Abstract

What is your topic?

My topic will discuss the rapid growth in female body dissatisfaction due to negative and unrealistic images the media creates. The numerous effects this is having on young and old women today is becoming a huge issue. I have done research on diets, eating disorders, depression, and anxiety all related to women comparing themselves to the pictures the media use to represent “beauty.”

What do you think about your topic?

Being a woman myself, this topic is very important to me because I have felt the same way as many women in my research. Even if my audience is not all females, men have mothers, daughters, nieces, etc. and will still be able to relate to my paper. This topic is personal, and because of that I will be able to create a strong paper without being bias.

What do you know about it?

 

Sides-Moore, Lauren, and Karin Tochkov. "The Thinner The Better? Competitiveness, Depression And Body Image Among College Student Women." College Student Journal 45.2 (2011): 439-448. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

This peer reviewed article talked about an experiment that was conducted with female college students. The experiment had images of thin attractive models, and after the college students reviewed these images their reactions and comments about their own bodies were recorded. At the end of the day each women expressed dissatisfaction with their body and were continuously comparing themselves to the images of the thin models. I will use this information to make a strong point about the large number of women who are constantly degrading themselves because of images they see of other women.

 

Clay, Daniel, Vivian L. Vignoles, and Helga Dittmar. "Body Image And Self-Esteem Among Adolescent Girls: Testing The Influence Of Sociocultural Factors." Journal Of Research On Adolescence (Wiley-Blackwell) 15.4 (2005): 451-477. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

This peer reviewed article focused more on adolescent girls, and how they viewed themselves after looking through modeling magazines. Most girls, just as the college students in my above article, compared themselves to the images. The article continues talking about low self esteem and the effects of the Medias idea of an “ideal body.” This source will be useful because it gives me adifferent age range and I can express how young girls and women suffer the same thing.

Bessenoff, Gayle R. "Can The Media Affect Us? Social Comparison, Self-Discrepancy, And The Thin Ideal." Psychology Of Women Quarterly 30.3 (2006): 239-251. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

This peer reviewed article discusses more about the side effects women suffer from the Medias representation of beauty. Women begin to show signs of depression and hate towards their body because they don’t look perfect. This article will give me good facts of the side effects women face and this will help me make a strong argument.

Annotated bibliography

Sides-Moore, Lauren, and Karin Tochkov. "The Thinner The Better? Competitiveness, Depression And Body Image Among College Student Women." College Student Journal 45.2 (2011): 439-448. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

This peer reviewed article talked about an experiment that was conducted with female college students. The experiment had images of thin attractive models, and after the college students reviewed these images their reactions and comments about their own bodies were recorded. At the end of the day each women expressed dissatisfaction with their body and were continuously comparing themselves to the images of the thin models. I will use this information to make a strong point about the large number of women who are constantly degrading themselves because of images they see of other women.

 

Clay, Daniel, Vivian L. Vignoles, and Helga Dittmar. "Body Image And Self-Esteem Among Adolescent Girls: Testing The Influence Of Sociocultural Factors." Journal Of Research On Adolescence (Wiley-Blackwell) 15.4 (2005): 451-477. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

This peer reviewed article focused more on adolescent girls, and how they viewed themselves after looking through modeling magazines. Most girls, just as the college students in my above article, compared themselves to the images. The article continues talking about low self esteem and the effects of the Medias idea of an “ideal body.” This source will be useful because it gives me adifferent age range and I can express how young girls and women suffer the same thing.

 

Bessenoff, Gayle R. "Can The Media Affect Us? Social Comparison, Self-Discrepancy, And The Thin Ideal." Psychology Of Women Quarterly 30.3 (2006): 239-251. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

This peer reviewed article discusses more about the side effects women suffer from the Medias representation of beauty. Women begin to show signs of depression and hate towards their body because they don’t look perfect. This article will give me good facts of the side effects women face and this will help me make a strong argument.

 

Javaid, Marium, and Iftikhar Ahmad. "Adolescent Girls Are Hurt More By The Body Mass Than Thin-Ideal Media Images Of Females." Journal Of Behavioural Sciences 24.1 (2014): 29-43. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

This article, again, focused on adolescent girls. This time the article focused more on the effects of knowing and comparing body mass indexes. Each participant in the study showed negative mood swings after the experiment, and almost half of the participants said no to participate in phase two of the study. This will tie into my other source that dealt with adolescent girls and allow me to have more sufficient evidence.

 

Kirkwood, Larry. "An Artist's Perspective On Body Image, The Media, And Contemporary Society." Journal Of Nutrition Education & Behavior 37.(2005): S125-S132. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

This articles describes an ongoing Body Project which is trying to mold a new age look at beauty. It talks about loving yourself in your own skin and to stop comparing yourself to what others want you to look like and appreciate what your body looks like. This articles stresses the idea of self love and self worth. I will use this source to display how people are trying to spread the word and make a change.

 

Female Body Image and the Mass Media: Perspectives on How Women Internalize the Ideal Beauty Standard” Westminster. Westminster, web. 13 Oct. 2015.

This web page talks about how the “ideal body image” is almost unattainable to achieve, and dangerous to attempt. The article describes why the body image is unattainable due to the heavy photo shopping modeling and magazines companies take part in. The ideal body image is a false advertisement. This site will be use a lot throughout my paper, and I will use this to help me make a strong thesis

 

Irving, Lori M. “Effects of the Standard of Beauty on the Self- and Body-Esteem of Women Exhibiting Varying Levels of Bulimic Symptoms” Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology:  9. 2; 230-242. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

This articles talks about the severe physical effects that can occur to young women who feel that their body is not perfect. It describes the rise in eating disorders and depression corresponding to body dissatisfaction. I will be able to use this site as an example of the negative effects that are currently happening to women across the nation.

 

Jerffres, Leo W. Mass Media Effects. Waveland Prospect Heights, Illinois. 1997. Print.

This article gives me more information on the different effects mass media has had on female body image. It also hands me credible statistics that I will use in my paper to create a better argument.

 

Brigit, Katz. “New Study Shows Impact Of Social Media On Beauty Standards.” New York Times. New York Times, 3 April. 2015. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

This article talks about Doves efforts to re invent a new form of beauty. It also displays pictures from different women expressing their flaws and loving themselves in hopes to set a new tone for the rest of women in America. I plan on using this article more towards the end of my paper to show that every woman is beautiful and that each of our flaws makes us who we are, because we are all different, and that’s the beauty of it.

 

Balcetis, Emily, et al. "Searching Out The Ideal: Awareness Of Ideal Body Standards Predicts Lower Global Self-Esteem In Women." Self & Identity 12.1 (2013): 99-113. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

This peer reviewed article took females, ages 18-55, and studied their eye movement when seeing other women who were thin and attractive. They studied their eye movement and linked it to the parts of their body that they were critiquing themselves and comparing too. I will use this source as a different view on how women today are constantly comparing us to one another.

 

De, Sonali, and Rituparna Chakraborty. "Body Dissatisfaction Among Female University Students: Metacognitive Awareness." Psychological Studies 60.3 (2015): 257-264. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

This article consisted of more information on body dissatisfaction. It did more experiments on body mass index, and with the different sources I have found regarding body mass index and female reaction to it, I will use it to create a stronger point when I address it in my paper.

 

Mooney, E., H. Farley, and C. Strugnell. "A Qualitative Investigation Into The Opinions Of Adolescent Females Regarding Their Body Image Concerns And Dieting Practices In The Republic Of Ireland (ROI)." Appetite 52.2 (2009): 485-491. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Oct. 2015

This particular article focuses on how young women between the ages of 15-17 admit to trying to lose weight and diet to look like celebrities they see in magazines. The young women also talk about trying to follow the celebrities exact diet tips. This information will be very useful in my paper because it will allow me to show just how much young women yearn to look like what they see in the media.

 

Pritchard, Mary, and Brooke Cramblitt. "Media Influence On Drive For Thinness And Drive For Muscularity." Sex Roles 71.5/8 (2014): 208-218. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

This article described that athletic and muscular images influence the drive for thinness and to lose weight in women. In my research paper I will use this information as a possible positive for mass media influence, because it promotes health.

 

Ferguson, Christopher J., et al. "Mirror, Mirror On The Wall: Peer Competition, Television Influences, And Body Image Dissatisfaction." Journal Of Social & Clinical Psychology 30.5 (2011): 458-483. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Oct. 2015

In this article the author talks about the constant exposure to ultra thin models and celebrities in the media, and how it is the underlying reason why there is a social pressure to be thin.  Because of mass media alone, a large amount of women's sense of worth and value are negatively affected. This article gives me a lot of good information that I will be able to put into my introduction paragraph.

 

Moore, Jessica. “Women and Advertising- The Social Cost of Commercial Culture.” (2002). Socialist Alternative. Web. 22 Oct 2015.

This website allows me to read over a PowerPoint that discusses women’s roles in advertisements. It showed different images of women who have been photo shopped for their ad and other photos show women un-photo shopped. Addressing these pictures in my paper will lead allow my audience to really understand how damaging the Medias effect can have on women.

 

Monro, Fiona, and Gail Huon. "Media-Portrayed Idealized Images, Body Shame, And Appearance Anxiety." International Journal Of Eating Disorders 38.1 (2005)85-90. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct 2015.

This site provided me more information on the anxiety women feel after viewing images of an idealized female body. It talks more about how women compare and what body parts they are more likely to critique about themselves. This will be used in my paper to break down how women compare each other.

 

Jaffe, Lynn J., and Paul D. Berger. "The Effect Of Modern Female Sex Role Portrayals On Advertising Effectiveness." Journal Of Advertising Research 34.4 (1994)32-42. Business Source Premier. Web. 30 Oct 2015.

This article displayed images of “super woman” which showcased women as strong and independent. The article described the photos expressing that women can do it all. Women can work long weeks and come home to their families and continue working. I will use these findings in my paper to show what positive media towards women looks like.

 

Sutton, Denise. “Globalizing Ideal Beauty.” New York. Palgrave Macmillan. 2012. Print.

This book is the forgotten story of a group of women copywriters who launched an ad campaign in the 1920s and spread an American notion of feminine appeal from Bangor to Bangkok. This will be very useful in my paper because I will be able to express just how long this issue has been relevant.

 

Lawrence, Mary.  “A Big Life- In Advertising.” Touchstone. 2003. Print.

This book is yet another story about how a young woman built herself up in a big city. I will use this source as an abstract view that beauty isn’t just looks it is power too. A woman who is self made and accomplishes goals on her own is beautiful.

 

Grabe, Shelly, L. Monique Ward, and Janet Shibley Hyde. "The Role Of The Media In Body Image Concerns Among Women: A Meta-Analysis Of Experimental And Correlation Studies." Psychological Bulletin 134.3 (2008): 460-476. Web. 31 Oct 2015

This site talks about the large amount of body shaming done after women view images of thin attractive women. It discusses more of the psychological effects that women suffer. This will be good information to use in my paper because it is a different view point I can let the readers understand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Incorporating Sources Effectively:

On the Brown University web page that features Joan Brumberg, the author of the Body Porject, notes that, “the female ideal, in the pressure to achieve it, have become unrelenting.”

On the Brown University web page, a recent study at Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts found that, “70% of college women say they feel worse about their own looks after reading women’s magazines.”

Joan Brumberg author of the Body Project, explains how adolescent woman are influenced by numerous outside sources which leads them to believe that the body imagery they are seeing, is what they should look like. She also notes that, in recent studies have shown that most women who are constantly worried about their looks are linked to diminished mental performance, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and eating disorders. 



Works Cited

Balcetis, Emily, et al. "Searching Out The Ideal: Awareness Of Ideal Body Standards Predicts Lower Global Self-Esteem In Women." Self & Identity 12.1 (2013): 99-113. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

 

 

De, Sonali, and Rituparna Chakraborty. "Body Dissatisfaction Among Female University Students: Metacognitive Awareness." Psychological Studies 60.3 (2015): 257-264. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

 

 

Mooney, E., H. Farley, and C. Strugnell. "A Qualitative Investigation Into The Opinions Of Adolescent Females Regarding Their Body Image Concerns And Dieting Practices In The Republic Of Ireland (ROI)." Appetite 52.2 (2009): 485-491. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

 

 

Pritchard, Mary, and Brooke Cramblitt. "Media Influence On Drive For Thinness And Drive For Muscularity." Sex Roles 71.5/8 (2014): 208-218. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

 

Ferguson, Christopher J., et al. "Mirror, Mirror On The Wall: Peer Competition, Television Influences, And Body Image Dissatisfaction." Journal Of Social & Clinical Psychology 30.5 (2011): 458-483. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Oct. 2015

 

Image sources:

 

"What's the secret of my beauty? Its Adobe Photoshop Day Cream"

Scribe Notes:

            Ken: A lot of the research I am finding pertains to the broad spectrum of my thesis, it is not very narrow or clear. For the most part, the evidence is very clear and precise.

Miranda: Going onto google, the articles are more opinionated than the scholarly articles. The scholarly articles provide statistics, in depth evidence and more supporting details about the topic.

Joshua: The journals have more accurate validation than the five W’s. Most the evidence after a few years has been outdated.

Negatives: The research process has been a little frustrating for the most part due to inaccurate findings from google, or other opinionated sites. Most of the evidence we find through Academic Research Premier, the scholarly articles are hard to read and identify evidence because of the amount of detail put into these articles or journals. It’s hard to trace sources and back date.

Positives: Were still in the process of getting started, so most of our findings are hard to depict because of the scholarly language being used. But we view these challenges as a positive. There is a lot of great evidence/findings that are very detailed and broad which allows the reader to ask more in depth questions that could lead to a great thesis. 

OC Database Citations

 

 Sides-Moore, Lauren, and Karin Tochkov. "The Thinner The Better? Competitiveness, Depression And Body Image Among College Student Women." College Student Journal 45.2 (2011): 439-448. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

Clay, Daniel, Vivian L. Vignoles, and Helga Dittmar. "Body Image And Self-Esteem Among Adolescent Girls: Testing The Influence Of Sociocultural Factors." Journal Of Research On Adolescence (Wiley-Blackwell) 15.4 (2005): 451-477. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015

Bessenoff, Gayle R. "Can The Media Affect Us? Social Comparison, Self-Discrepancy, And The Thin Ideal." Psychology Of Women Quarterly 30.3 (2006): 239-251. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

Javaid, Marium, and Iftikhar Ahmad. "Adolescent Girls Are Hurt More By The Body Mass Than Thin-Ideal Media Images Of Females." Journal Of Behavioural Sciences 24.1 (2014): 29-43. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

Kirkwood, Larry. "An Artist's Perspective On Body Image, The Media, And Contemporary Society." Journal Of Nutrition Education & Behavior 37.(2005): S125-S132. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

Chapter 8

This chapter focuses on avoiding plagiarism. For the past couple weeks we have intensely been working on citing sources. Citing sources allows us as writers to give an idea that will benefit our paper but to also give credit to who came up with the idea. To make sure we don’t plagiarize it’s important to take detailed notes when accumulating your research.  Conduct a knowledge inventory. This means what do you already know about the topic? What don’t you know? And what do you want to know. While writing your draft distinguish your ideas and the ideas from your sources, all these tips will help to ensure you do not plagiarize.

Chapter 9

This week in class we learned about OC database and how to maneuver through the site. There are many different sites to get sources. Library catalogs, databases,  web search engines, and media sites, the key is to find the most relevant ones for your topic. Using key words and phrases in an online database will help steer you in the right direction to useful information. (As we learned this week with OC’s database.)  When searching online search with a strategy, for example by author or title.

Chapter 5

During my research I have come across a couple sites that have had really good information, but the information itself was kind of off topic from the direction I want to take my paper; chapter five talks about how to evaluate sources. The first thing to think about is if the site has enough evidence, lack of evidence might indicate flaws in the author’s argument. Is the right kind of evidence offered? Is the evidence used fairly? And lastly is the source of the evidence provided? Chapter five also talks about scholarly articles which we have looked into a lot on the OC database. Evaluating these are easier in my opinion because they are highly credible, however thoroughly reading through the information and taking good notes is important and still needs to be done.

Chapter 7

Within the past few weeks we have been gathering a lot of information; chapter seven discusses how to organize and manage it. I have found that grouping sources that are alike helps a lot. Copy and pasting info from the web into a word document, but keeping in mind to keep track of the sources is a good way to manage information. Annotated bibliographies provide a brief note about each of the sources you’ve listed. For example if you read an article on how to take care of a puppy, for an annotated bibliography, you would briefly summarize what article told you.

Chapter 6

This week we have continued to find useful information on our topics and with that, taking notes has been a huge focus. Chapter 6 lays out a lot of good tips on how to take notes. First off choosing a method and using it consistently. I have found that printing articles out and highlighting important information works best for me. If I find information in a book where I can’t highlight, handwriting and using color to highlight really helps me. Quoting directly is another point the chapter talks about. When you use the information from your notes, it’s imperative that the quotes are directly from the text, and that your notes are labeled correctly.  Another great strategy is classifying your sources throughout your notes; whether it’s grouping, listing, or visualizing. Making sure your notes are accurate will lead you to a successfully well written paper.

Chapter four

As we research further into our topic we have begun locating sources for our paper. Some of these sources include scholarly articles, articles on websites, along with books.  Throughout chapter four we are taught how to read through these numerous sources. Taking notes while reading mark and annotate sources, and also highlighting important passages are a few tips I have received. Many times when reading through research it can be overwhelming, thankfully chapter four broke the steps down very nicely. Identify the genre, note useful illustrations, note whether the document is a primary or secondary source, identify the main point, identify the evidence and reason, and compare the source with the other sources you’ve read.

Questions to answer:

3.

We start with the article title because there is no author and it is in MLA format. Quotation marks are used because it’s an article.

4.

The Environmental defense fund is listed twice because it was published by environmental defense fund and listed on its website of the same name.

5.

The last three items in the citation is the publication date, (8 May 2007) type of source, (web.) and the date it was viewed, (24 May 2009).

6.

 “Female Body Image and the Mass Media: Perspectives on How Women Internalize the Ideal Beauty Standard” Westminster. Westminster, web. 13 Oct. 2015.

Irving, Lori M. “Effects of the Standard of Beauty on the Self- and Body-Esteem of Women Exhibiting Varying Levels of Bulimic Symptoms” Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology:  9. 2; 230-242. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

Jerffres, Leo W. Mass Media Effects. Waveland Prospect Heights, Illinois. 1997. Print.

Brigit, Katz. “New Study Shows Impact Of Social Media On Beauty Standards.” New York Times. New York Times, 3 April. 2015. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

Yellow- article on a website

Blue- scholarly article

Green- book by a single author

Red- article in an online periodical

Chapter two:

Throughout this chapter a key point is creating a plan. Last week we began narrowing down our topics and listed pros and cons to each. During the process of listing we listened to our group’s feedback which allowed each of us to conduct preliminary observations. The great advantage of hearing other people’s thoughts and concerns are that it allows us to look at our topic with many different perspectives. Our research paper will be an argumentative paper and after Thursdays class work my groups feedback has helped me decide which direction I want to lead my topic on  whether or not I agree or disagree. Another headline discussed in chapter two is sources. We have yet to work too much with sources, but during week one, we found at least one credible source to one of our five possible topics, and learned about MLA citations. As the week progresses we will be looking more into sources and how to choose the right ones.

Collaborative Writing

5 Requirements:

1.       Be your own words

2.       Build your case logically through a systematic order of presentations

3.       Be 3,000+ words in length

4.       Use correct grammar, punctuation, and MLA-style formatting

5.       Refer to 10 or more highly credible sources

5 Criteria for success:

1.       Plan out a timeline

2.       Use different credible sources

3.       Think of writing as a form of conversation

4.       Understand the rhetorical nature of writing situations

5.       Generate ideas about potential topics

Research Questions

Technology and the effect on "family time"

1. How has technology effected education for students?
2. Are parent-kid relationships worse because of technology?
3. What are the statistics of cellphone addiction?
4. How are the different social media sites effecting people
5. Is there a change in behavior because of technology?

Sports helping inner city youth stay out of trouble.

1. What has programs like Boys and Girls Club done to improve troubled kids?
2. What are the statistics of football helping kids stay away from drugs and gang violence?
3. Which sports seem to help kids more?
4. How does sports shape an athletes character?
5. Do sports help athletes learn to deal with confrontation?

Female body image and the effects of mass media

1. What defines beauty?
2. How far is too far with plastic surgery?
3. Has Dove made any changes with body perception?
4. What are the top changes women want to make to their body?
5. How has media defaced women self esteem?

Chapter one in our textbook gives helpful advice to what we are currently working on this week because we are getting started. The first few pages discuss how to approach writing with confidence, and to think of writing as a conversation; this week we have begun brainstorming topics for our research paper, and because we are allowed to select topics of our liking this allows us to begin further research with confidence. Writing a research paper on a topic you find interesting automatically increases your chances of writing a successful paper because you’re invested. Often, when joining in on a conversation, it is human nature to listen to what others have to say and build thoughts off of one another, same goes for research. This week as I browsed many different articles and websites I came across different information about my topic, and while writing my paper this new information will let me build off of other peoples thoughts and come up with new ideas. Chapter one explained a lot of useful tips for getting started on the research paper and it displayed a great timeline which will come in handy as the week progress.

• Technology and how its effecting "family time"- On countless occasions I have witnessed the effects that technology is having on "family time." At dinner the other night I saw a family of four sitting in complete silence all on their phones/Ipads. Eventually the parents put their devices down, and when they told their children to do the same its as if the world had come to an end. They began to throw a fit; all over a piece of technology. 

• Female body image and the influence of mass media- For years T.V commercials, movies, magazines etc; have brainwashed females old and young that a certain image is how they should look. Recently Dove has been releasing countless commercials, which are not aired nearly enough, that praise natural beauty and self love.

• Sports helping inner city youth stay out of trouble-  NFL players have voiced their stories about growing up in inner cities where drug and gang violence surrounded them. A few of our fellow Seahawks are among some of those. Richard Sherman grew up in Compton where gang violence and drug use are high but managed to graduate high school with a 4.2 GPA, excel in football, and eventually work his way up to getting accepted into Stanford University and continue his football career. Along with Richard Sherman, is running back Marshawn Lynch who grew up in Oakland and faced the same issues Sherman did. Lynch has now put together Family First Foundation for  the inner city youth.

During high school I was assigned many topics that were unexciting. While writing about the topic I made sure to thoroughly follow the rubric , but even then I noticed it was not my best work because I was nit invested. Reflecting on that now, I would find ways to get excited about the topic, possibly trying to relate it to something that I did find exciting.