How does the media effect body image in teens?

Question: How does the media effect body image in teens?

Answer: Advertising in teen magazines and on television typically glamorizes skinny models who do not resemble the average woman. In fact, today's models generally weight 23% less then the average woman. Considering the average person in the United States sees approximately 3,000 ads in magazines, billboards, and television every day, your teenager is getting the wrong message about body image much too often.

Media targeting teenage girls are emphasizing the ideal of thinness as beauty. When you stop and think about the fact that the average height and weight for a model is 5'10" and 110 lbs, and the height and weight for the average woman is 5'4" and 145 lbs, it's easy to see why this creates a tremendous health risk for young girls.

You can help your daughter minimize the media's impact on her body image by:

• Limit your teen daughter from this type of advertising. This doesn't mean that you need to take away all teen magazines, just be aware of which ones take this teen issue into consideration. Check them out at the store before purchasing a subscription.

• Start an advertising awareness program in her school.

• Talk to her about the health risks of being so thin.

• Talk to her about how photos of models are altered and airbrushed.

Parenting Poll: Do you think today's media is affecting your teen's body image in a negative way?

• Yes.
• No.
• I'm not sure.

See the poll results.

Sources: Soy Unica; CDC, CDHS