Media Education and Body Image

Body Image
Gender Representation

There’s significant evidence that media education can counter unrealistic media representations of men’s and women’s bodies. For example, a 2015 study found that girls as young as Grade 5 who had received media literacy education in school had higher self-esteem and body satisfaction.[1]

There’s significant evidence that media education can counter unrealistic media representations of men’s and women’s bodies. For example, a 2015 study found that girls as young as Grade 5 who had received media literacy education in school had higher self-esteem and body satisfaction.[1]

A meta-study of programs that have been designed to help youth deal with body image and eating disorders has shown that media literacy programs are one of the most successful strategies for dealing with these issues.[2] In the 2014 Report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women in the House of Commons, the chair noted that “prevention campaigns can use…media literacy components, which help youth to rebuild confidence …and improve critical thinking related to media messages.” The committee also noted that media literacy should be used to “counteract unrealistic images of beauty and thinness.”[3]

Similarly, a 2018 study revealed that critical thinking “with media use [is effective] as a form of protection from the mindsets that lead to eating disorders.”[4] Other studies have found that being able to think critically about techniques that are used to fabricate and make digitally manipulated photos has been found to be associated with positive body image.[5] This critical thinking skill is learned through a media literacy education program, as youth are able to develop their own skepticism and understand how to use it properly in the digital world.

“Each respondent who stated that ‘media”’ had the most influence on how she viewed her body also said ‘yes’ when asked if she had ever tried to change how her body looked.”[6]

To be effective, media literacy interventions need to be long-term; focus on critical thinking, questioning and discussion; invite active involvement through activities, rather than direct instruction; and teach key concepts of media literacy.[7]

The digital and media literacy key concepts listed below are helpful for framing discussions about media representation and body image. For each one, a series of questions has been provided that encourage youth to challenge media messages about how we should look:

Media are constructions that re-present reality. Ask:

  • Who created this media work?
  • What is its purpose?
  • What assumptions or beliefs do its creators have about body issues?
  • What choices did the creators make when they made it?
    • For example, think about how a photo was posed, which photo was chosen, etc. As a participant in one study said, “It is not reasonable to compare one’s ‘behind the scene moments’ with others’ ‘spotlight moments.’”[8]
  • What pressures or conditions were the creators working under?
    • For example, when you see a carefully posed or heavily filtered photo, why might the person who posted it have felt they needed to do that?[9]
  • If the work is supposed to be a representation of reality (like a photo or video), how might it have been altered through filters, editing, etc.?[10]
  • Think of ideal bodies as things of that have been constructed by media. Is it reasonable to think that real bodies can look like that?[11]

Media have social and ideological implications. Ask:

  • What body shapes are shown more positively or negatively than others?
  • Why might these body shapes be shown this way?
  • Which body shapes are not shown at all?
  • How is it decided which body shapes are shown positively or negatively, or not shown at all?[12]
  • Does a media work fall into negative tropes or cliches about body size and shape, such as:
    • Does it use size-related stereotypes, such as “the gross overweight villain” or “the fun fat sidekick”?
    • Does it show being muscular as an essential part of being a man?
    • Does it cast thin actors to play larger-bodied characters?
    • Does it only cast larger characters roles as supporting characters, or portray them as sexless or unlovable?
    • If there are larger characters, are their stories only about their weight?[13]

Media have commercial implications. Ask:

  • What is the commercial purpose of this media product, or in other words, how will it help someone make money?
  • If it makes money through advertising (as almost all digital media do), how do advertisers influence how bodies are represented?
  • What kinds of “conventional wisdom” about what kinds of body shapes are attractive to audiences (for instance, that consumers will reject models who aren’t thin or that movie audiences expect male actors to be muscular) might influence media makers’ decisions?
  • How does this influence the content and how it’s communicated?
  • What were the costs of making and distributing this product?
  • How do those purposes influence the content and how it’s communicated?

Audiences negotiate meaning in media. Ask:

  • How similar are the bodies you see in media to the ones you see in your own life?[14]
  • How might different people (for instance, men and women, or people who don’t have “ideal” body shapes) see this media product differently?
  • How do different genders engage differently with this content?
    • For example, “One of the narratives surrounding famous women’s bodies is on using the artificial — plastic surgery, Photoshop, Instagram filters — to achieve the unrealistic. With men’s bodies, the narrative is often that unrealistic results are solely a product of hard work.”[15]
  • How does portrayal of body shape or size intersect with other forms of diversity?
    • For example, actor Kumail Nanjiani said it was important to him to be muscular in the film The Eternals specifically to counter stereotypes of South Asian men: “If I'm playing the first South Asian superhero, I want to look like someone who can take on Thor or Captain America, or any of those people.”[16] Research among Canadian youth has found, though, that South Asian teens are among the most likely to suffer from muscle dysmorphia.[17] In cases like this, how can we balance the desire to counter stereotypes with the risk of encouraging unhealthy body image?
  • How does this make you feel, based on how similar or different you are from the people portrayed in the media product?
  • How does this work, or tool, encourage you to compare yourself to other people? What habits of mind can you develop to stay out of the “comparison trap”?[18]
  • If you had a chance to speak to the people who made this media product, what would you ask or tell them?
  • If you had a chance to make a similar media product, how would you do it differently?
  • What would a parody version of this product look like? What tropes, cliches or assumptions would you make fun of if you were to parody it?[19]

Each medium has a unique form. Ask:

  • What techniques does the media product use to get your attention and to communicate its message?
  • In what ways are the images in the media product manipulated through various techniques (for example: lighting, makeup, camera angle, photo manipulation)?
  • What are the expectations of the genre(for example: print advertising, TV drama, music video) towards body shape?

Digital media are networked. Ask:

  • How are you expected to interact with this message (Like it, share it, comment on it, etc.)?
  • How might the expected interactions have influenced how it was made?
    • For example, how might it have been posed, selected or manipulated to get more likes?
  • How can you curate what content reaches you?
    • For example, filtering out certain words, phrases or hashtags, unfollowing accounts that share body-critical content or intentionally following body-positive or body-neutral accounts.[20] This is one of the crucial advantages of networked over broadcast media: as Virginia Sole-Smith puts it, “you can’t recast your favorite Netflix show with fat actors, but … you can curate your feeds.”[21]
  • How can you connect with communities that promote positive attitudes towards body size and shape?
    • A participant in one study said, “It’s sometimes people with similar bodies to mine, just having a good time, wearing whatever the heck they want, and just not thinking twice about it. I think all of those have been really helpful for me.”[22]
  • How is the tool you’re using influenced by the information you give it?
    • For example, viewing or Liking certain posts or videos might make it show you similar ones in the future.

Digital media are shareable and persistent. Ask:

  • How did this product get to you? Was it because you are mutual friends with the maker, because you follow the maker, because someone else shared it with you or because you found it in a different way?
  • If you made the product, how did you share it? How did that influence how you made it?
  • Was the product meant to be shared widely? If so, what did the maker do to encourage others to share it? If not, what did the maker do to try to limit people’s ability to share or copy it?

Digital media have unexpected audiences. Ask:

  • Who was the intended audience for the product? How did the intended audience influence how it was made? For example, how would a photo you post for your friends to see be different from one for your parents or a romantic partner?
  • How might the product be interpreted differently if it was seen by an audience other than the one it was meant for?
  • Were you the intended audience for the product? If so, how did that affect how you responded to it? If not, how did the product reach you?
  • How have you selected the accounts you follow? Do your choices lead to you seeing content that makes you feel more accepting of your own and others’ bodies, or less?[23] What can you do to train content algorithms to deliver body-positive or body-neutral content?

Digital media experiences are shaped by the tools we use. Ask:

  • What tools were used to make and distribute this product?
  • What are the tools’ affordances – in other words, what does the tool let you do?
    • For example, are there limits on how many photos you can post to your account at one time? How much freedom do you have to modify your avatar in an online game? Are there tools like filters that let you manipulate a photo?
  • What are the tools’ defaults – the things that the tool lets you do without having to specifically choose them?
    • For instance, some social networks now automatically ask if you want to apply filters when you upload a photo or video. Some online games allow you to choose your avatar’s body shape, but give you an idealized shape by default.
  • How do the design and defaults of the tool make you more likely to think or talk about your and others’ bodies?[24] How could you change the defaults, or change your use of the tool, to reduce “body talk”?
  • How does the way you use a media tool, or the things you use it for, affect your experience?
    • It’s important to remember that while our use of tools is shaped by their affordances and defaults, those do not determine how we use them. Just like can negotiate meaning in media, we can be conscious, critical users of media tools as well.
    • What do you get out of using this tool?
    • Research has shown that “people who base their self-esteem primarily on how they are seen by others – including how they see their appearance – share photos more than those whose self-esteem is based on factors such as intelligence or achievement.”[25]
    • How is your experience of using a tool different if you slow down and think about what you’re doing?[26] 

Interactions through digital media can have a real impact. Ask:

  • Was the product made by someone you know offline or someone you don’t (like a celebrity)? How does that change how it makes you feel?
  • How does it make you feel to make and share pictures online? How do the things you do to make or choose the best pictures make you feel? What does it cost you to try to maintain a certain look or ideal?[27]
  • What are the norms of your online communities when it to how people represent themselves?
    • For example, what will make a photo more likely to be shared? What kinds of photos will get negative comments? Do you often see photos or avatars that look like your own body shape? Will people react differently if you use an avatar who is less idealized?

While the classroom is a natural place for media education (you can access MediaSmarts’s resources on body image and related issues here), it’s essential that education start at home. The importance of parents being positive and supportive of their children, both in terms of their physical appearance and their personal qualities, and in setting a good example when it comes to body shape and fitness is well known.[28] Encourage kids to avoid the “comparison trap” (comparing themselves to others) and to practice self-compassion about their bodies. Ask them, “How would you talk to your best friend if they said they were struggling with how they looked? Now talk to yourself in the same kind way.”

It’s also important for us to model attitudes that emphasize being healthy and active over trying to be a certain weight or have a certain body shape. Make sure kids understand that health and weight are not the same thing.[29] In the words of Sarah Nutter, a professor of counselling psychology at the University of Victoria, “it’s an important conversation to have… to be able to separate health and weight. Weight is not an indicator of health – but that is something that is contrary to the messages we receive in our society.”[30]

We also need to foster positive attitudes towards other people’s bodies. Try not to promote weight stigma through how we talk about bodies (including our own), and don’t tolerate weight-based bullying. We can also “look for opportunities to name and discuss anti-fat bias if it comes up and seek out examples of [athletes] in bigger bodies excelling at their sport,” as well as working with our kids to make sure that video sites and social media are delivering body-neutral or body-positive content.[31]

“You may worry that by talking about fatphobia, you’ll teach your kids fatphobia. On this front, I can assure you: They already know.” Virginia Sole-Smith, Fat Talk[32]

Less well known is the importance of parents helping their children understand media messages about how we should look. Parents who engage in media alongside their children and encourage them to question or think about what they see or hear are setting the groundwork for healthy media habits. When you encounter weight-based stereotypes in media, you can sometimes skip it (such as when reading aloud to children) or pause to engage with it. If you do engage with it, make sure that you don’t seem like you’re putting down the work or criticizing your child for liking it. Explain that even the best media creators sometimes fall into using stereotypes, but the portrayal doesn’t real life or your values.

Ask your kids about their experiences on social media and the pressures they may feel. Ask “who they follow that they think is a good role model and why. Mention someone you really like in terms of how they post. Share with them a meme that made you laugh; ask who cracks them up or inspires them… By sometimes showcasing the positive, we can get them to think more about what they’re contributing to the world.”[33] As well, we can teach kids to ‘talk back’ to media through creative play, art and writing to help them work through the media messages they receive, and take charge of representations of themselves.[34]

If you or someone you know needs support in dealing with an eating disorder, visit the National Eating Disorder Information Centre

[1] Matthews, H (2016). The Effect of Media Literacy Training on the Self- Esteem and Body-Satisfaction Among Fifth Grade Girls. Walden University.

[2] Levine, M (2016) Media Literacy as an effective and promising form of Eating Disorders prevention. Eating Disorders Resource Catalogue. Retrieved from https://www.edcatalogue.com/media-literacy-as-an-effective-and-promising-form-of-eating-disorders-prevention/

[3] House of Commons Canada (2014 November). Eating Disorders among Girls and Women in Canada. Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

[4] Kagie, M. (2018) Preventing Eating Disorders by Promoting Media Literacy and Rejecting Harmful Dieting Based Mentalities. The BYU Undergraduate journal of Psychology. 13(1) 64-80.

[5] McLean et al. (2016) Does Media Literacy Mitigate Risk for Reduced Body Satisfaction Following Exposure to Thin-Ideal Media? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45 (8). 1678 - 1695. 

[6] Hohn, T. (2015 October). Media Literacy and Body Image. Canadian Teacher. Retrieved from https://canadianteachermagazine.com/2015/09/15/4193/

[7] Piran et al, “GO GIRLS! Media Literacy, Activism and Advocacy Project,” Healthy Weight Journal (November-December 2000): 89-90.

[8] Evens, O., Stutterheim, S. E., & Alleva, J. M. (2021). Protective filtering: A qualitative study on the cognitive strategies young women use to promote positive body image in the face of beauty-ideal imagery on Instagram. Body image, 39, 40-52.

[9] Aziz, S. & Young, L. (2022) “Instagram vs reality The perils of social media on body image.” Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/8506592/social-media-influenced-body-image/

[10] Evens, O., Stutterheim, S. E., & Alleva, J. M. (2021). Protective filtering: A qualitative study on the cognitive strategies young women use to promote positive body image in the face of beauty-ideal imagery on Instagram. Body image, 39, 40-52.

[11] Bell, B. T., Taylor, C., Paddock, D. L., Bates, A., & Orange, S. T. (2021). Body talk in the digital age: A controlled evaluation of a classroom-based intervention to reduce appearance commentary and improve body image. Health Psychology Open, 8(1), 20551029211018920.

[12] Evens, O., Stutterheim, S. E., & Alleva, J. M. (2021). Protective filtering: A qualitative study on the cognitive strategies young women use to promote positive body image in the face of beauty-ideal imagery on Instagram. Body image, 39, 40-52.

[13] (2022) #AllBodies Report: Representations of Fat Women and Girls in Hollywood. The Rep Project. https://therepproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022AllBodies_FatWomenInHollywood_Report_V2_TypoFixed.pdf

[14] Evens, O., Stutterheim, S. E., & Alleva, J. M. (2021). Protective filtering: A qualitative study on the cognitive strategies young women use to promote positive body image in the face of beauty-ideal imagery on Instagram. Body image, 39, 40-52.

[15] Abed-Santos, A. (2021) “The open secret to looking like a superhero.” Vox. https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22760163/steroids-hgh-hollywood-actors-peds-performance-enhancing-drugs

[16] Skipper, C. (2021) “How Kumail Nanjiani Got Huge.” GQ. https://www.gq.com/story/kumail-nanjiani-profile

[17] Ganson, K. T., Hallward, L., Cunningham, M. L., Rodgers, R. F., DClinPsych, S. B. M., & Nagata, J. M. (2023). Muscle dysmorphia symptomatology among a national sample of Canadian adolescents and young adults. Body Image, 44, 178-186..

[18] Evens, O., Stutterheim, S. E., & Alleva, J. M. (2021). Protective filtering: A qualitative study on the cognitive strategies young women use to promote positive body image in the face of beauty-ideal imagery on Instagram. Body image, 39, 40-52.

[19] Velissaris, V. (2021). The effect of exposure to parodies of thin-ideal images on women’s body image, body shame and mood (Doctoral dissertation).

[20] Aziz, S. & Young, L. (2022) “Instagram vs reality The perils of social media on body image.” Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/8506592/social-media-influenced-body-image/

[21] Sole-Smith, V. (2023). Fat talk: parenting in the age of diet culture. First edition. New York, Henry Holt and Company.

[22] Alleva, J. M., Tylka, T. L., Martijn, C., Waldén, M. I., Webb, J. B., & Piran, N. (2023). “I’ll never sacrifice my well-being again:” The journey from negative to positive body image among women who perceive their body to deviate from societal norms. Body Image, 45, 153-171

[23] Evens, O., Stutterheim, S. E., & Alleva, J. M. (2021). Protective filtering: A qualitative study on the cognitive strategies young women use to promote positive body image in the face of beauty-ideal imagery on Instagram. Body image, 39, 40-52.

[24] Bell, B. T., Taylor, C., Paddock, D. L., Bates, A., & Orange, S. T. (2021). Body talk in the digital age: A controlled evaluation of a classroom-based intervention to reduce appearance commentary and improve body image. Health Psychology Open, 8(1), 20551029211018920.

[25] Stefanone, M. A., Lackaff, D., & Rosen, D. (2011). Contingencies of self-worth and social-networking-site behavior. Cyberpsychology, behavior, and social networking, 14(1-2), 41-49.

[26] Evens, O., Stutterheim, S. E., & Alleva, J. M. (2021). Protective filtering: A qualitative study on the cognitive strategies young women use to promote positive body image in the face of beauty-ideal imagery on Instagram. Body image, 39, 40-52.

[27] Evens, O., Stutterheim, S. E., & Alleva, J. M. (2021). Protective filtering: A qualitative study on the cognitive strategies young women use to promote positive body image in the face of beauty-ideal imagery on Instagram. Body image, 39, 40-52.

[28] D’Arcy Lyness. “Encouraging a Healthy Body Image.” KidsHealth, May 2009. http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/weight_eating_problems/body_image.html#cat20743

[29] Sole-Smith, V. (2023). Fat talk: parenting in the age of diet culture. First edition. New York, Henry Holt and Company.

[30] Quoted in Mustafa, N. (2021) Why these women say it’s time to embrace fat bodies. CBC Radio. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/why-these-women-say-it-s-time-to-embrace-fat-bodies-1.6185855

[31] Mustafa, N. (2021) Why these women say it’s time to embrace fat bodies. CBC Radio. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/why-these-women-say-it-s-time-to-embrace-fat-bodies-1.6185855

[32] Sole-Smith, V. (2023). Fat talk: parenting in the age of diet culture. First edition. New York, Henry Holt and Company.

[33] Cove, Michelle. (2020) It’s Time for Girls to Make Over the Media. hundrED. https://hundred.org/en/articles/it-s-time-for-girls-to-make-over-the-media

[34] Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood, and what parents can do to protect their kids, 2008.