Mentor/s
Dr. Suzanne Marmo-Roman & Dr. Mahfuja Malik
Participation Type
Paper Talk
Abstract
The rise of social media platforms has been accompanied by a dramatic increase in body image issues and eating disorders in male and female young people (Rodgers et al., 2020). Potential reasons for the increase in social media use and the increase in negative body image have been suggested to be the high-risk nature of the adolescent age group, the normalization of oversexualized and unrealistic body types in social media, and the innate gendered etiology of body image (Borowsky et al., 2016; McLean et al., 2015; Rodgers et al., 2020). Although eating disorders affect both men and women, it seems women are disproportionately affected by societal pressure to look a certain way and are more likely to experience an eating disorder or a warped view of their body (Aparicio-Martinez et al., 2019; McLean et al., 2015). Many feminist theories address this phenomenon, including the "thin-ideal" theory and body surveillance, as well as the "objectification theory" and the "three-step self-objectification process." Specific to males, there is a lack of research data about social media's impact on their body image, and a general lack of information regarding male eating disorders, although studies have shown that between one-quarter and one-third of all those struggling with an eating disorder are males (Frank, 2021). Males are held to "the muscular ideal," as opposed to "the thin ideal," and this can lead to male body dysmorphia. Considerations regarding this project are the importance of finding intervention programs targeted to young people, and that more studies need to be conducted regarding the impact of social media on men and boys.
College and Major available
Nursing BSN
Location
Session 6: Digital Commons & Martire Room 126
Start Day/Time
4-26-2023 3:30 PM
End Day/Time
4-26-2023 4:45 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
A Feminist Perspective on Social Media’s Impact on Body Image and Mental Health in Young People
Session 6: Digital Commons & Martire Room 126
The rise of social media platforms has been accompanied by a dramatic increase in body image issues and eating disorders in male and female young people (Rodgers et al., 2020). Potential reasons for the increase in social media use and the increase in negative body image have been suggested to be the high-risk nature of the adolescent age group, the normalization of oversexualized and unrealistic body types in social media, and the innate gendered etiology of body image (Borowsky et al., 2016; McLean et al., 2015; Rodgers et al., 2020). Although eating disorders affect both men and women, it seems women are disproportionately affected by societal pressure to look a certain way and are more likely to experience an eating disorder or a warped view of their body (Aparicio-Martinez et al., 2019; McLean et al., 2015). Many feminist theories address this phenomenon, including the "thin-ideal" theory and body surveillance, as well as the "objectification theory" and the "three-step self-objectification process." Specific to males, there is a lack of research data about social media's impact on their body image, and a general lack of information regarding male eating disorders, although studies have shown that between one-quarter and one-third of all those struggling with an eating disorder are males (Frank, 2021). Males are held to "the muscular ideal," as opposed to "the thin ideal," and this can lead to male body dysmorphia. Considerations regarding this project are the importance of finding intervention programs targeted to young people, and that more studies need to be conducted regarding the impact of social media on men and boys.
Students' Information
Marykate Kiley, Nursing major, Honors and Theatre minors, 2023