power to the people - Swinburne University of Technology

CULTURE
Facing up to
Bombarded by thousands of unrealistic advertising images,
young Australian women are becoming increasingly dissatisfied
with their bodies. Findings from cutting-edge research are
prompting calls for greater regulation in this contentious field.
by fiona marsden
During the 1970s, consumers
saw 500 advertisements per
day. In today’s multimedia
landscape, that figure
has ballooned to 5000.
At the same time, there’s
a growing gap between
idealised images in the
media and the way people look in real life.
Advertising predominantly features super-thin
models, even though the average clothing size
is getting bigger. And although Australia is
becoming more ethnically diverse, the media
remains saturated with Caucasian images.
Unrealistic expectations
“Less than five per cent of women can achieve
this media-driven ideal,” says Dr Nives
Zubcevic-Basic, lecturer and director of
Swinburne’s Master of Marketing program.
“When young women don’t see themselves
reflected in external images, they start
believing those images are the cultural norm
and the only acceptable form of beauty.”
Additionally, the rise of instant fame via
reality television and YouTube, along with
social media such as Facebook and Twitter,
means young women are more influenced by
images of attractive celebrities – and more
likely to judge themselves and their peers
accordingly. “In this environment,” says Dr
Zubcevic-Basic, “it can be difficult for young
women to maintain a positive self-image.”
It could be argued that many people are
dissatisfied with their appearance in some
way; most of us can see flaws that we’d rather
not have. But what does this mean for young
women in particular? At what point do faint or
fleeting feelings of dissatisfaction become a
major problem?
“Young women can develop issues when,
instead of looking at their body as a functional
entity, they examine individual body parts and
pick them apart as flaws,” says Dr Zubcevic-
Basic. “They genuinely believe they would
be happier if those flaws didn’t exist.” These
negative thoughts can extend into debilitating
behaviours such as avoiding social events,
altering nutritional habits or, in extreme
cases, developing eating disorders.
Less than five
per cent of women
can achieve this
media-driven
ideal.
Dr Nives Zubcevic-Basic
Judging the book by its cover
In a study of body image Dr Zubcevic-Basic
recruited 1111 male and female participants
aged 18 to 55 from across Australia.
Participants looked at images of models and
rated their attractiveness. They were also
asked how they felt about themselves before
and afterwards. “Across the board, there was
a significant decrease in participants’ own
body image after looking at the models,” says
Dr Zubcevic-Basic.
It wasn’t just women who responded to the
images in this way. While women felt worse
about their own bodies after seeing super-thin
female models, men felt worse about their
bodies after seeing muscular male models.
“It’s clear that men – just like women – are
increasingly feeling the pressure to conform to
an unrealistic ideal,” says Dr Zubcevic-Basic.
Perhaps more disturbingly, participants
in a subsequent study by Dr Zubcevic-
Basic overwhelmingly equated physical
attractiveness with success at university and
in subsequent careers. The study recruited
242 university students aged 18 to 40.
“Regardless of age or life experience,
participants attributed more importance
to looks than personality, character or
intelligence as a predictor of achievement,”
says Dr Zubcevic-Basic.
On the plus-side, Dr Zubcevic-Basic sees
two hedges against the factors predisposing
12 | swinburne | venture | issue ONE 2013