Is the Thin Ideal Harmful?

There has been a lot of research done that shows us that exposure to objectifying and sexualized images really does make a difference in the way kids feel and behave.

For girls, looking at fashion magazines that promotes a “thin” ideal, watching prime time TV, and music videos with sexualized images is closely linked to depressive symptoms and low self-esteem. For both boys and girls, the more time they spend engaging with media, the lower their grades and the less contentment they express, especially related to who they are and their everyday lives.

So, spending time with media does make a difference in how kids feel about themselves. Higher rates of media involvement leads to higher rates of negative feelings and behaviors. That’s an important thing for us to know. If it makes a difference, we need to pay attention to that.

Operation: Transformation is about asking for healthier media and marketing options for children. We need to see more media depictions of a variety of body types. We need to see a focus on health rather than meeting a certain ideal. Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes, and the beauty of that needs to be represented in the media.