Helping our kids build better body image means understanding all the settings around us that influence how we feel about ourselves – like the media. Emilee Black from Griffith University shares how and why we need to think critically about the words and images we’re consuming.
What words would you use to describe multi-award-winning singer-songwriter Adele? Or Broadway performer, singer and actress Renee Rapp?
These women, despite both excelling in their respective fields, have one thing in common: their achievements have been overshadowed by online trolls and tabloid media, who chose some different words to describe them – almost all of them about their appearance. Regardless of whether they’ve gained weight, lost weight or simply didn’t fit the straight-sized ‘ideal’ that is pushed on them, these women are no strangers to body shaming. Instead of focusing on her triumphant return to the stage in 2021, Adele was welcomed back with fatphobic headlines such as ‘Adele’s Oprah concert proves she didn’t lose her voice with those pounds’. And instead of focusing on her incredible vocals and stellar adoption of Regina George’s personality in Mean Girls the Musical, Renee was faced with “vile” comments about her body, with some people online saying she’s “too fat” for the role.
These articles might simply be written for clicks, but they can be more powerful than we realise. In a world inundated with media messages and societal expectations, language holds the key to shaping how we perceive ourselves and others. Particularly when discussing bodies in the media, the words we use can have a profound impact on body image and self-esteem.
The role of language in our society
Language is more than just a tool for communication, it is a construct intricately woven into the fabric of our culture and the way we live. Language shapes our understanding of the world and influences the attitudes and perceptions of society. As our society evolves, language evolves with it; what becomes normalised in language, when it is widely accepted and perpetuated, becomes normalised in our inner and outer worlds. Media outlets, including news media, advertisements and journalism, play a significant role in the normalisation of language.
The language used when discussing bodies in the media can perpetuate harmful beauty ideals. The normalisation of certain language contributes to the creation of cultural scripts that influence how individuals perceive and value their bodies. The extensive focus on appearance and body criticism in various forms of media reinforces unrealistic beauty standards. Words that objectify and critique bodies become ingrained in public discourse, contributing to the marginalisation of certain body types and the promotion of harmful comparisons, which audiences internalise. This phenomenon is known as Social Learning Theory.
Social Learning Theory suggests that an individual learns behaviours and attitudes through observation and imitation. By normalising and glorifying certain body types, the media indirectly teaches people to internalise and mimic these attitudes. This includes the subtle messages demonstrated through specific language and image choices. These messages have become so ingrained that parents may unknowingly perpetuate this cycle by speaking negatively about their own bodies. These attitudes are then internalised by their children from an early age, shaping harmful ideals that are difficult to escape, because this messaging is everywhere we look.
Reporting on weight
Over the past 20 years, there has been so much media and news reporting about weight. Media coverage about obe*ty (or ‘the o-word’) are often focused on associating weight with negative health outcomes, which can be very stigmatising. Then there is the never-ending content about weight loss – diet, exercise, the newest celebrity routines or medication. In recent years, there have been some improvements in the language used to discuss weight, however, there is still a major issue in the way that weight is discussed in the media. In most cases, weight is presented as though it is entirely in our control. This approach disregards the complex nature of external and medical factors, and perpetuates stigma. The language used, and images that accompany the articles reinforces the idea that weight gain and obe*ty are personal failures.
Employing more positive, respectful and neutral language is crucial for fostering healthy public discourse when discussing bodies, and reducing the emotional load carried by these discussions. While the language used to discuss bodies and weight has become more neutral and inclusive in some media outlets, there are still subtleties to the current language that perpetuate weight stigma. This includes the absence of people-first language (“obese person” vs. “person with obe*ty”), derogatory labels such as “fat” or “chubby”, and especially the misplaced use of medical jargon, for example, describing rising rates of obe*ty as a “plague”.
The use of war-related terminology to describe weight gain is also common. Equating weight gain with the likes of horrific tragedies is harmful as it metaphorically demonises it as an enemy to be fought. This language promotes a negative view of weight, fostering a culture of shame and guilt, and even hatred. Not only does it cause individual impact, it influences the beliefs and values of society as the public internalises this messaging and reinforces it. This type of language is what we should be actively steering away from.
The images used to accompany a media piece about weight and appearance are also crucial in setting the tone for the interpretation of the language itself. The images used in media articles about weight and health often contribute to stereotypes of obe*ty. For instance, they often consist of a person consuming fast food and sugar sweetened beverages, reinforcing the stigmatising belief that people in larger bodies regularly make unhealthy food choices, ignoring the broader contributing factors. Isolated body parts – often the mid-section – are also commonly used, with the head cut off. This reduces the human-ness of people to their body parts.
Finally, images often depict sedentary behaviour, such as someone in a larger body lazing on a couch, perhaps in front of a television, surrounded by junk food. This reinforces harmful stereotypes too. These images are often unconnected to the article’s focus, such as in articles about the genetic or medical components of obe*ty. For instance, the media placed unnecessary emphasis on weight during the COVID-19 pandemic, alluding to fears of weight gain as a result of the pandemic, placing individual blame, and promoting harmful weight control strategies.
Making weight and appearance a ‘women’s issue’
The unflattering stereotypes suggested through this imagery also have a large focus on women, even if that is not the article’s focus. Even when it’s just a picture of feet on a scale, the painted toenails often make it clear it’s a woman. It begs the question: is this an unintentional coincidence, unconscious-biassed image selection, or intentional to gain clicks from women? Either way, it reinforces the harmful notion that women’s value revolves around their weight and appearance. Regardless of how harmful or positive the language is, the images are powerful and can lead people to internalise that weight and appearance are central to a woman’s value.
Reports about women’s bodies in publications like the Daily Mail are often hidden under the guise of medical relevance. There are many articles discussing what “science” or “research” has uncovered as the “ideal” body shape, breast size or facial features, either by society’s standard or by men. Whether or not this has been backed by scientific research is irrelevant, as it holds no benefit to whoever is reading it except to find out where they fall short of this ideal.
Celebrity news and clickbait about bodies
In 2024, fascination with celebrity news is at an all-time high thanks to social media, which gives us a ‘behind the scenes’ look into the lives of the rich and famous. Reality TV stars straddle the line between entertainment and real life, garnering relatability and unique attention. Discussions about celebrities, especially women, frequently centre on their physical attributes, age, fashion choices and cosmetic enhancements. Similarly, negative portrayals of women, their bodies and their appearance evoke comparable emotions, paralleling the feelings generated by distressing news. This cycle becomes addictive, fuelling clicks that news outlets knowingly exploit.
Despite journalistic efforts to avoid harmful language, articles often inadvertently reinforce problematic viewpoints. Changes in a celebrity’s appearance are often discussed in terms that prescribe a ‘normal’ appearance and assign blame for deviations from this norm. Implicit associations reinforce stigmatising attitudes that suggest that people are disciplined and hardworking if they lose weight and lazy if they gain weight, completely disregarding the hormonal, medical and psychological influences on weight.
While some outlets have steered away from commenting on weight gain in celebrities, this is often still discussed if it is tied to a medical issue or if there are enough negative social media comments to republish for clicks. Harmful comments from internet trolls, which may otherwise go relatively unnoticed, are often republished or quoted by journalists under the guise of concern and presented in a way that appears to reflect the beliefs of wider society.
Last year, Selena Gomez hit the headlines after social media users began speculating about her weight gain and changes in her facial appearance. The media didn’t necessarily post articles discussing her weight gain, but they did cover it once Gomez herself addressed the social media comments and opened up about struggling with lupus, which accounted for the change in her appearance. This was widely discussed in the news media, with numerous articles about her responding to body shamers and trolls, discussing her medical condition, and speculating over whether or not she had undergone cosmetic procedures.
Comedian Amy Schumer has also been a regular target in these types of articles, as recently as last month. Despite her many achievements in the film and comedy worlds over the years, critics have been quick to focus on Amy’s appearance, often commenting on her weight. She’s been no stranger to body shaming over the years, claiming her haters seem to have “a lot of passion” when voicing their negative opinions about her. Following a recent TV appearance on her Life & Beth season 2 press tour, Amy reported receiving an influx of comments and concerns in articles and online about her face and overall appearance, saying she looked “swollen” and “puffier” than usual. This commentary pushed her to reveal that she had in fact been diagnosed with a hormonal disorder called Cushing’s Syndrome.
This repetition of vicious social media comments only amplifies the trolling voice to a wider audience, increasing its negative impact. This constant focus on women’s appearance, whether positive or negative, reinforces internalised beliefs that women’s bodies are a key factor in their worth and must fit the ‘ideal standard’.
The psychological impact on audiences
Body image is a sensitive and personal aspect of an individual’s identity. The impact of harmful representation in the media goes beyond momentary dissatisfaction. It can create lasting psychological effects on individuals, particularly on their body image and self-esteem. Some of the harmful long-lasting impacts of negative body-image language used in the media include the reinforcement of gender stereotypes, low self-worth and self-objectification, where individuals, adults as well as youth, begin to view themselves primarily as an object to be judged based on appearance. Self-objectification can lead to feelings of shame, self-consciousness and disconnection from one’s body, which can trigger eating disorders.
Eating disorders are among the most serious and even life-threatening results of harmful language surrounding bodies. Research has shown a strong correlation between the media’s coverage of female bodies and the development of harmful trends leading to eating disorders. Weight stigma in the media is widely prevalent and harmful, including insensitive portrayals of weight gain and larger bodies, celebrity content often highlighting the “ideal” body, and promoting strategies that may lead to disordered eating behaviour. While there is research centred on the prevalence of weight stigma in media, there has been little focus on methods to reduce it. It is essential for media outlets and other influential organisations to recognise their role in reinforcing these ideals and shaping societal norms, and journalists must exercise caution when addressing sensitive topics related to body image.
What can we do? Build media literacy and encourage journalistic responsibility
We can all hold media outlets responsible for the way they speak about bodies, weight and health. But first, we need to help our young people become more aware of the negative impact of the language and conversations around bodies that they see.
When a situation arises where there is significant news or social media attention on a celebrity’s appearance or weight, some key questions we can ask are:
- Why do you think they have focused on their appearance?
- What do you think the author/media outlet is aiming to achieve with this article?
- Who benefits from this post or article?
- What broader impact does this conversation have for young people?
- Would they talk about a man’s body in this way?
- What could they have written about instead?
If your young people are interested in doing more than having a conversation about this, you could encourage them to voice some of their opinions in a letter to the editor, or making an informed comment on the post or article – emphasising how the focus on appearance, and the language used, makes them feel.
Rather than focusing on appearances and perpetuating harmful beauty standards, media professionals can highlight women’s accomplishments, strengths and inner qualities, and celebrate body diversity. By avoiding unnecessary scrutiny of bodies and appearances and steering clear of objectification, journalists can foster inclusivity and empower individuals to embrace their bodies with confidence.
