Historically, it appears to be widely accepted as fact that women wrestle with a lack of confidence or lowered sense of self-esteem. The perception has been that females have a underlying lack of trust in their own merit and this gender-based, diminished self-esteem has restrained females success. Whether this perception is accurate and, if so, investigating the underlying causes for lowered female self-esteem have been a major topics for researchers.
While debate about levels of self-esteem as it relates to gender differences persist, an increasing number of peer-reviewed, scientifically sound studies have recently examined the implications of nature versus nurture, or inborn versus environmental factors, on the development of self-esteem.
The media, such as television, magazines, Internet, and movies has traditionally portrayed an unambiguous reflection of how society endorses a certain body image. The media depicts girls and women as either thin or curvaceous so they can display the viewer’s expectations and standards. In addition, females who do not meet these seemingly stereotypical “body image standards,” often feel less self-assured about themselves and, therefore, try to uphold the perceived societal ideal by any means necessary. According to Tiggemann (2006), “First, women and girls’ own reports clearly indicate that they hold the media at least partly responsible for their negative feelings toward their bodies” (p. 524). By having these negative thoughts, women can harm their bodies by doing whatever they can to fit the expectations that the media seems to portray. The opinion of the public eye states that the norm of the mass media plays an essential role in the progression of eating disorders and the displeasures of ones own body (Tiggemann, 2006, p.
Through the mainstream media, women with curvier bodies continue to be labeled as overweight and unhealthy.
As a result, according to Haytko, Parker, Motley, & Torres (2014): Their results indicate that these study participants were equally likely to suffer from eating disorders, regardless of ethnicity… findings suggest that members of these ethnic groups are feeling and responding to the pressure to be thin and are willing to take drastic measures to achieve this goal (p. 2). Ultimately, the culpability for overall body discontent and the incorporation of the slender stereotype into our culture’s psyche cannot be blamed solely on the media when other societal or personal influences may also impact adverse bodily mindsets. This aspect of the effects of environmental influences on self-esteem and body image was the focus of Van Vonderen and