Adolescent Body Image Paper

Adolescent Body Image Paper

Body Shape & Size

The images give two different depictions of women and one general depiction of men in their adolescence stage. Men are portrayed as masculine based on the masculine features of an adolescent who regularly exercises. The features include a six-pack, biceps, and other arm muscles. The first image of the girls depicts an adolescent who may have experienced rapid developments compared to ordinary adolescents based on their breast size, while the second image portrays an ordinary adolescent girl undergoing gradual body transformation. The third image depicts a girl who may be considered a grown woman past the adolescent age based on the depiction of her body features. There was high variability in the body shape and size of the two adolescent girls. However, the second image was ideal because it does not show exaggerated body features like enhanced breasts and hips. The male image was also ideal because it depicts a typical adolescent based on the fact that young men undergoing the adolescent stage love exercising to stay fit and attractive.

Attainability

Exercise is one of the recommended natural remedies for anyone who wants to attain various body transformations. There are specific exercises for specific outcomes for both men and women. Therefore, the body types depicted in the images for both men and women are attainable through exercise. Both men and women can gain muscles by combining exercise with protein intake. According to Krzysztof et al. (2019), muscle growth from exercise arises from hypertrophy, which happens when the fibers of the muscles in the human body sustain injury and damage, thus prompting the body to repair the damaged fibers by joining them, which results in an increase in the muscle mass and size. However, the rate of muscle growth may differ due to differences in the levels of the insulin growth factor, human growth hormone, and testosterone in the body. Virtanen (2020) argues that these hormones activate the satellite cells responsible for muscle development, enhance the growth of tissues in the body, and stimulate anabolic hormones that promote protein synthesis and muscle growth. Therefore, combining protein intake with exercise could also stimulate muscle growth.

Adolescent Perceptions

According to Baminiwatta et al. (2021), the media, in most cases, has a negative effect on how adolescents perceive their own bodies. They portray images of adolescents with evident feminine features for females and masculine features for men. For instance, they emphasize body shape for females and muscle size for males hence lowering the self-esteem of adolescents who may not have these features. The media also lowers the self-concept of adolescents who do not have the body features portrayed in the images of their peers in the media. According to O’Dea (2012), body image is highly related to a person’s self-concept, self-esteem, and other important aspects of human development, such as identity, familial, and sexuality. Therefore, adolescents may develop a negative perception of their bodies if they do not have the features in the media photos and are reluctant to socialize with their peers.

Eating Disorders & the Media

The media plays a vital role in setting body type targets, especially among adolescents who copy influencers and celebrities. One of the main concerns about the influence of the media on young people is its role in the development of eating disorders. The media portrays images of an ideal adolescent, which could convince a person who does not have the body type in the image to change their diet so that they can get that shape. Influencers and celebrities also share their meal plans through the media, especially on social media platforms, thus making individuals who admire their body types change their eating habits to get a body similar to that of the influencer or celebrity.

Knowledge Application in the Field

I will use the knowledge I have acquired on adolescent body image influences to determine whether the adolescents I am working with have developed a negative perception of their body due to media influences based on how they behave around their peers with various body types and their reasons for exercising regularly and selecting a specific diet. I can then talk to them to ensure that they are comfortable with their bodies to avoid psychological and emotional issues that could arise from reduced self-esteem.

References

Baminiwatta, A., Herath, N. C., & Chandradasa, M. (2021). Cross-sectional study on the association between social media use and body image dissatisfaction among adolescents. Indian Journal of Pediatrics, 88(5), 499-500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-021-03662-3

Krzysztofik, Wilk, Wojdała, & Gołaś. (2019). Maximizing muscle hypertrophy: A systematic review of advanced resistance training techniques and methods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(24), 4897. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16244897

O’Dea, J. (2012). Body image and self-esteem. Encyclopedia of Body Image and Human Appearance, 141-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-384925-0.00021-3

Virtanen, J. (2020). Hormone optimization: Unlock your innate ability to burn fat, build muscle, and feel unstoppable.

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In your paper,

Describe how the men or women are portrayed in the media clips or photos. Was there high variability in body shape and size? What body type was ideal?

Explain how attainable these body types are for men and women. Support your explanation with at least one scholarly source.
Explain the media’s effect on how adolescents perceive their own bodies. Is it positive, negative, or both?
Describe the media’s potential role in the development of eating disorders.
Describe how your newly acquired knowledge on adolescent body image influences your current or potential work with adolescents.
Use at least two key terms correctly from the text in your paper.
The Adolescent Body Image paper

Must be two to three double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Style (Links to an external site.) resource.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Microsoft Word (Links to an external site.).

Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Writing Center resources.
Must use at least one scholarly resource in addition to the course text.
The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view this Quick and Easy Library Research (Links to an external site.) tutorial, which introduces the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Writing Center for specifications.