Expert: Reverend Abbott - 7/31/2007

Question
Do you think that the media has such influence that female adolescents are changing their appearance to follow suit?

Do you think that the media pressures adolescents enough to lead to psychological effects? (E.g. teenagers begin to think that only skinny is attractive).  

Answer
With 40+ years of experience with this particular issue, I can assure you that these problems existed before they even had a name and before t.v. was in everyone's home.

There is a psychological predisposition to developing these behaviors. Not everyone who sees what's in the magazines, t.v. or movies will develop this obsessive-compulsive type disorder.  Anorexia is the number ONE most fatal of ALL psychological disorders worldwide.
 
Though the media certainly might instigate the disorder(s) it won't happen in everyone.

So, a personal responsibility needs to be in place. Like with an alcoholic, compulsive gambler, OCD sufferer and so on - the person effected must want to get better, pursue help and maintain it.

When it comes to the media starting it? We ARE the media. You are. Your friends are. Your neighbors are. When we pay attention to the headlines or the standards, we fuel them and we propogate them.  When we ignore them, like a bad t.v. series, it just goes away due to lack of interest.

Before the media was so overwhelming, the guideline that was followed was more local (even if 'local' meant entire states or countries). It's a sociological issue. There has always been a standard dictated by 'everyone else' and there likely always will be.  Whether the archaic, painful and maiming foot binding used in ancient Asian cultures or adding neck rings to unnaturally elongate necks in some African tribes - there are thousands of issues that for vanity or fitting in socially might be self-mutilating or even health threatening.

An interesting published study within in the next decade or so was introduction of Western magazines to an previously isolated and starkly poor tribal society.  Within days of the women seeing these magazines - they were trying to send a month's worth of income to purchase facial creams.  Within (I believe) 3 months, the women were attempting to diet for the first time in the history of this entire society of people.

 The study needs many more years of follow up and follow through, but initial findings were of great interest. Again, not all the women were effected the same way. Not all of them wanted the face cream or to limit their food intake.
 Another curious finding was that the men in this society didn't care for the look of the magazine models.
 Not surprisingly, a survey done by Cosmopolitan Magazine in the U.S. indicated that the large part of men prefer a woman who has curves - and NOT the models in magazines.

 Good luck with your further research.