Image in Gay and Straight Men: A Qualitative Study

Authors: John F. Morgan and Jon Arcelus

Source: European Eating Disorders, 2009, Vol. 17, 435-443

• Background:In recent studies, eating disorders are more common with gay and bisexual men than heterosexual men. Sexual orientation may be a risk factor for eating disorders for gay and bisexual men. With body dissatisfaction, men are more concern with their muscle size and shape(desire to be more muscular), in contrast, women are dissatisfied with their weight (desire to be thin).
• Argument: Straight men are increasingly dissatisfy with their body image as much as women, gay and bisexual men. This study explores that relationship between body image, gender, and sexual orientation.
• Method: Interviews that contains in-depth questions about fifteen men participants' between the ages of 18-24: background, sexual orientation, body image ideal, cultural pressures, social pressures, exercising, dieting and eating habits,and influence of sexual orientation. Seven participants are gay and eight were straight.
• Results:
  --Body image: Most men described the ideal male body would be proportionate. Not too skinny, but not too muscular. Looking "toned" and healthy is most important aspect in the ideal look. Looking too skinny or slim was described as sick or unhealthy. Big muscle looks unnatural
  --External influences:
  ---There is a big difference on media influence on body image between gay and straight men. Gay men are feel the pressure from magazines to look a certain way. In contrast, most straight men believe that magazines and media influences on body image are concentrated for women. Most straight men stated that magazines and T.V. does not influence then on the way they look.
  ---Social influences are more prominent in the gay community because gay men felt as if they are competing with one another to look better. Sexual influences is also a factor.
  --Perception of body image: all the men did worry and value their appearance, either to try to impress women-for heterosexual men, or men-for gay men. Most men want to improve in their muscularity.
  --Mechanism for Modification:
  ---Most men value a healthy diet. To lose weight mean to restrict the calories intake and most men see dieting as an unhealthy process. Extreme dieting, in which leads to eating disorders, is more common among gay men than straight men.
  ---Exercise is the main activity that both straight and gay men perform to improve body image.
  ---Toiletries such as face creams are used among gay and straight men to improve their looks, but not necessary to be more attractive.
  --Sexual orientation: Both gay and straight men do feel the pressure to improve body image, but single gay men are more concern with their body image.
• Personal thoughts: Men, regardless of sexual orientation, are becoming more concern with their looks because of the increase in media exposure of the ideal male look. In most magazines and T.V. shows I have seen, the men that are considered attractive are the ones that are muscular. There is a pressure for men to look a certain way because that is what women, in respect of straight men, or men, in respect of gay men, desire in an attractive partner. In my life, all the men that I know are concern with their looks. Most are most concern about the lack of muscles because strength and power defines masculinity.

A comparison of body size ideals body dissatisfaction, and media influence between female track athletes, martial artist, and non athletes

Author: Viern Swami, Lauren Steadman, Martin J. Tovee

Source: Psychology of Sport & Exercise Nov 2009, Vol. 10 Issue 6, p609-614

· Past studies suggested that female athletes may be at higher risk of body image dissatisfaction and eating disorders due to a need to attain athletic physiques under task or social pressure
· Previous studies shows that sports that promote leanness have athletes with higher body dissatisfaction

· Argument:
o Female track athletes would desire thinner figures than female martial artists and non-athletes
o Female track athletes would recognize “attractive” in a more narrow range of body sizes than female martial artist and non-athletes
o Female track athletes would have a show a higher body dissatisfaction than female martial artist and non-athletes
o Female track athletes would show greater internalization of media influences, in relation to the endorsement and acceptance of an athletic and toned body.

· Method:
o From the 132 participants between the ages of 16 and 61, there were 41 track athletes, 47 martial artists, and 44 non-athletes.
o The study was performed through a three page questionnaires that included photographic figuring scale, sociocultural attitudes toward appearance, involvement in sporting activities, and demographic.

· Results:
o Track athletes had significantly lower BMI than Martial artist and non-athletes
o Track and martial artist athletes participated in more sporting activities than non-athletes.
o Majority of the participants had consistent answers to define what they thought was attractive or not attractive.
o Female track believed that they had a larger body than non-athletes.
§ Female track athletes had higher body dissatisfaction than both Martial artists and non-athletes
§ Martial artist and non-athletes did not believe they had a larger body
§ Between Martial artist and non-athletes, the two groups had no significant difference in body dissatisfaction.
o Track athletes scored higher than Martial artists in internalization in regards to media such as endorsements. Martial artist scored higher than non-athletes in internalization.

o Discussion: Martial artists and non-athletes had similar scores in body dissatisfaction, but track athletes scored highest. Because Martial artist focus more on physical strength, rather than endurance, marital art does not promote leanness. Track athletes had the highest degree of body dissatisfaction, but yet had the lowest body mass index. Track athletes also scored highest in Internalisation- Athletes in regards to getting endorsements for the ideal athlete body. Track athletes are under more pressure to conform to a leaner physique. From the physical attractiveness part in the questionnaires, all three groups scored the thinnest models to be the most attractive, but not because they are beautiful, but because their body were the physical ideal to perform the sport. Athletes that strive to be thinner may not want to be more attractive, but more able to perform the sport. Body mass index was a predictor in body dissatisfaction because participants with higher body mass index had higher degree of body dissatisfaction.

One thing that this article pointed out is that athletes may be dissatisfy with their body, not because they want to look more attractive, to achieve a body that best fits their sport performance. I have never thought about that because I thought that female athletes were dissatisfy with their bodies because it did not look feminine. This makes me think of women who are in body building because they are not trying to achieve the "ideal beauty" look--thin and graceful--but they try to make their body look as close to a body builder's ideal look.

This article reminds me of the movie "Save the Last Dance" because there was a character that was bulimic because she wanted to be able to maintain the ballerinas body and get the main dance role.

The phrase "ideal look" is so vague and can be understood differently in different cultures and social groups. One ideal look for one group may not be the same for another.

Body Image and Cultural Background

Title of Article: Body Image and Cultural Background
Author: Alyson Kay Spurgas
Source: Sociological Inquiry, Vol. 75, No.3, August 2005, 297-316

This article provides insights regarding race/ethnicity, cultural background, media consumption and exposure, and individual psychology being directly related to women’s perception of their body image. This study examines how cultural background, includes to compare and contrast body image perception in diverse cultural background, affects a woman’s body image. Also, this study examines how media with the influence of cultural background affects a woman’s body image.



The results from this study was compared to previous studies in the past between 1950's-present.

· Since the 50’s, people have related psychological, emotional, and health issues with poor body image. These problems occur more frequent in women than in men because it is hypothesized that women are more concern with their body image for social purposes.

· In past studies, the main comparison between culture and body image were studies that were based on white and black women. The research supported that black women were more comfortable with their body image than white women.

· In past studies concerning diverse ethnic background, it was found that Asian women were more prone to suffer from bulimia to correct their weight problems, while black women had a more negative perception of their body image.



This study was conducted by interview with a series of questions and discussion regarding participants’ cultural background and self-body perception. There were eleven women, between the ages of 16 and 25, from a public university.

The study finds:
· Participants that were non-U.S. expressed that they were more comfortable with their body in their home countries before they came to the U.S.· Family members were also a factor of how women feel about their body image because parents influence their daughters to look based on their ideal image of a woman. Women may also compare their bodies to the female members of their family.

· Friends and peers were also factors that influence how women feel about their bodies because friends and peers express their thought about body image directly and openly.· Men’s preferences in women’s body influence how women want to look because they want to please men’s desire for women.

· In regards to culture, race/ethnicity, and the media, these three factors are interrelated when it comes to body image because most women this study feels as if they should conform to western standards of beauty. Western standards of beauty were defined as being Caucasian, thin and slender by all participants. Participants also expressed the exposure to media is a direct link to their ideal perception of their body. One participant expressed that in Africa, skinny means that you do not have money to eat, while in Western culture, skinny is considered beauty. Also, participants agree that media, especially in western culture, sends stereotypical messages by encouraging healthy living while praising unrealistic thin women models for their physique. Participants discussed that thin images in the media may be the cause for eating disorders or consideration for cosmetic surgery.

Overall, this research concluded that race/ethnicity, cultural background, media, and individual psychology have influenced their self-perception of body image. Compared to older studies, the results tend to show that the Western influence of the ideal women look is dominant in most culture around the world. Women from non-western cultures are affected by the beauty standards of thin Caucasian women.

I agree with the findings of this study. As an Asian-American, I have notice that in both Asian and Western culture praise women, who have fair skin, are slim and slender, and have soft features. The media exposure just amplifies the idea of a beauty for a woman. Although there is a very small percentage of women that actually has the ideal look of beauty, women tends to try to looks as similar as the ideal look as possible to be socially accepted. The effort to achieve the ideal look comes with unrealistic expectation that may result in poor physical and mental health.

Men Crave Real Bodies

Glamour’s website under the “Sex-Love-Life” section. The title of the article is Men Crave Real Bodies. A quick summary about this article is that it is about the preference of a man in his late 20’s of women’s bodies. After a few relationships with women that had plastic surgery, he realized that he preferred women without plastic surgery because it was real and when a man falls in love with a woman, he also falls in love with her body. Learning from his past relationships with women that had plastic surgery, he had come to the conclusion that women that get plastic surgery because they want to make themselves more attractive to men. Usually these women have self-esteem issues and instead of using plastic surgery to celebrate beauty, they attempt to fix a problem. Plastic surgery among American women is phenomenon because it has become such a trend to improve your physique. There were nearly 11 million cosmetic procedures in the U.S.

Another point that he made was that men are superficial creatures and do desire younger and prettier women. Because of exposure of media such as magazines exploiting the hyper-real beauty, me n and women both believe that those unreal bodies belong to women in their own life. This sets a standard to what men and women expect out of a beautiful woman body. I believe he brought up some good points, especially that men, including himself, are attracted to beautiful women that are from media’s standards because his failed relationship started from him being attracted to their body. (Posted by: Jeanie)
http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/2008/02/men-crave-real-bodies

Media Assault on Male body image

Many people believe that the standard of a perfect body is the ones they see in the movies such as Brad Pitt’s body in Fight Club—a body that is “perfectly” sculptured, hairless, lean, and muscular. Men set these standards of how their body is suppose to look like and women set these standards of how men’s body are suppose to look like. But the reality is that real bodies have hair, sweat, blemish—which all are covered up in movies. The media glorify these “perfect body” images to also increase sales in beauty consumer products to fix the imperfections. The failure to meet the standards may lead to depression for men.

I believe this article provide us with a few good points. Many men I know actually believe that Brad Pitt’s body in Fight Club is the perfect body. After watching Fight Club or 300 with my guy friends, they all commented that they wanted to eat a lot of steak and go work out. I think it is hard for anyone to fit in a very specific guideline of a “perfect body”, and people to know that it is almost impossible to achieve the image but they try to achieve it anyways. Then they get depress when they do not achieve it. It is very common. (Posted by: Jeanie) http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/the_media_assault_on_male_body_image/