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Chapter 4 - Appearance Ideals and Media Literacy

from Section II - The Journey Toward Positive Body Image

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2021

Nichole Wood-Barcalow
Affiliation:
Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center, Columbus, Ohio
Tracy Tylka
Affiliation:
Ohio State University
Casey Judge
Affiliation:
Ohio State University
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Summary

During my pre-teen and teenage years, I (Tracy) desperately wanted to look different: my skin was “too pale,” my hair was “too thin,” my weight was “too high,” my arms were “too large,” my height was “too short,” my eyes were “too brown,” and my cheeks were “too chubby.” I was constantly comparing myself against models who were thin and tan and had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and visible cheekbones (for women, these models represented the appearance ideal, or the “look” that society labels as attractive, successful, healthy, and wealthy to sell more products). I assumed that the models’ appearance was more beautiful than mine, making them more worthwhile than me.

Type
Chapter
Information
Positive Body Image Workbook
A Clinical and Self-Improvement Guide
, pp. 43 - 67
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

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