It is nearly impossible to avoid mass media. Movies, television, and video are such an integral part of culture that they not only reflect popular concerns, attitudes, and beliefs, but they also influence and drive them. Several articles have proposed a link between the prevailing female and male beauty ideals and a range of psychological disorders. Over time, the cultural ideal for women’s body size and shape has become considerably thinner and leaner and men’s body size and shape has become stronger and more muscular.

Nearly every magazine boasts various headlines promising “fat blasting secrets” or “daily weight loss tips.” There are commercials on nearly every channel that try to convince people to purchase weight loss pills. Pinterest and Instagram news feeds are full of daily exercise routines. To many teenagers, this pressure to look perfect or ideal may feel inescapable. It is rare to see advertisements with average sized women. Instead, unrealistic images of women with flawless skin and disproportionate bodies eventually contribute to a self-destructive sense of self.

Statistics reveal that, on average, a child or adolescent watches up to five hours of television per day and spends an average of six to seven hours viewing various media sources combined according to a study conducted by the Journal of Adolescent Health. With this amount of exposure to media, and images of the slender body ideal, it makes sense that adolescents are prone to concerns about their weight, shape, and body image. It also no surprise that, as a result, dieting and a pressure to lose weight is prevalent in the same age group. In the study Relation of peer and media influences to the development of purging behaviors among pre-adolescent and adolescent girls, 44% of adolescent girls believed they were overweight and 60% were actively trying to lose weight even though the majority of these young girls were within normal weight ranges. Young people are often unaware of the role of digital enhancement and manipulation on magazine covers and the overall portrayal of the ideal female and male body. These images promote unrealistic standards that are impossible to achieve.

Tess Holliday, a plus size model started a body positive movement on her social accounts. When she was younger, and competing beauty pageants, she felt ridiculed for looking different or out of place. Now, she is a size 22 supermodel who believes that “it’s all about accepting yourself” and fat-shaming does not encourage a healthy view of the self. This is a great step and growing trend, but the representation still represents only a tiny sliver of the body image representation in media today.

While the media may contribute to the development of weight concerns and body dissatisfaction in children and adolescents, media can also be used as an important tool for health promotion and prevention strategies. Instead of promoting weight loss, advertisements about dieting should be replaced with advertisements with education regarding eating disorders and body positivity. It may not solve the problem, but it could certainly tip the scales in the right direction.